Category: Blog
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Introducing ‘Scottish nature data’
Today I’ve launched a new website, Scottish Nature Data, to make it easy to explore environmental information by local area. The site lets you find data either by searching any Scottish postcode or by filtering by local authority, parliamentary constituency, or parliamentary region. For any area you can find: The site also hosts a dashboard…
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What we achieved in this parliament
Scottish voters will go to the polls next month in an election that will bring a massive turnover in elected representatives. As many as half of the MSPs being sworn in are likely to be fresh faces, and – regardless of the winning party – the Cabinet and Ministers will look very different. The 2021-26 parliament…
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Two new tools to help advocates for nature
Hello subscribers – I just wanted to share two new things on my website that I hope will be helpful to those interested in advocating for the environment. And some short thoughts on a related topic… The first is a daily news update which sends an automated list of new and blogs that are (mainly)…
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Scotland has a new law to restore nature. Will the next parliament deliver?
The passage of the Natural Environment Bill is a victory for campaigners who’ve been pushing for statutory nature targets for close to a decade. The government’s press release said that: “When set, the targets will ensure Scotland is on a bold and ambitious journey to be ‘nature positive’ by 2030 and has actively and substantially restored…
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4 things we learned from our poll on the environment and the election
LINK recently published new research by Diffley Partnership examining how environmental issues might influence next year’s Holyrood election. Here are 4 things we learned from the poll.
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Take the environment seriously if you have your eyes on Bute House
First published in the National on 11th October WITH the SNP gathering in Aberdeen for their conference this weekend, all attention will be on next year’s Holyrood election. The sense of invincibility that surrounded the party for so long was punctured by Labour’s victory in the 2024 General Election, which seemed to clear Anas Sarwar’s path…
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Every part of the UK has a pro-climate majority. So why does our politics feel so weird?
New research shows a clear pro-climate majority in every UK local authority. But does this feel reflected in our media and political debate?
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The Natural Environment Bill part 4 – deer management
A summary of Part 4 of the Natural Environment Bill, covering deer management.
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Scottish Parliament: my evidence at committee
Highlights from a recent appearance at the Scottish Parliament’s Rural Affairs and Islands Committee on the Natural Environment Bill.
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The Natural Environment Bill part 3 – National Parks
A summary of Part 3 of the Natural Environment Bill, covering National Parks.
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The Natural Environment Bill part 2 – Powers to modify environmental regulation
A summary of Part 2 of the Natural Environment Bill, related to Environmental Impact Assessments and the habitats regulations.
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The Natural Environment Bill part 1 – targets
A summary of Part 1 of the Natural Environment Bill, which will require legal targets for the restoration of nature.
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UK ministers must not miss chance to heed devolution
This first appeared in The National, on Saturday 5th April 2025. When Scotland votes in the Holyrood election next year there will be voters casting their ballot who were born in 2010, when Scotland had its fourth First Minister and was preparing for the fourth election of the devolution era. Devolution is not new – and the…
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The urban-rural divide… and where to find it (or not)
You will probably be familiar with the concept of the ‘urban-rural divide’ in environmental policy – the idea that environmental action is imposed by city-based policymakers and activists onto rural communities who resent it. This is an idea that has been at the heart of media coverange and political debate around recent backlash to environmental…
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Where are all the bees?
Earlier this summer I found myself repeatedly asking an uncomfortable question: where are all the bees? It turned out I was not alone in being disturbed by the silence in my garden – which, the Bumblebee Conservation Trust explained, was caused by a longer than usual gap between the emergence of queen and worker bees. This gap…
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The politics of food (pt.3)
In the run-up to Easter you may have heard about the climate-driven increase in the price of chocolate. Or you might have heard that drought has caused olive oil prices to rocket. Or maybe the risks posed to bananas, tomatoes, or even beer. The cost of food for UK households has risen by an average £605 in the last two years…
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The politics of food (pt.2)
Last month’s newsletter considered one aspect of the politics of food – the challenge of changing consumer diets. Since then the politics of food has shot up the news agenda. Tractors have been used to blockade roads in protests that have swept across Europe. Wary of the issue being exploited by the political right, the EU…
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The politics of food (pt.1)
Of all aspects of the climate debate, there is probably none more emotional or divisive than the politics of food. Diet is deeply personal and loaded with cultural meaning. And, for too many people, simply affording healthy food is becoming increasingly difficult. In this newsletter I’m going to look at just one aspect of the…
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How did a conspiracy theory become government policy… and should we worry?
One of the most curious government announcements of late was UK Transport Secretary Mark Harper’s pledge to “stop the misuse of 15 minute cities” where “local councils can decide how often you go to the shops”. 15 minute cities – known in Scotland as ’20 minute neighbourhoods’ – are an urban planning approach intended to…
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What will people give up to save the planet? This might be the wrong question.
Last month’s newsletter explored the high levels of support amongst the UK public for environmental action, after the Uxbridge by-election led to a race by politicians to distance themselves from the green agenda. While the point still stands – the evidence on public opinion is consistent and remarkably clear – it is always worth interrogating attitudes…