Matthew Spencer
@spencerthink.bsky.social
Focussed on tropical forests and agriculture, distracted by cycle racing and brutalist buildings
Reposted by Matthew Spencer
A study focused on why deforestation rates have slowed in Indonesia and the Brazilian Amazon revealed that political will was a critical factor, often as a result of pressure from civil society and diplomacy to conserve forests.
Where there’s political will, there’s a way to stop tropical deforestation, study finds
Political will is among the most important factors in preventing tropical deforestation, according to a group of experts surveyed for a new study — with strong political commitment often arising out…
news.mongabay.com
July 27, 2025 at 10:53 AM
A study focused on why deforestation rates have slowed in Indonesia and the Brazilian Amazon revealed that political will was a critical factor, often as a result of pressure from civil society and diplomacy to conserve forests.
Reposted by Matthew Spencer
Trying to decarbonize the earth while continuing to vaporize forests is like trying to clean your house while smashing your vacuum to bits in the living room. You’re making a mess, and crippling your ability to clean up the mess.
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/24/c...
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/24/c...
July 25, 2025 at 5:18 PM
Trying to decarbonize the earth while continuing to vaporize forests is like trying to clean your house while smashing your vacuum to bits in the living room. You’re making a mess, and crippling your ability to clean up the mess.
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/24/c...
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/24/c...
Reposted by Matthew Spencer
The most important story in the world right now.
July 25, 2025 at 9:12 AM
The most important story in the world right now.
Reposted by Matthew Spencer
Our new study, led by Joss Lyons-White, @spencerthink.bsky.social, & myself in Conservation Letters, asked 36 experts in forest conservation across the Brazilian Amazon & Indonesia what factors have mattered most for protecting forests in these countries
LinkedIn
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lnkd.in
July 24, 2025 at 5:42 PM
Our new study, led by Joss Lyons-White, @spencerthink.bsky.social, & myself in Conservation Letters, asked 36 experts in forest conservation across the Brazilian Amazon & Indonesia what factors have mattered most for protecting forests in these countries
There are things that can be done to create an effective forest fire response: 1. Learn from Indonesias response to their peat and forest fire crisis of 2015. It worked.
2. Back the community fire brigade groups in the Amazon, which are springing up spontaneously but have few resources
2. Back the community fire brigade groups in the Amazon, which are springing up spontaneously but have few resources
This is a positive feedback. That is a further contribution to emissions arising from past emissions. As it gets warmer we will have less & less control over the eventual outcomes. This should be yet another ‘wake up call’, but I expect we will slumber on.
www.devex.com/news/defores...
www.devex.com/news/defores...
Deforestation skyrockets as Brazil plans forest-focused COP30
A new WRI report finds deforestation in 2024, driven by fires, has nearly doubled compared to 2023, underscoring urgent calls for funding mechanisms such as Brazil’s proposed $125 billion Tropical For...
www.devex.com
May 21, 2025 at 12:18 PM
There are things that can be done to create an effective forest fire response: 1. Learn from Indonesias response to their peat and forest fire crisis of 2015. It worked.
2. Back the community fire brigade groups in the Amazon, which are springing up spontaneously but have few resources
2. Back the community fire brigade groups in the Amazon, which are springing up spontaneously but have few resources
Is this road actually being built for #COP30? It goes nowhere near the conference venue, or the airport, and is a bypass from #belem to the large satellite city of Marituba, in a conurbation famous for its congestion. It may help raise funding to claim a link, but that doesnt make it true.
Amazon rainforest cut down to build highway for COP climate summit
The infrastructure required to host COP30 in Belém is undermining the cause, campaigners say.
www.bbc.co.uk
March 12, 2025 at 6:57 PM
Reposted by Matthew Spencer
John Reid, Daniel Biasetto and I worked secretly on this incredible series of reports for over a year. Today, the Guardian and O Globo reveal to the world the Massaco, one of the dozens of uncontacted Indigenous peoples who protect the Amazon rainforest but need our protection.
Photographs reveal first glimpse of uncontacted Amazon community
Exclusive: Automatic cameras in the Brazilian rainforest show images of the Massaco people, who are flourishing despite environmental threats
www.theguardian.com
December 22, 2024 at 11:16 AM
John Reid, Daniel Biasetto and I worked secretly on this incredible series of reports for over a year. Today, the Guardian and O Globo reveal to the world the Massaco, one of the dozens of uncontacted Indigenous peoples who protect the Amazon rainforest but need our protection.
Reposted by Matthew Spencer
It took the last government about five minutes to legislate to stop foreigners buying a national newspaper. How long will it take for this government to close a loophole that allows a foreigner to influence the next UK election by sloshing millions the way of one party?
December 21, 2024 at 1:58 PM
It took the last government about five minutes to legislate to stop foreigners buying a national newspaper. How long will it take for this government to close a loophole that allows a foreigner to influence the next UK election by sloshing millions the way of one party?
You don’t have to know anything about opera to love the reviews by @eleanorknight.bsky.social
My night out in Amsterdam for @bachtrack.com
Bats! Barrie Kosky's Fledermaus is a fabulous flight of fantasy at Dutch National Opera
✍️ Eleanor Knight
bachtrack.com/review-flede...
✍️ Eleanor Knight
bachtrack.com/review-flede...
December 9, 2024 at 6:31 PM
You don’t have to know anything about opera to love the reviews by @eleanorknight.bsky.social
Reposted by Matthew Spencer
NEW 🚨 Britain's electoral laws are broken - but successive governments have done nothing
Musk's proposed $100million donation to Nigel Farage shows we are on the cusp of a real crisis for British democracy
But it can be fixed. Here's how, by me
democracyforsale.substack.com/p/musks-100m...
Musk's proposed $100million donation to Nigel Farage shows we are on the cusp of a real crisis for British democracy
But it can be fixed. Here's how, by me
democracyforsale.substack.com/p/musks-100m...
Musk’s $100m to Farage will break our democracy
Keir Starmer needs to fix Britain’s broken electoral laws now - if he doesn’t, we will all suffer the consequences
democracyforsale.substack.com
December 1, 2024 at 12:56 PM
NEW 🚨 Britain's electoral laws are broken - but successive governments have done nothing
Musk's proposed $100million donation to Nigel Farage shows we are on the cusp of a real crisis for British democracy
But it can be fixed. Here's how, by me
democracyforsale.substack.com/p/musks-100m...
Musk's proposed $100million donation to Nigel Farage shows we are on the cusp of a real crisis for British democracy
But it can be fixed. Here's how, by me
democracyforsale.substack.com/p/musks-100m...
Just finished this magnificent tome on the history of the Amazon by John Hemming.
Struck by the VERY long tail of pressure that got us to 25% of Brazilian Amazon demarcated as indigenous territory today. It’s over 70 years since the Vilas Boas brothers proposed the Xingu Indigenous Reserve
Struck by the VERY long tail of pressure that got us to 25% of Brazilian Amazon demarcated as indigenous territory today. It’s over 70 years since the Vilas Boas brothers proposed the Xingu Indigenous Reserve
November 28, 2024 at 9:48 PM
Just finished this magnificent tome on the history of the Amazon by John Hemming.
Struck by the VERY long tail of pressure that got us to 25% of Brazilian Amazon demarcated as indigenous territory today. It’s over 70 years since the Vilas Boas brothers proposed the Xingu Indigenous Reserve
Struck by the VERY long tail of pressure that got us to 25% of Brazilian Amazon demarcated as indigenous territory today. It’s over 70 years since the Vilas Boas brothers proposed the Xingu Indigenous Reserve
Did the decade old NewYork Declaration on Forests fail, or did it help galvanise action? Here I explore the role of forest pledges with campaigners and insiders
news.mongabay.com/2024/11/do-f...
news.mongabay.com/2024/11/do-f...
Do forest conservation pledges work? (commentary)
In late September 2014 a besuited and bearded Leonardo DiCaprio stood at the grey marble dais in the UN General Assembly in New York and declared somberly that world leaders had to ‘make history or be...
news.mongabay.com
November 20, 2024 at 7:14 AM
Did the decade old NewYork Declaration on Forests fail, or did it help galvanise action? Here I explore the role of forest pledges with campaigners and insiders
news.mongabay.com/2024/11/do-f...
news.mongabay.com/2024/11/do-f...