The Ecologist

We stood in Parliament Square spelling out the need to ‘up the energy’ on government commitments to expanding community-owned energy earlier this month. The illuminated words accompanied the delivery of an open letter, signed by 250 people and organisations led by Community Energy England, supporting the British Government’s ambition to scale-up the sector, and underlining the need to do so without delay.

Zack Polanski has demanded Keir Starmer withdraw from the UK-Israel trade agreement, in the aftermath of Israel's continued illegal airstrikes on Lebanon. The Green Party leader insisted “robust” sanctions are needed following the attacks, in a response to questions from journalists at the launch of his party’s local election campaign in Deptford, south-east London, last Thursday.

Alphabet, Meta, Microsoft and Amazon all reportedly supported US election candidates who were climate deniers during 2024. Elon Musk alone spent a reported $277 million backing Trump and other Republican candidates for election. Apple, Microsoft and Google’s chief executives all offered “congratulations” to Donald Trump, for his second swearing-in as president and gave millions of dollars to his inaugural committee. READ: POLLUTER AND CYBER ELITES PART 1.

Billionaire media owners fly in and out of Silicon Valley on private jets while they slyly insinuate Artificial Intelligence (AI) into our lives. We know it matters, and that there are consequences for democracy, mental health and the biosphere. Yet it can seem so remote, the work of the polluter and cyber elites is hard to pin down.

England is “running out of time” to rescue nature-rich ancient woodlands buried under 20th century tree plantations, conservationists have warned. The Woodland Trust warns the British Government is falling far short of targets to restore planted ancient woodlands by 2030, with almost no woods on private land being restored in the last few years.

The results are in. Universal free public transport, introduced in Montpellier in southern France in December 2023, is proving to be a runaway success. A Mobility Observatory set up by the local authority has published a report on the first two years of the scheme. This article is part of our FREE PUBLIC TRANSPORT series in partnership with Fare Free London.

Oil wars aren’t always, or even usually, about actually seizing oil fields. They are about control: ideally control leading to healthy profit margins and secure investment environments. Trump declared “my favourite thing is to take the oil in Iran”. He - or the rational part of his regime - actually wants Iran as a client-state where the US dictates how and where the oil flows. But this war isn’t just about control over oil.

The turquoise waters of the Gulf of Thailand hold a unique and diverse array of marine life ranging from dugongs to leatherback turtles and whale sharks. The stunning variety of fish and crustaceans of the thousands of coral reefs have attracted divers from all over the world for decades. But it has attracted a far more dangerous thing as well. The fishing industry.

It started with a song. As a musician, Charlotte Mabon’s way of processing strong emotion is to pick up her guitar and start writing. The song ‘Each Life Sacred’ was a response to witnessing the suffering of children in the occupied territory of Palestine whose lives were being torn apart by repeated bombings and humanitarian blockades. The Each Life Sacred album is available to buy on bandcamp. All sales go directly to the charity War Child.

British oaks are facing multiple threats which could spell “disaster” for the country’s most important tree and the wider natural world, experts warn. The head of the Action Oak partnership of charities, landowners, research organisations and government bodies, says Britain must pay attention to the “warning signs” about the state of oaks, as the organisation releases a new report on the situation.