Helen Baczkowska
@helenb92.bsky.social
Ecologist, environmental activist and writer, fascinated by the many lives of Britain's common lands.
My first book Twyford Rising, is a story of land and resistance. Find out more on:
http://helenbaczkowska.com
My first book Twyford Rising, is a story of land and resistance. Find out more on:
http://helenbaczkowska.com
My local murmuration is back - was its two year absence due to a local bypass being built? Either way, glad to have the starlings back, dropping into the reeds in small groups, presumably to avoid air traffic collusions.
February 16, 2026 at 4:12 PM
My local murmuration is back - was its two year absence due to a local bypass being built? Either way, glad to have the starlings back, dropping into the reeds in small groups, presumably to avoid air traffic collusions.
Reposted by Helen Baczkowska
Reposted by Helen Baczkowska
🔔🚨 New Publication Alert!
Research has shown that the Antarctic Ice Sheet is a climate tipping element.
We found: it’s not one — it’s many.
📄 Paper (open access): www.nature.com/articles/s41...
📢 Press release: www.pik-potsdam.de/en/news/late...
Tread below 🧵👇
Research has shown that the Antarctic Ice Sheet is a climate tipping element.
We found: it’s not one — it’s many.
📄 Paper (open access): www.nature.com/articles/s41...
📢 Press release: www.pik-potsdam.de/en/news/late...
Tread below 🧵👇
February 16, 2026 at 11:51 AM
🔔🚨 New Publication Alert!
Research has shown that the Antarctic Ice Sheet is a climate tipping element.
We found: it’s not one — it’s many.
📄 Paper (open access): www.nature.com/articles/s41...
📢 Press release: www.pik-potsdam.de/en/news/late...
Tread below 🧵👇
Research has shown that the Antarctic Ice Sheet is a climate tipping element.
We found: it’s not one — it’s many.
📄 Paper (open access): www.nature.com/articles/s41...
📢 Press release: www.pik-potsdam.de/en/news/late...
Tread below 🧵👇
Reposted by Helen Baczkowska
Pristine chalk streams have crystal clear waters even when in flood. They are set in wet woods habitat, there are no floodbanks & they are full of wood which the river has to move around. Hard to cast a fly but full of fish.
February 16, 2026 at 7:29 AM
Pristine chalk streams have crystal clear waters even when in flood. They are set in wet woods habitat, there are no floodbanks & they are full of wood which the river has to move around. Hard to cast a fly but full of fish.
February Filldyke, painted 1881 by BW Leader. There are ducks on the fields around here too, today and the ruts on the tracks are also full. The painting was not popular with Victorians - too realistic and unpicturesque I suspect.
February 15, 2026 at 3:21 PM
February Filldyke, painted 1881 by BW Leader. There are ducks on the fields around here too, today and the ruts on the tracks are also full. The painting was not popular with Victorians - too realistic and unpicturesque I suspect.
Me too
"I care far more about reversing insect collapse than expanding tech and AI infrastructure. 🐝🐝🐝"
February 15, 2026 at 3:11 PM
Me too
Reposted by Helen Baczkowska
Just mind-boggling that climate breakdown isn't even mentioned in this piece
Despite the fact that it is driving more powerful storms, higher sea level, bigger waves and more intense rainfall
People - apparently even the reporting journalist - still don't get it
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Despite the fact that it is driving more powerful storms, higher sea level, bigger waves and more intense rainfall
People - apparently even the reporting journalist - still don't get it
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Fresh fears for South West's rail link in Dawlish after storms
Taxpayer money has flowed into fixing the rail line connecting Cornwall with the rest of the UK - but the elements have other ideas.
www.bbc.co.uk
February 15, 2026 at 9:58 AM
Just mind-boggling that climate breakdown isn't even mentioned in this piece
Despite the fact that it is driving more powerful storms, higher sea level, bigger waves and more intense rainfall
People - apparently even the reporting journalist - still don't get it
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Despite the fact that it is driving more powerful storms, higher sea level, bigger waves and more intense rainfall
People - apparently even the reporting journalist - still don't get it
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Reposted by Helen Baczkowska
‘Point-of-no-return’: Lock-in of a hellish ‘hothouse Earth’ getting closer, warn scientists
- Continued global heating could set an irreversible course by triggering tipping points, but the public and politicians are largely unaware
#climatecrisis
Story by me
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
- Continued global heating could set an irreversible course by triggering tipping points, but the public and politicians are largely unaware
#climatecrisis
Story by me
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Point of no return: a hellish ‘hothouse Earth’ getting closer, scientists say
Continued global heating could set irreversible course by triggering climate tipping points, but most people unaware
www.theguardian.com
February 11, 2026 at 4:18 PM
‘Point-of-no-return’: Lock-in of a hellish ‘hothouse Earth’ getting closer, warn scientists
- Continued global heating could set an irreversible course by triggering tipping points, but the public and politicians are largely unaware
#climatecrisis
Story by me
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
- Continued global heating could set an irreversible course by triggering tipping points, but the public and politicians are largely unaware
#climatecrisis
Story by me
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Reposted by Helen Baczkowska
Forests are paying the price for corporate profit. An anti-deforestation law is being watered down - but the European Commission’s President can still hold the line. Public pressure now matters. Add your voice for forests. action.wemove.eu/sign/2026-02...
Healthy forests are our right!
Every ruined forest. Every polluted river. Enough. A key EU law to hold coffee, rubber, and palm oil giants accountable for deforestation is being weakened to protect profiteering - not our safety or ...
action.wemove.eu
February 11, 2026 at 6:31 PM
Forests are paying the price for corporate profit. An anti-deforestation law is being watered down - but the European Commission’s President can still hold the line. Public pressure now matters. Add your voice for forests. action.wemove.eu/sign/2026-02...
'One of the penalties of an ecological education is that one lives alone in a world of wounds', wrote Leopold, describing ecologists as a 'doctor who sees the marks of death in a community that believes itself well and does not want to be told otherwise.'
Businesses risk extinction themselves unless they protect and restore the natural world, scientists are warning
It comes amid major concerns over UK nature loss
#ClimateCrisis
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
It comes amid major concerns over UK nature loss
#ClimateCrisis
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Ipbes report: Nature loss could spell extinction for businesses
Experts call for urgent action by businesses to restore the natural systems that keep them running.
www.bbc.co.uk
February 9, 2026 at 10:07 PM
'One of the penalties of an ecological education is that one lives alone in a world of wounds', wrote Leopold, describing ecologists as a 'doctor who sees the marks of death in a community that believes itself well and does not want to be told otherwise.'
A stone row on Dartmoor, a reminder of how many different lives this land has lived. I wonder if people always worried about its future, the changing climate, the declining of species, or is this just the anxiety of our age?
February 9, 2026 at 10:01 PM
A stone row on Dartmoor, a reminder of how many different lives this land has lived. I wonder if people always worried about its future, the changing climate, the declining of species, or is this just the anxiety of our age?
A rare article that is inclusive, well argued and well written. Journalism like this is gold dust and yet so needed.
February 9, 2026 at 9:35 PM
A rare article that is inclusive, well argued and well written. Journalism like this is gold dust and yet so needed.
Reposted by Helen Baczkowska
Returning oystercatcher are one of the first signs of spring in Shetland, their shrill cries the harbinger of changing season. The weather is still wild, with weeks of storms and raging seas, but these birds remind us calmer days will come #Shetland
February 9, 2026 at 9:04 AM
Returning oystercatcher are one of the first signs of spring in Shetland, their shrill cries the harbinger of changing season. The weather is still wild, with weeks of storms and raging seas, but these birds remind us calmer days will come #Shetland
It is hard to find words for the seasonal shift that is February, especially in the endless rain and mud and a cold north easterly breeze.
But it feels like all of us, human and wild, are looking outwards again, no longer drawing in and down against the dark nights.
But it feels like all of us, human and wild, are looking outwards again, no longer drawing in and down against the dark nights.
“February. Another cold, dead month, or so it seems. The elms are bare against the sky, the plough-ground is naked and wet, and still as brown as the sodden leaves.
Yet the world is waking up”.
Artists: Edith Hilder, Rowland Hilder (ShellGuide, 1955)
Yet the world is waking up”.
Artists: Edith Hilder, Rowland Hilder (ShellGuide, 1955)
February 9, 2026 at 9:29 PM
It is hard to find words for the seasonal shift that is February, especially in the endless rain and mud and a cold north easterly breeze.
But it feels like all of us, human and wild, are looking outwards again, no longer drawing in and down against the dark nights.
But it feels like all of us, human and wild, are looking outwards again, no longer drawing in and down against the dark nights.
Two nights running last week I was woken by barn owls shrieking blue murder at 1 am. One night it went on so long, I had to get up and shut the window. Noisy neighbours, but forgiven because of their eerie beauty.
February 9, 2026 at 9:26 PM
Two nights running last week I was woken by barn owls shrieking blue murder at 1 am. One night it went on so long, I had to get up and shut the window. Noisy neighbours, but forgiven because of their eerie beauty.
Reposted by Helen Baczkowska
Reposted by Helen Baczkowska
Responding to questions about ongoing media coverage of proposed amphibian reintroductions, ARG UK wishes to clarify its position, building on our Policy Statement Concerning Reintroductions, and ARG UK Advice Note 12 Amphibian and Reptile Reintroduction Guidelines.
www.arguk.org/get-involved...
www.arguk.org/get-involved...
January 7, 2026 at 3:06 PM
Responding to questions about ongoing media coverage of proposed amphibian reintroductions, ARG UK wishes to clarify its position, building on our Policy Statement Concerning Reintroductions, and ARG UK Advice Note 12 Amphibian and Reptile Reintroduction Guidelines.
www.arguk.org/get-involved...
www.arguk.org/get-involved...
Reposted by Helen Baczkowska
All those who wrongly believe that nature collapse might be 'sad', but won't really affect them in any way, badly need to wake up.
Nature isn't just 'nice to have'.
Planet Earth is only liveable – for *us* too – due to the regulating effects of natural ecosystems.
share.google/NoVLRatfUoH5...
Nature isn't just 'nice to have'.
Planet Earth is only liveable – for *us* too – due to the regulating effects of natural ecosystems.
share.google/NoVLRatfUoH5...
Biodiversity collapse threatens UK security, intelligence chiefs warn
Ecosystem destruction will increase food shortages, disorder and mass migration, with effects already being felt
share.google
January 21, 2026 at 9:01 AM
All those who wrongly believe that nature collapse might be 'sad', but won't really affect them in any way, badly need to wake up.
Nature isn't just 'nice to have'.
Planet Earth is only liveable – for *us* too – due to the regulating effects of natural ecosystems.
share.google/NoVLRatfUoH5...
Nature isn't just 'nice to have'.
Planet Earth is only liveable – for *us* too – due to the regulating effects of natural ecosystems.
share.google/NoVLRatfUoH5...
Reposted by Helen Baczkowska
If it were up to me, geriatric would-be invaders of Greenland would be sent out on an ice floe or maybe just rethink their life goals from an extended meditation retreat period atop the ice sheet. Perhaps a polar bear could discuss arctic life with him too?
January 20, 2026 at 11:22 PM
If it were up to me, geriatric would-be invaders of Greenland would be sent out on an ice floe or maybe just rethink their life goals from an extended meditation retreat period atop the ice sheet. Perhaps a polar bear could discuss arctic life with him too?
Reposted by Helen Baczkowska
Tomorrow we honor the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. I remember the "good trouble" that occurred 65 years ago. I believe it’s time for some good trouble again. Some thoughts...
https://robertreich.substack.com/p/sunday-thought-a-time-for-good-trouble
https://robertreich.substack.com/p/sunday-thought-a-time-for-good-trouble
Sunday thought: It’s time again for good trouble
Time to take action against Trump’s mayhem
robertreich.substack.com
January 18, 2026 at 3:28 PM
Tomorrow we honor the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. I remember the "good trouble" that occurred 65 years ago. I believe it’s time for some good trouble again. Some thoughts...
https://robertreich.substack.com/p/sunday-thought-a-time-for-good-trouble
https://robertreich.substack.com/p/sunday-thought-a-time-for-good-trouble
Just the thoughts I have been having the last few days.
'Starmer says he does not think Trump seriously considering military action against Greenland'
Chamberlain, 1938: 'I believe it is peace for our time'
www.theguardian.com/politics/liv...
Chamberlain, 1938: 'I believe it is peace for our time'
www.theguardian.com/politics/liv...
January 19, 2026 at 7:17 PM
Just the thoughts I have been having the last few days.
Reposted by Helen Baczkowska
Brilliant fishy #pond conservation. At Kelling Heath Holiday Park, Norfolk, E. England they have fish & non-fish ponds.
Science says that having some ponds with native pond-associated fish & others without fish increases biodiversity at the landscape-scale.
Science says that having some ponds with native pond-associated fish & others without fish increases biodiversity at the landscape-scale.
January 19, 2026 at 8:44 AM
Brilliant fishy #pond conservation. At Kelling Heath Holiday Park, Norfolk, E. England they have fish & non-fish ponds.
Science says that having some ponds with native pond-associated fish & others without fish increases biodiversity at the landscape-scale.
Science says that having some ponds with native pond-associated fish & others without fish increases biodiversity at the landscape-scale.
Over on Substack @iainrobinson.bsky.social writes of finding it hard to write in the times we are living in, in the rapid unravelling of so many former certainties. I feel the same, my thoughts frayed and concentration hard won.
At least my favourite local tree is still dispensing its wisdom.
At least my favourite local tree is still dispensing its wisdom.
January 19, 2026 at 7:15 PM
Over on Substack @iainrobinson.bsky.social writes of finding it hard to write in the times we are living in, in the rapid unravelling of so many former certainties. I feel the same, my thoughts frayed and concentration hard won.
At least my favourite local tree is still dispensing its wisdom.
At least my favourite local tree is still dispensing its wisdom.
Reposted by Helen Baczkowska
🌸Got a botanical study in mind?🌾🌼You can apply for a helpful @bsbibotany.bsky.social Study Grant- but do it soon: the deadline is 31 January. More info at bsbi.org/learn/grants.... @atu-ie.bsky.social @uniofgalway.bsky.social @tcddublin.bsky.social @phoebeobrien.bsky.social @mikekally.bsky.social
January 19, 2026 at 3:49 PM
🌸Got a botanical study in mind?🌾🌼You can apply for a helpful @bsbibotany.bsky.social Study Grant- but do it soon: the deadline is 31 January. More info at bsbi.org/learn/grants.... @atu-ie.bsky.social @uniofgalway.bsky.social @tcddublin.bsky.social @phoebeobrien.bsky.social @mikekally.bsky.social
Reposted by Helen Baczkowska
“Taxing private jets is about the emissions, but it’s increasingly about justice. The rich elite are the ones who create the most pollution, yet we all suffer, and the poorest suffer the most because they’re least equipped to deal with the climate crisis.”
www.bigissue.com/news/environ...
www.bigissue.com/news/environ...
Sorry, Donald Trump – Scotland slaps private jet tax on the uber-rich
Scotland is set to hit private jets with a new tax from 2028–29, aiming to curb emissions and make the rich pay their fair share.
www.bigissue.com
January 19, 2026 at 5:50 PM
“Taxing private jets is about the emissions, but it’s increasingly about justice. The rich elite are the ones who create the most pollution, yet we all suffer, and the poorest suffer the most because they’re least equipped to deal with the climate crisis.”
www.bigissue.com/news/environ...
www.bigissue.com/news/environ...