Michael Warhurst
@mwarhurst.bsky.social
My work focusses on EU environmental policy, heading up environment/health NGO CHEM Trust, but this is a personal account. Also interested in democracy, regulation, sustainability, science-policy etc
Reposted by Michael Warhurst
It amazes me that so-called "serious folk" in the US are failing to realise that the next two generations of European policymakers are going to be incredibly more inclined towards anti-Americanism than any generation since the interwar era.
Folks in the US still like to treat the whole Greenland invasion stuff as sufficiently unserious to engage with, but it is sufficiently serious that NATO allies are actively deploying tripwire forces to deter the US. That is *already* a political and actual cost to them, and to US relationships
January 14, 2026 at 11:28 PM
It amazes me that so-called "serious folk" in the US are failing to realise that the next two generations of European policymakers are going to be incredibly more inclined towards anti-Americanism than any generation since the interwar era.
Reposted by Michael Warhurst
Why is the Guardian the only paper to splash on Greenland?! If Europe deploying troops to protect against US invasion isn't news, I don't know what is
Thursday's GUARDIAN: Trump still intent on 'conquering' Greenland, says Danes after talks #TomorrowsPapersToday
January 14, 2026 at 10:18 PM
Why is the Guardian the only paper to splash on Greenland?! If Europe deploying troops to protect against US invasion isn't news, I don't know what is
Reposted by Michael Warhurst
This. Greenland defense is a tripwire—putting various European countries’ personnel in harms way in an attempt to deter attack—not an effort to win a war with the US.
A real Europe-US war would destroy the world. The goal is to not have one. Which was more than accomplished by a robust NATO. Alas.
A real Europe-US war would destroy the world. The goal is to not have one. Which was more than accomplished by a robust NATO. Alas.
Finding the reactions to this bleakly funny. Lads, the point isn’t that you are sending enough people to “win”, because we in fact, can’t win. It is just to have a tripwire! If you are going “why not 13, like Germany?” you have not understood how bad things are.
BREAKING: The UK is sending a single military officer to Greenland at the request of Denmark to participate in a multi-nation exercise
January 14, 2026 at 10:18 PM
This. Greenland defense is a tripwire—putting various European countries’ personnel in harms way in an attempt to deter attack—not an effort to win a war with the US.
A real Europe-US war would destroy the world. The goal is to not have one. Which was more than accomplished by a robust NATO. Alas.
A real Europe-US war would destroy the world. The goal is to not have one. Which was more than accomplished by a robust NATO. Alas.
Another cautionary tale from the #AI frontline:
‘the inclusion of a fictitious match between Maccabi Tel Aviv and West Ham in police intelligence “arose as a result of a use of Microsoft Copilot”’
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
‘the inclusion of a fictitious match between Maccabi Tel Aviv and West Ham in police intelligence “arose as a result of a use of Microsoft Copilot”’
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
West Midlands police chief apologises after AI error used to justify Maccabi Tel Aviv ban
Craig Guildford says he gave incorrect evidence to MPs and mistake arose from ‘use of Microsoft Copilot’
www.theguardian.com
January 14, 2026 at 10:20 PM
Another cautionary tale from the #AI frontline:
‘the inclusion of a fictitious match between Maccabi Tel Aviv and West Ham in police intelligence “arose as a result of a use of Microsoft Copilot”’
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
‘the inclusion of a fictitious match between Maccabi Tel Aviv and West Ham in police intelligence “arose as a result of a use of Microsoft Copilot”’
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
Reposted by Michael Warhurst
It has been exactly one year since launch of #ForeverLobbying Project & our own Chemical Reaction report.
Together we exposed access, strategies, & misleading messaging of prominent parts of #PFAS industry against proposed ban.
➡️ corporateeurope.org/en/chemical-...
➡️ foreverpollution.eu/lobbying/
Together we exposed access, strategies, & misleading messaging of prominent parts of #PFAS industry against proposed ban.
➡️ corporateeurope.org/en/chemical-...
➡️ foreverpollution.eu/lobbying/
January 14, 2026 at 9:15 AM
It has been exactly one year since launch of #ForeverLobbying Project & our own Chemical Reaction report.
Together we exposed access, strategies, & misleading messaging of prominent parts of #PFAS industry against proposed ban.
➡️ corporateeurope.org/en/chemical-...
➡️ foreverpollution.eu/lobbying/
Together we exposed access, strategies, & misleading messaging of prominent parts of #PFAS industry against proposed ban.
➡️ corporateeurope.org/en/chemical-...
➡️ foreverpollution.eu/lobbying/
Puzzling that so much of the right wing narrative in the US was about an over-powerful federal government, and here we are…
Today at 34 & Park in Minneapolis, a woman tried to drive down the street where a protest had broken out in front of a home ICE was raiding, saying she had a doctor apt to get to. ICE agents busted out her windows, cut off her seatbelt, and pulled her out before arresting her.
January 13, 2026 at 8:18 PM
Puzzling that so much of the right wing narrative in the US was about an over-powerful federal government, and here we are…
Boris Johnson’s ‘frictionless trade’
Dealing with post-Brexit paperwork ‘pure hell’, shipping head tells MPs
Dealing with post-Brexit paperwork ‘pure hell’, shipping head tells MPs
Toby Ovens of Broughton Transport called Brexit a nightmare, and said he hoped a reset with the EU would mean ‘light at the end of the tunnel’
www.theguardian.com
January 13, 2026 at 7:24 PM
Boris Johnson’s ‘frictionless trade’
Reposted by Michael Warhurst
i have been meaning to write something longer about how the various ideologies of the tech right are just warmed over pro-slavery apologetics
So much of the reactionary tech elite and rationalist movements' views, epitomized in Elon Musk, are indistinguishable from Calhounism. Here is Calhoun's famous 1948 speech arguing that Jefferson's assertion that "all men are created equal" was wrong. teachingamericanhistory.org/document/spe...
January 13, 2026 at 7:15 PM
i have been meaning to write something longer about how the various ideologies of the tech right are just warmed over pro-slavery apologetics
Reposted by Michael Warhurst
Sport England are leaving X/Twitter.
Chris Boardman explains it is because it has become a toxic environment - exemplified by the unlawful stripping & harassment of women and girls
But also one where effective & useful communication is less and less possible
www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/j...
Chris Boardman explains it is because it has become a toxic environment - exemplified by the unlawful stripping & harassment of women and girls
But also one where effective & useful communication is less and less possible
www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/j...
Sport England suspends X social media account and takes aim at Elon Musk
Sport England has revealed that it has suspended its account on the social media platform X
www.theguardian.com
January 13, 2026 at 6:22 PM
Sport England are leaving X/Twitter.
Chris Boardman explains it is because it has become a toxic environment - exemplified by the unlawful stripping & harassment of women and girls
But also one where effective & useful communication is less and less possible
www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/j...
Chris Boardman explains it is because it has become a toxic environment - exemplified by the unlawful stripping & harassment of women and girls
But also one where effective & useful communication is less and less possible
www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/j...
Reposted by Michael Warhurst
preview says 3, as of now the headline is updated to 6
January 13, 2026 at 6:24 PM
preview says 3, as of now the headline is updated to 6
Sunlit uplands update:
‘Brandishing a wad of paperwork with 26 stamps compared to one sheet needed before Brexit, Ovens criticised the post-Brexit bureaucracy he faced when shipping lamb and beef to the continent.’
#Brexit
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
‘Brandishing a wad of paperwork with 26 stamps compared to one sheet needed before Brexit, Ovens criticised the post-Brexit bureaucracy he faced when shipping lamb and beef to the continent.’
#Brexit
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Dealing with post-Brexit paperwork ‘pure hell’, shipping head tells MPs
Toby Ovens of Broughton Transport called Brexit a nightmare, and said he hoped a reset with the EU would mean ‘light at the end of the tunnel’
www.theguardian.com
January 13, 2026 at 7:15 PM
Sunlit uplands update:
‘Brandishing a wad of paperwork with 26 stamps compared to one sheet needed before Brexit, Ovens criticised the post-Brexit bureaucracy he faced when shipping lamb and beef to the continent.’
#Brexit
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
‘Brandishing a wad of paperwork with 26 stamps compared to one sheet needed before Brexit, Ovens criticised the post-Brexit bureaucracy he faced when shipping lamb and beef to the continent.’
#Brexit
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Fashion - and the car industry - driving less efficient cars….
There were more than 1 million larger cars - SUVs - sold in 2023. This is around 60% of sales and is projected to be 75% of sales in coming years*.
🚸 We believe children should be safe travelling to and from school.
* Stats @cleancitiescampaign
#carspreading #suvs #schoolrun
🚸 We believe children should be safe travelling to and from school.
* Stats @cleancitiescampaign
#carspreading #suvs #schoolrun
January 13, 2026 at 7:10 PM
Fashion - and the car industry - driving less efficient cars….
Reposted by Michael Warhurst
Plaid plus greens at fifty percent is quite something. Ecorepublic of Wales forthcoming
media focus on Reform UK has obscured the likelihood that Plaid Cymru will lead the next Welsh government
January 13, 2026 at 6:39 PM
Plaid plus greens at fifty percent is quite something. Ecorepublic of Wales forthcoming
Queued for 90 minutes, got new ticket on app, got next (delayed) train. Surely there is a better way?
January 13, 2026 at 7:08 PM
Queued for 90 minutes, got new ticket on app, got next (delayed) train. Surely there is a better way?
Train now boarding, but still waiting for ticket exchange….next train 2h later
January 13, 2026 at 5:47 PM
Train now boarding, but still waiting for ticket exchange….next train 2h later
Update: only one desk now @eurostarnews.bsky.social
January 13, 2026 at 5:28 PM
Update: only one desk now @eurostarnews.bsky.social
Reposted by Michael Warhurst
omg omg what is this I feel?
could it be HOPE??
could it be HOPE??
NEW: Coal-fired power generation fell in both China and India in 2025, for the first time since 1973. The drop came after record clean energy additions in both countries, and was the first time that clean energy was a major driver of falling coal power use.
January 13, 2026 at 1:18 PM
omg omg what is this I feel?
could it be HOPE??
could it be HOPE??
Reposted by Michael Warhurst
The Tufton St lobbyists and their media enablers have been using the 'scary number' playbook again this week.
So we've just updated our factcheck to capture this...
So we've just updated our factcheck to capture this...
UPDATED – Factcheck: How ‘scary-sounding numbers’ are being used to mislead the UK about net-zero | @drsimevans.carbonbrief.org
Read here: buff.ly/Be7nHfA
Read here: buff.ly/Be7nHfA
January 13, 2026 at 5:21 PM
The Tufton St lobbyists and their media enablers have been using the 'scary number' playbook again this week.
So we've just updated our factcheck to capture this...
So we've just updated our factcheck to capture this...
Reposted by Michael Warhurst
UKIP’s manifesto proudly declares “Brexit has been a disaster”.
So that was time well spent.
So that was time well spent.
January 13, 2026 at 4:47 PM
UKIP’s manifesto proudly declares “Brexit has been a disaster”.
So that was time well spent.
So that was time well spent.
Maybe #Eurostar needs to develop a software solution for rebooking tickets on the following train after they have cancelled the train they were travelling on?
Rather than queuing for the two available desks…..
Rather than queuing for the two available desks…..
January 13, 2026 at 5:21 PM
Maybe #Eurostar needs to develop a software solution for rebooking tickets on the following train after they have cancelled the train they were travelling on?
Rather than queuing for the two available desks…..
Rather than queuing for the two available desks…..
Reposted by Michael Warhurst
🧵A political/media guide to the "truth" about net-zero
1) Add up costs to install & run a net-zero energy system
2) Pretend fossil-fuelled alternatives wld be free
3) Do say "eco zealots are bankrupting us"
4) Don't say "free cars if we scrap net-zero" cos it sounds ridiculous
5) That's it!
1/10
1) Add up costs to install & run a net-zero energy system
2) Pretend fossil-fuelled alternatives wld be free
3) Do say "eco zealots are bankrupting us"
4) Don't say "free cars if we scrap net-zero" cos it sounds ridiculous
5) That's it!
1/10
January 12, 2026 at 4:18 PM
🧵A political/media guide to the "truth" about net-zero
1) Add up costs to install & run a net-zero energy system
2) Pretend fossil-fuelled alternatives wld be free
3) Do say "eco zealots are bankrupting us"
4) Don't say "free cars if we scrap net-zero" cos it sounds ridiculous
5) That's it!
1/10
1) Add up costs to install & run a net-zero energy system
2) Pretend fossil-fuelled alternatives wld be free
3) Do say "eco zealots are bankrupting us"
4) Don't say "free cars if we scrap net-zero" cos it sounds ridiculous
5) That's it!
1/10
Reposted by Michael Warhurst
wrote about The Other Place www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
January 12, 2026 at 4:28 PM
wrote about The Other Place www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Reposted by Michael Warhurst
Nadhim Zahawi and family fled to the UK from Saddam Hussein's Iraq as a child refugee in 1978. Unable to speak English when he arrived, he became a hugely successful businessman and an MP before serving as Chancellor of the Exchequor.
His origin story is the very antithesis of the Reform narrative.
His origin story is the very antithesis of the Reform narrative.
January 12, 2026 at 1:15 PM
Nadhim Zahawi and family fled to the UK from Saddam Hussein's Iraq as a child refugee in 1978. Unable to speak English when he arrived, he became a hugely successful businessman and an MP before serving as Chancellor of the Exchequor.
His origin story is the very antithesis of the Reform narrative.
His origin story is the very antithesis of the Reform narrative.
Reposted by Michael Warhurst
So... I've created a starter pack of UK government organisations currently on Bluesky: go.bsky.app/JHsY1Wz
(Currently includes all those listed under ministerial and non-ministerial departments here www.gov.uk/government/o... - let me know any I've missed, or got wrong)
(Currently includes all those listed under ministerial and non-ministerial departments here www.gov.uk/government/o... - let me know any I've missed, or got wrong)
January 11, 2026 at 7:09 PM
So... I've created a starter pack of UK government organisations currently on Bluesky: go.bsky.app/JHsY1Wz
(Currently includes all those listed under ministerial and non-ministerial departments here www.gov.uk/government/o... - let me know any I've missed, or got wrong)
(Currently includes all those listed under ministerial and non-ministerial departments here www.gov.uk/government/o... - let me know any I've missed, or got wrong)
Reposted by Michael Warhurst
Gangs of wine mums sounds pretty fun to me.
I see the fearsome no-bullshit no-snowflake chads running America are frightened about marauding "gangs of wine mums".
Don't tell them about the book club triads or the knitting circle mafia, they'll wet themselves.
Don't tell them about the book club triads or the knitting circle mafia, they'll wet themselves.
Ladies you “Zumba-ed” too hard!
January 11, 2026 at 9:38 PM
Gangs of wine mums sounds pretty fun to me.