This morning two buzzards and a red kite soared in interlocking circles in the warm air high above my garden. Quite what this interaction of two distinct species meant is beside the point. We were looking at a very conspicuous example, as close to home as it could possibly be, of rewilding. Technically the buzzard… Continue reading
How Mr Jones scooped the world aboard Hitler’s plane
Mr Jones, directed by Agnieszka Holland, with James Norton, Vanessa Kirby and Peter Sarsgaard, is now streaming on Netflix and other movie platforms. “A few feet away [from me] sits Adolf Hitler, Chancellor of Germany and leader of the most volcanic nationalist awakening which the world has seen. Six thousand feet beneath us, hidden by… Continue reading →
Webinar on responses to climate and ecological emergency in context of Covid-19.
On Thursday the 26th March I joined an online webinar on responses to the climate and ecological emergency in the context of Covid-19. It was organised by climate litigation charity Plan B, and accessed by over 100 members of the British media. An expert panel included former Chief Scientific Advisor to the Government, Sir David… Continue reading →
Could the little cirl bunting inspire the rebuilding of our countryside?
We must take the cirl bunting as an emblem of hope for the 2020s, and many decades to follow. This pretty, but insignificant, bird was saved from likely extinction in the UK not by the bird-loving public fitting up more bird boxes and putting out more feed, but by giving public money to farmers. It… Continue reading →
Contactless limit up to £45 to help contain spread of COVID-19
This is what a WHO spokesperson said, in reply to a question about whether banknotes could be spreading the new coronavirus: “Yes it’s possible and it’s a good question. We know that money changes hands frequently and can pick up all sorts of bacteria and viruses … when possible it’s a good idea to use… Continue reading →
Could new support scheme for farmers reboot our countryside?
Wherever you stand on Brexit, it’s hard not to take some comfort from the government’s proposed Environmental Land Management (ELM) scheme. This is the post EU strategy to introducing new ways of funding farmers with public money – moving from the basic payment principle to the “public money for public goods” approach. I heard a… Continue reading →