James Murray
@james-bg.bsky.social
Editor-in-chief of BusinessGreen, writing for a couple of decades or so about the environment, the economy, green politics, and the Climate Theory of Everything
Pinned
James Murray
@james-bg.bsky.social
· Dec 23
Climate change isn't 'woke'
Donald Trump's victory has triggered fresh calls for a rolling back of climate action, but such arguments are based on lazy and dangerously flawed assumptions - in an end of year essay BusinessGreen e...
www.businessgreen.com
Climate change isn't woke. Or rather, it's a bit woke and there's nothing wrong with that, but that's not all it is. Political and business leaders urgently need to reject the lazy thinking that is trying to paint climate action as an elite endeavour. www.businessgreen.com/blog-post/43...
Reposted by James Murray
I think overconfidence in a technological, free-market and autopilot energy transition also inspires a follow-on dismissiveness around governments approving, supporting or encouraging fossil fuel infrastructure (on the grounds that it won't compete with cheap renewables and therefore isn't a worry)
November 29, 2025 at 9:47 PM
I think overconfidence in a technological, free-market and autopilot energy transition also inspires a follow-on dismissiveness around governments approving, supporting or encouraging fossil fuel infrastructure (on the grounds that it won't compete with cheap renewables and therefore isn't a worry)
Reposted by James Murray
Bong Joon Ho hit me up for the squad you legend deadline.com/2025/11/bong...
November 29, 2025 at 12:49 PM
Bong Joon Ho hit me up for the squad you legend deadline.com/2025/11/bong...
Reposted by James Murray
Top headline on Radio 4 just now: "The government is being pressed to explain the real costs of taxis for asylum seekers".
There's clearly some misuse of money going on here, but is this genuinely THE most important thing happening in the world today?
There's clearly some misuse of money going on here, but is this genuinely THE most important thing happening in the world today?
Radcliffe and Maconie on BBC 6 music is one of my favourite things
Having it interrupted by breathless news bulletin telling me ‘government has banned taxis for asylum seekers’ *really isn’t*
New lines like ‘Home Office spent £1k over weekend on taxis’ would struggle to make a local newspaper
Having it interrupted by breathless news bulletin telling me ‘government has banned taxis for asylum seekers’ *really isn’t*
New lines like ‘Home Office spent £1k over weekend on taxis’ would struggle to make a local newspaper
November 29, 2025 at 1:20 PM
Top headline on Radio 4 just now: "The government is being pressed to explain the real costs of taxis for asylum seekers".
There's clearly some misuse of money going on here, but is this genuinely THE most important thing happening in the world today?
There's clearly some misuse of money going on here, but is this genuinely THE most important thing happening in the world today?
Just realised the ‘mansion tax’ on a £2m property is only fractionally more a month than the service charge we used to have to pay on our small two bed leasehold flat.
November 29, 2025 at 1:01 PM
Just realised the ‘mansion tax’ on a £2m property is only fractionally more a month than the service charge we used to have to pay on our small two bed leasehold flat.
The problem here is how many people are seeing and believing the original story and how many are seeing the thorough debunking?
Wow - this guy must be really, REALLY bad with money if an extra £208 per month will “ruin” his retirement.
Let’s take a look at his situation based on what he told the @Telegraph
Because this does NOT add up!
No, this is not a “poor pensioner” scrabbling around for pennies…
🧵1/9
Let’s take a look at his situation based on what he told the @Telegraph
Because this does NOT add up!
No, this is not a “poor pensioner” scrabbling around for pennies…
🧵1/9
November 29, 2025 at 11:17 AM
The problem here is how many people are seeing and believing the original story and how many are seeing the thorough debunking?
Reposted by James Murray
Wow - this guy must be really, REALLY bad with money if an extra £208 per month will “ruin” his retirement.
Let’s take a look at his situation based on what he told the @Telegraph
Because this does NOT add up!
No, this is not a “poor pensioner” scrabbling around for pennies…
🧵1/9
Let’s take a look at his situation based on what he told the @Telegraph
Because this does NOT add up!
No, this is not a “poor pensioner” scrabbling around for pennies…
🧵1/9
November 29, 2025 at 10:12 AM
Wow - this guy must be really, REALLY bad with money if an extra £208 per month will “ruin” his retirement.
Let’s take a look at his situation based on what he told the @Telegraph
Because this does NOT add up!
No, this is not a “poor pensioner” scrabbling around for pennies…
🧵1/9
Let’s take a look at his situation based on what he told the @Telegraph
Because this does NOT add up!
No, this is not a “poor pensioner” scrabbling around for pennies…
🧵1/9
Reposted by James Murray
Huge respect to the papers for finding both an 88 year old worried about the tax bill on her 6 bedroom Kensington house and a 20 year old fretting about only being able to save £12k a year tax free.
Top work all around. These are not easy case studies to find.
Top work all around. These are not easy case studies to find.
November 29, 2025 at 9:24 AM
Huge respect to the papers for finding both an 88 year old worried about the tax bill on her 6 bedroom Kensington house and a 20 year old fretting about only being able to save £12k a year tax free.
Top work all around. These are not easy case studies to find.
Top work all around. These are not easy case studies to find.
Reposted by James Murray
Imagine the hole in Alberta’s budget when the price & demand for oil is in long-term decline in 2030s as a result of the energy transition and increased demand for clean energy. Not nostalgia for the past, it’s about winning the future. Just economics, folks.
Alberta faces $6.4-billion deficit as falling oil prices and trade troubles take toll
This year’s budget represents a massive multibillion-dollar swing from an $8.3-billion surplus last year
www.theglobeandmail.com
November 28, 2025 at 5:27 PM
Imagine the hole in Alberta’s budget when the price & demand for oil is in long-term decline in 2030s as a result of the energy transition and increased demand for clean energy. Not nostalgia for the past, it’s about winning the future. Just economics, folks.
Reposted by James Murray
After the dotcom crash in the 2000s, there was a surplus of web hosting & bandwidth which let to a price drop that enabled new startups.
If the AI bubble pops, who benefits this time? Everyone because of the electricity capacity already in planning or project stage?
heatmap.news/ideas/data-c...
If the AI bubble pops, who benefits this time? Everyone because of the electricity capacity already in planning or project stage?
heatmap.news/ideas/data-c...
A Backup Plan for the AI Boom
If it turns out to be a bubble, billions of dollars of energy assets will be on the line.
heatmap.news
November 28, 2025 at 6:17 PM
After the dotcom crash in the 2000s, there was a surplus of web hosting & bandwidth which let to a price drop that enabled new startups.
If the AI bubble pops, who benefits this time? Everyone because of the electricity capacity already in planning or project stage?
heatmap.news/ideas/data-c...
If the AI bubble pops, who benefits this time? Everyone because of the electricity capacity already in planning or project stage?
heatmap.news/ideas/data-c...
Reposted by James Murray
What a great headline
November 28, 2025 at 3:49 PM
What a great headline
Reposted by James Murray
Saw a LinkedIn post today from a Serious Person who hailed progress on Ireland's planned LNG import terminal, and hilariously suggesting the gas could be sourced from cheap overseas biomethane.
Sadly, they weren't joking.
It might as well be powered by vibes.
Sadly, they weren't joking.
It might as well be powered by vibes.
November 28, 2025 at 4:51 PM
Saw a LinkedIn post today from a Serious Person who hailed progress on Ireland's planned LNG import terminal, and hilariously suggesting the gas could be sourced from cheap overseas biomethane.
Sadly, they weren't joking.
It might as well be powered by vibes.
Sadly, they weren't joking.
It might as well be powered by vibes.
ICYM There was some good stuff in the Budget for climate action, alongside the chaotic, bad stuff. www.businessgreen.com/blog-post/45...
Budget: There was good news for climate action, but it was hidden among the chaos
Rachel Reeves sent a series of mixed signals to the green economy, which could have been avoided if only there had been a clearer narrative
www.businessgreen.com
November 28, 2025 at 5:26 PM
ICYM There was some good stuff in the Budget for climate action, alongside the chaotic, bad stuff. www.businessgreen.com/blog-post/45...
Reposted by James Murray
Very good by @rmcunliffe.bsky.social. This country's deternination to consume its own young is both disgusting and, i suspect, self defeating.
Rachel Reeves hits young graduates with a double stealth tax
The Chancellor plans to raise as much money from freezing loan repayment thresholds as from the mansion tax
www.newstatesman.com
November 28, 2025 at 9:55 AM
Very good by @rmcunliffe.bsky.social. This country's deternination to consume its own young is both disgusting and, i suspect, self defeating.
Reposted by James Murray
I don't think it's all of it by any measure but I do absolutely believe that the political media's raging anti-intellectual streak has got worse with time and has ended up influencing the way MPs talk, and what they choose to talk/think about
I don’t think this is a “politicians have got dumber” issue for the most part. If you look at the *actual CVs* of previous cohorts of MPs, their background is not radically different when you account for, you know, the fact the economy is different! It is primarily a media and ecosystem issue.
We have got to make politics intellectual again. It is the only way that societies thrive is when politicians have the capability to actually think and reflect deeply:
November 28, 2025 at 3:09 PM
I don't think it's all of it by any measure but I do absolutely believe that the political media's raging anti-intellectual streak has got worse with time and has ended up influencing the way MPs talk, and what they choose to talk/think about
High Court rules last wave of oil and gas licenses was legal, but reminds government the on-going process needs to consider impacts on marine habitats. www.businessgreen.com/news/4522558...
High Court rules 28 oil and gas exploration licences were lawful
High Court upholds oil exploration licences granted under previous government, but says further approvals must account for ocean harm
www.businessgreen.com
November 28, 2025 at 5:22 PM
High Court rules last wave of oil and gas licenses was legal, but reminds government the on-going process needs to consider impacts on marine habitats. www.businessgreen.com/news/4522558...
Reposted by James Murray
Stellar reporting by @carbonbrief.org on what really happened with that 'roadmap' away from fossil fuels at COP30:
www.carbonbrief.org/revealed-lea...
www.carbonbrief.org/revealed-lea...
Revealed: Leak casts doubt on COP30’s ‘informal list’ of fossil-fuel roadmap opponents - Carbon Brief
Carbon Brief has obtained a leaked copy of the “informal list” of countries that were characterised as “blocking” the fossil-fuel roadmap’sat COP30.
www.carbonbrief.org
November 28, 2025 at 1:52 PM
Stellar reporting by @carbonbrief.org on what really happened with that 'roadmap' away from fossil fuels at COP30:
www.carbonbrief.org/revealed-lea...
www.carbonbrief.org/revealed-lea...
In further 'words no longer have any meaning' news, Lord Glasman wants 'clean, abundant' energy, including coal, fossil fuels, and North Sea gas. www.desmog.com/2025/11/28/l...
November 28, 2025 at 2:12 PM
In further 'words no longer have any meaning' news, Lord Glasman wants 'clean, abundant' energy, including coal, fossil fuels, and North Sea gas. www.desmog.com/2025/11/28/l...
Refusing to believe COP finished less than a week ago.
November 28, 2025 at 12:28 PM
Refusing to believe COP finished less than a week ago.
Reposted by James Murray
This afternoon, I informed the Prime Minister of my decision to resign as Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture, Minister responsible for Official Languages, Minister of Nature and Parks Canada, as well as his Lieutenant in Quebec.
You can find my full statement below.
You can find my full statement below.
November 27, 2025 at 10:32 PM
This afternoon, I informed the Prime Minister of my decision to resign as Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture, Minister responsible for Official Languages, Minister of Nature and Parks Canada, as well as his Lieutenant in Quebec.
You can find my full statement below.
You can find my full statement below.
Concerns growing over the Budget's cuts to energy efficiency funding, which could have significant impacts on fuel poverty and health. www.businessgreen.com/news/4522532...
Study: Over half of cold homes lived in by a person with an illness or disability
As concerns grow over Budget decision to cut energy efficiency funding, a new analysis reveals over 1.6 million cold households are home to someone living with long-term illness or disability
www.businessgreen.com
November 28, 2025 at 11:51 AM
Concerns growing over the Budget's cuts to energy efficiency funding, which could have significant impacts on fuel poverty and health. www.businessgreen.com/news/4522532...
Interesting report from the NAO calls for government to provide clearer guidance on how public sector climate risk reporting should work. www.businessgreen.com/news/4522521...
NAO: More clarity needed over UK public sector climate risk reporting rules
New UK rules requiring central government bodies to assess and disclose their climate risk in line with TCFD guidelines are useful but need more work, National Audit Office concludes
www.businessgreen.com
November 28, 2025 at 11:50 AM
Interesting report from the NAO calls for government to provide clearer guidance on how public sector climate risk reporting should work. www.businessgreen.com/news/4522521...
This is very cool. The solar punk future is coming to a dockyard in Cumbria. www.businessgreen.com/news/4522529...
ABP gets green light for 'UK's largest' floating solar farm
Barrow Energy Dock project set to see 14,000 floating solar panels deployed across around a third of the surface water area at Cavendish Dock
www.businessgreen.com
November 28, 2025 at 11:49 AM
This is very cool. The solar punk future is coming to a dockyard in Cumbria. www.businessgreen.com/news/4522529...
Reposted by James Murray
There was no state. Who does she think crucified him, an anarchist collective?
November 28, 2025 at 11:22 AM
There was no state. Who does she think crucified him, an anarchist collective?
Reposted by James Murray
Feels fairly politically notable that Labour’s had to find the money to fund a £150 cut to energy bills next year and hasn’t really got a single good headline out of it. Maybe it’ll pay off next year, but relies on voters crediting them for the fall in bills?
November 28, 2025 at 11:10 AM
Feels fairly politically notable that Labour’s had to find the money to fund a £150 cut to energy bills next year and hasn’t really got a single good headline out of it. Maybe it’ll pay off next year, but relies on voters crediting them for the fall in bills?
Reposted by James Murray
There is a lot of appalling shit in the world right now. But this really made my blood boil
Money buys *everything*, even things that were previously beyond its reaches
www.theguardian.com/football/202...
Money buys *everything*, even things that were previously beyond its reaches
www.theguardian.com/football/202...
Cristiano Ronaldo clear to start World Cup after Fifa suspends two games of his ban
Cristiano Ronaldo will serve the final two games of his ban only if he is guilty of a similar infringement in the next year
www.theguardian.com
November 28, 2025 at 8:35 AM
There is a lot of appalling shit in the world right now. But this really made my blood boil
Money buys *everything*, even things that were previously beyond its reaches
www.theguardian.com/football/202...
Money buys *everything*, even things that were previously beyond its reaches
www.theguardian.com/football/202...