Zoe James

monbiot.comThe Cruel Fantasies of Well-Fed PeopleThe astonishing story of how a movement’s quest for rural simplicity drifted into a formula for mass death

Just been rereading this 2023 essay from @georgemonbiot.bsky.social It was such a crucial addition to the discourse, raising the spectre of mass starvation. ‘We are working in a very tight space’ www.monbiot.com/2023/10/04/t...

21 Sept

'The answers, contradictory, incomplete and inadequate as they will always be, will be social, political, economic, organisational and technological.' 'We all have a duty to engage ... We will be assailed by cognitive dissonance.'

youtu.beThe FT says the poor should pay for the bond crisis. I say we fight the bond dealers.YouTube video by Richard J Murphy

@richardjmurphy.bsky.social has 7 (or 8) answers to the bond market question. I take the Q to be: What can we do about rising govt debt in the face of rising interest rates on govt bonds? This thread paraphrases his answers so I can see if I understand. I'd love to see these proposals debated! 🧵 1/7

Richard Murphy@richardjmurphy.bsky.social

Why should pensioners and those on social security pay the price when bond investors demand higher returns? That is the question raised by the latest turmoil in government bond markets. I say the government should fight back and suggest seven ways it could. youtu.be/kI-wvSkHKkQ?...

Answer 6: Govt cd introduce a Spahn tax. This is a transaction tax that goes up during periods of market distress when the market is prone to speculative attacks. Answer 7: Govt cd increase tax on unearned income - interest, dividends etc. 6/7

taxingwealth.ukTaxing Wealth Report 2024The Taxing Wealth Report 2024 seeks to answer the question that every journalist loves to ask of every politician, which is ‘how are you going to pay for it?’, whatever 'it' might be. What we know is...

Answer 8: At the same time, govt cd increase tax on increased bank profits. And that's it. Most of this is in addition to his ideas for generating revenue by taxing wealth without a wealth tax. Would these ideas fly? If not, why not? taxingwealth.uk End 🧵 7/7

youtu.beThe FT says the poor should pay for the bond crisis. I say we fight the bond dealers.YouTube video by Richard J Murphy

Richard Murphy@richardjmurphy.bsky.social

Answer 4: At the same time, govt could end "full funding rule" which says it must keep its books balanced by issuing new bonds and Treasury bills [like bonds but short-term?]. This was apparently a requirement under the Maastricht treaty, no longer applicable in UK. Also at the same time ... 4/7

Answer 5: Govt cd tell BoE to stop paying or reduce interest on accounts held with BoE by commercial banks (central bank reserve accounts). This interest is £20bn p.a.. RM suggests reducing to £10bn. The commercial banks did not deposit the funds, they were created by QE. 5/7

youtu.beThe FT says the poor should pay for the bond crisis. I say we fight the bond dealers.YouTube video by Richard J Murphy

Richard Murphy@richardjmurphy.bsky.social

Answer 1: Govt cd tell the BoE to stop quantitative tightening programme (QT), i.e. stop selling off its vast holding of govt bonds bought during COVID. QT transfers govt debt from the BoE to private financial markets. RT argues this is oversupplying the market. We are the only country doing QT. 2/7

Answer 2: Govt to declare economic crisis and in that context require the BoE to cut interest rates. Answer 3: At the same time, govt could stop issuing bonds, which it does daily to match govt deficit and replace matured bonds. It could instead run up a BoE overdraft. 3/7

zdfheute.deEl Niño: "Das ist alarmierend""Dieses Phänomen kommt ja natürlicherweise vor, wird aber durch den Klimawandel noch mal verstärkt", sagt Klimaforscher Anders Levermann zum Wetterphänomen El Niño mit Extremwetter.

No translation needed

PIK_climate@pik-potsdam.bsky.social

„Durch die globale Erwärmung pumpen wir wahnsinnig viel Energie in den tiefen Ozean. In El Niño kommt die immer wieder hoch, und dadurch wird es noch mal extra schlimm. Das ist alarmierend.“ Interview PIK-Forscher @alevermann.bsky.social im ZDF-Morgenmagazin. ⬇️ www.zdfheute.de/video/zdf-mo...

theguardian.comThe Guardian climate pledge 2026Each year, the Guardian reaffirms its commitment to the environment – both in our reporting and how we operate as a business. From critical tipping points to war in Iran, this is how the last 12 month...

30 Aug

This is all good, and shout out to @theguardian1.bsky.social environment reporters, but the political and economic reporting needs to get real too. Less gossip and telepathy, more physical reality please. @nebriefing.bsky.social needed all round. www.theguardian.com/membership/n...

27 Aug

Waiting for a downpour under these heavy skies is a bit Tim Curry. 'Anticip ...'

27 Aug

'pation!' Phew, that took a while!

theguardian.comFarewell, Dr Frank-N-Furter: why Tim Curry’s Rocky Horror Show will go onThe versatile stage performer will always be remembered for his defining film role in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, which turned him into an icon of 70s underground cinema and proto-punk

27 Aug

On the verge of teenager-dom, my best friend went off to Berkeley for 6 months while her dad was on sabbatical. She came back with a spliff, which we smoked in the woods, and the RHPS LP. The first was underwhelming, the second life changing. RIP Tim Curry www.theguardian.com/film/filmblo...

21 Aug

I worry a bit when I hear climate experts say in interviews that, in terms of global warming, things aren't going to get better, they will only get worse. 2028 might be cooler. What we are experiencing this year could be a big wave in a rising tide. Might be another big wave next year too.

Mmm

Spare chair for anyone who drops by. Currently it's Bristly Ox Tongue

15 Aug

Interesting Climate Question on the super super El Niño currently building. TLDR: get ready to support people around the world as rains fail and floods hit. pca.st/episode/8801...

11 Aug

Solar eclipse in the UK on Wednesday, peaking around 7pm! 88 to 98% coverage! (Plus meteor showers Wed and Thurs, plus temperature records falling.)

Met Office - weather and climate@metoffice.gov.uk

Five things to know about the weather this week...

penguin.co.ukThe Mermaid and Mrs Hancock'A cracking historical novel – with a twinge of the surreal – about passion and obsession' The Times SHORLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2018 One September evening in 1785, the merchant Jon...

30 July

What an absolute treat: just finished listening to The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock, written by @girlhermes.bsky.social read by Juliet Stevenson, free through the library on Borrowbox. As the Guardian say: 'As a writer, she is the real deal'. www.penguin.co.uk/books/435195...

pca.stBritain's Ticking Time Bomb: The Food Security CrisisCould the UK be facing empty supermarket shelves by 2030? Are food distribution centres sitting ducks for drone warfare? And how has Britain got to a place where is has just 3 days to 3 weeks worth…

24 July

It:s beginning to feel like the stories of the @nebriefing.bsky.social coming close to mainstream politics pca.st/episode/3556...

theguardian.comClimate crisis-driven heat ‘sucking soils dry’ as extreme drought hits EuropeAnalysis shows how heatwaves are making atmosphere thirstier, damaging water supplies, food production and power generation

23 July

Best explanation I've seen for the increase in droughts and wildfires. I guess the rise of heat domes caused by ragged Jetstream caused by greater warming at poles is also a factor for our latitudes.

Prof. Stefan Rahmstorf@rahmstorf.bsky.social

As long expected. It’s climate science 101. The vapor thirst of the atmosphere increases exponentially with temperature. A law of physics known since the early 19th C (Clausius–Clapeyron law). It causes more drought even if rainfall doesn’t decline. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

petition.parliament.ukPetition: Hold a UK-wide briefing on climate and nature risksThe UK faces growing risks from climate and nature breakdown - from extreme weather to economic disruption and national security threats. Yet the public has never been given a clear national briefing ...

22 July

What if a missing piece was found that broke the log jam? What if there was a credible theory of change? This petition needs more signatures

Mike Berners-Lee@mikebernerslee.bsky.social

Please sign and circulate this parliamentary petition, launched today from the National Emergency Briefing calling for a UK-wide, government-backed public briefing from independent experts on climate risks and also the opportunities from urgent action. petition.parliament.uk/petitions/76...

pca.st"We’re Not Ready": Inside the National Emergency Briefing on the Climate Shock AheadIn this episode of GENN, Nick Breeze talks to Professor Mike Berners-Lee, Chair of the National Emergency Briefing (NEB), about why the UK is “not ready” for the accelerating climate and nature…

22 July

What if a missing piece was found, and a theory of change? Sign me up! Loving the positivity from @mikebernerslee.bsky.social here pca.st/episode/81c6...

12 July

Sky doing weird stuff last night

link-springer-com.uoelibrary.idm.oclc.orgShibboleth Authentication Request

11 July

Just read ocean physicist @rahmstorf.bsky.social's 2024 chapter 'Climate and Weather at 3 Degrees More'. Conclusion notes: 'This sounds dark and dystopian and I find it hard to write it while thinking of my children. But it is likely.' Open access. V useful detail. link.springer.com/book/10.1007...

3 July

Help pls! I suspect that when laypeople hear global warming in terms of 1.5, 2 or 3 degrees, for instance, most bring to mind a world like now but just a bit on the warm side. Has anyone researched the way the framing is perceived? @thierryaaron.bsky.social @jamesgdyke.info @doctorvive.bsky.social

3 July

It's a bit like the 'don't think about a blue elephant' thing - there's no getting round what the framing brings to mind, even if people know intellectually that there's more to it.

17 June

Finished listening to Goliath's Curse, written and beautifully read by @lukekemp.bsky.social. Feel like I've been to the doctor's and had a thorough diagnosis and full, holistic (if devastating) consultation, addressing all the issues that having been hanging around for a long time. Much relief. 1/3

17 June

Should you read it? Yes! It should be on the syllabus of every school and college. 2/3

17 June

A certain amount of swithering between the final chapter and the epilogue on exactly how much hope is warranted - particularly liked this touch: 'For further information on what can be done, visit www.slayinggoliath.com' 3/3

pocketcasts.comAMOC Collapse: The Nightmare Tipping Point | Bonus ContentWe sit down with world-renowned oceanographer and climate scientist Stefan Rahmstorf to discuss the reality of the AMOC (Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation) tipping point. After 35 years of…

7 June

This is a great new episode off @overshootpod.bsky.social, interviewing @rahmstorf.bsky.social. I've listened to Rahmstorf a lot, but this is the best explanation of his I've heard on the AMOC, it's nature, risk of collapse, knock-on effects and timescales. pocketcasts.com/podcast/over...

28 May

Oh my gosh, pea and vetch are holding hands! Ancestor found 💕

27 May

Finally found a reference to someone else eating a dandelion flower. The sweet honey taste of those silky ruffles of sunshine, squeezed from their green cup, is one of life's great joys to me, and one I've never found a companion in.They found it bitter! Wth! They must have got a mouthful of green.

27 May

My companion was only fictional in any case. I'm 46 minutes into the audio of The Rebel Nun by Marj Charlier.

pca.stFunding the FutureRichard Murphy and occasional friends talking about everything you need to know to understand the economy, tax, finance and how we fund our future.

25 Apr

If @richardjmurphy.bsky.social were chancellor: 1. Fiscal rules based on sustainability, real resources 2. Invest in energy, transport, housing, health, care 3. Job guarantee/GND/carbon army 4. BoE under gov ctrl 5. Tax reforms to rebalance wealth 6. All new ISAs gov bonds pca.st/podcast/dc92...

pca.stFunding the FutureRichard Murphy and occasional friends talking about everything you need to know to understand the economy, tax, finance and how we fund our future.

25 Apr

Link to episode: pca.st/podcast/dc92...

pca.stWho is the real Adam Smith?Neoliberalism claims Adam Smith as its founding father, but that claim is built on a lie. Smith's first great work, The Theory of Moral Sentiments (1759), placed empathy and…

6 Apr

'How selfish soever man may be supposed, there are evidently some principles in his nature, which interest him in the fortune of others, and render their happiness necessary to him, though he derives nothing from it except the pleasure of seeing it' - Adam Smith pca.st/episode/897d...

coastallinespress.comRain Was Once a PromiseRain once carried the promise of spring, of hope, of better days for Gaza.

4 Apr

"Alas for what we have lost." Beautiful zines from Gaza. www.coastallinespress.com/p/rain-was-o...

9 Mar

A lot to process in the news after a busy weekend with the grandkids. Distraught for the people of Tehran raising families under blackened skies. Still a piece of my heart left for Glasgow's Union Street in the city of my childhood.

nature.comThe hard road back from overshoot - Nature Climate ChangeAs global temperatures move beyond 1.5 °C, overshoot now defines the landscape ahead, sharpening legal claims, exposing economic risks and revealing how far politics still trail the pace of change.

4 Mar

'Overshoot barely registers in biodiversity science.' There's no way to bring back lost ecosystems, the dead can't be re-animated, & grabbing land for carbon capture hits biodiversity. www.nature.com/articles/s41...