Jo Buchan
@jorbuchan.bsky.social
Exploring ways of living, learning and working that care for people and planet.
Warming winters are changing NZ’s landscapes, bringing insect pests, smaller fruit and carbon loss theconversation.com/warming-wint...
Warming winters are changing NZ’s landscapes, bringing insect pests, smaller fruit and carbon loss
Warmer winters mean insect pests like wasps will likely spread further, while weedy plants and rats invade alpine zones, shrinking the refuge for endangered birds.
theconversation.com
Hopefully the point everyone can agree on is that corporations don't always act rationally, even in their own selfish interest. People and businesses they run exhibit the same status quo bias, and are slow to act. So if a law matches the rational choice, it's a win win for everyone.
‘An equal and habitable world is possible’: academics set out sweeping vision for planetary survival www.theguardian.com/environment/...
‘An equal and habitable world is possible’: academics set out sweeping vision for planetary survival
Global report provides an alternative to climate breakdown, political extremism and economic tensions
theguardian.com
Trees and greenery can cool cities by as much as 18 degrees C but local Climate, street design and layered vegetation—trees with shrubs and ground cover—cool more effectively than trees alone. theconversation.com/trees-and-gr...
Trees and greenery can cool cities by as much as 18°C – but only if they’re the right type
A new study has shown that more vegetation is not automatically better.
theconversation.com
An interesting AI experiment that should be used as a cautionary tale, is being reported on by Ronan Farrow. It put competing AI models in a societal setting to see how they would fare and conduct themselves. It should inform governments especially, trying to implement them:
Cancer jab can eradicate entire tumours in patients, trial shows www.theguardian.com/science/2026...
Cancer jab can eradicate entire tumours in patients, trial shows
Jab brought ‘unprecedentedly strong responses’ in patients whose disease had become resistant to chemotherapy and immunotherapy
theguardian.com
Pope Leo on Monday set out a sweeping A.I. vision, warning leaders to safeguard humanity from the technology's most disruptive effects.
Pope Leo Warns of Risks From A.I. in 42,300-Word Encyclical
The document marks a powerful foray by the leader of the Roman Catholic church into the debate about the misuse or overuse of artificial intelligence.
nyti.ms
“Cuba, a country of just 11 million people that has been under continuous US economic sanctions since 1962, has sent more than 400,000 healthcare professionals to 155 countries over the last six and a half decades.”
Jeremy Rose@jeremyrosenz.bsky.social · 2mo agoCuba is a superpower when it comes to the delivery of medical assistance to the world's poorest. The World's only military superpower is doing its best to destroy that and in the process imposing sanctions that will cause thousands of deaths. towardsdemocracy.substack.com/p/the-world-...
Study shows how pollinator decline puts our health at risk and how simple steps can help eg planting wildflowers, reducing pesticides #UniversityofBristol www.bristol.ac.uk/biology/news...
2026: Pollinator Decline | School of Biological Sciences | University of Bristol
bristol.ac.uk
If you want to know what I think about either natural or technological CO₂ removal techniques…
Carbon dioxide removal is not a current climate solution — we need to change the narrative | Nature
Drastically reduce emissions first, or carbon dioxide removal will be next to useless. Drastically reduce emissions first, or carbon dioxide removal will be next to useless.
nature.com
I disagree with so much that’s in this. We don’t know if humans have the ability to remove additional carbon from the atmosphere, using either nature or technology. Now is the time for research but these are not current climate solutions. What is? Stopping the burning of fossil fuels.
Nature@nature.com · 3mo agoDifferent carbon‑removal approaches solve different problems, and pitting these technologies against each other could slow progress, says Gabrielle Walker go.nature.com/4cSWKkD
The rise of end times fascism | Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-i...
The rise of end times fascism | Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor
The governing ideology of the far right has become a monstrous, supremacist survivalism. Our task is to build a movement strong enough to stop them
theguardian.com
Thich Nhat Hanh on the Art of Deep Listening and Repairing a Relationship “ the intention of deep listening and loving speech is to restore communication, because once communication is restored, everything is possible, includng peace and reconciliation.” www.themarginalian.org/2021/10/10/t...
Thich Nhat Hanh on the Art of Deep Listening and the 3 Buddhist Steps to Repairing a Relationship
“The intention of deep listening and loving speech is to restore communication, because once communication is restored, everything is possible.”
themarginalian.org
Woman with three deadly diseases has ‘remarkable’ recovery after cell therapy www.theguardian.com/science/2026...
Woman with three deadly diseases has ‘remarkable’ recovery after cell therapy
Treatment reset wayward immune system of patient with life-threatening conditions, say scientists, in a world first
theguardian.com
A few quick thoughts on the updated booster advice for 2026 from the Immunisation Advisory Centre for New Zealand: This entirely dismisses the impacts of Long Covid & health impacts due to repeat infection - see expert advice below. We’re actively creating a pipeline of cumulative health impacts. 🧵
AI systems carry biases most users never see. "We cannot interrogate what we do not see." Critical AI literacy asks not “how do I use this?” but “should I use this at all?” theconversation.com/using-ai-res...
Using AI responsibly means knowing when not to use it
AI literacy has become synonymous with prompt engineering. It should mean something else entirely.
theconversation.com
Child mortality crisis continues in Gaza, with more than 100 killed since ceasefire
Child mortality crisis continues in Gaza, with more than 100 killed since ceasefire
Eight children have died of hypothermia this winter, says health ministry, amid reports maternal and newborn care in territory has been dismantled A 27-day-old baby died in Gaza on Saturday from severe cold, bringing the number of children in the region who have died of hypothermia since the start of the current winter season to eight, according to the Palestinian health ministry. Medical sources confirmed to the news agency Anadolu that the newborn, named Aisha Ayesh al-Agha, died as a result of freezing temperatures, and that when she was brought to Nasser hospital in Khan Younis it was already too late to save her. Continue reading...
theguardian.com
It is to Canada's shame we have not spoken out or supported a Canadian judge being sanctioned by the US Her life is frozen. She cannot use credit cards, travel, move money, or access email. This is not sustainable www.irishtimes.com/world/us/202...
‘It’s surreal’: US sanctions lock International Criminal Court judge out of daily life
Canadian judge Kimberly Prost is unable to use credit cards, transfer money or book everyday services in what she calls an attack on the independence of the judiciary
irishtimes.com
I've removed the paywall permanently from this piece, which is a chapter from my novel Villager, told entirely in the form of an online village message board. If you like it, you'll probably like the book. If you don't, you won't... www.tom-cox.com/the-village-...
The Village Message Board
Its authenticity was discredited because of his reputation, but also because he was quick with gin at the time and wearing an item of knitwear back to front.
tom-cox.com
Even if Trump resigned tomorrow, Russ Vought would still be aggressively dismantling the government and poisoning our future
ProPublica@propublica.org · 8mo agoRuss Vought set out to ensure a second Trump term would not be hampered by checks and balances: “I don’t want President Trump having to lose a moment of time having fights in the Oval Office about whether something is legal or doable or moral.” (Published October w/ @newyorker.com)
PETITION Protect the oceans from destructive fishing. Ban bottom trawling on seamounts! greenpeace.nz/tfqebf #NZOverFishing #SaveTheOceans via @GreenpeaceNZ
PETITION: Ban Bottom Trawling
Join the campaign to protect the oceans from destructive fishing. No more bottom trawling on seamounts!
greenpeace.nz
“What if the answers to education’s global challenges lie not in scaling up ‘best practices’, but in truly engaging students as agents of shaping our futures?” Paso Sahlberg, Uplifted Conference 2025
Reading or listening to stories promotes empathy, increases understanding of self and others and empowers young people of all ages…stories are and have always been fundamental in shaping humans and connecting us www.rnz.co.nz/life/culture...
Listen up: why listening to stories still matters for kids of all ages
Taranaki author David Hill looks back on RNZ's proud tradition of sharing stories for little listeners.
rnz.co.nz
More People Feel Safe Even as Global Conflicts Rise —not in New Zealand though! news.gallup.com/poll/695240/...
More People Feel Safe Even as Global Conflicts Rise
In 2024, Gallup's global tracking reached a new milestone: 73% of adults worldwide said they feel safe walking alone at night in their city or area.
news.gallup.com
Here’s how to help stop the yellow-legged hornet spread furthe in NZ— it’s not our finest hour letting it reach this point www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...
NZ now has a narrow window to stop the Asian yellow-legged hornet – here’s how everyone can help
Unless New Zealand rapidly scales up its search effort, we could soon be confronting an incursion far tougher and costlier to stamp out.
rnz.co.nz
An Oregon pilot program giving cash to homeless youths sees a staggering reduction in homelessness. The program gave participants $1,000 cash payments each month for two years, and at the end of the project's first phase, 91% of participants reported being in stable housing.
Oregon pilot program giving cash to homeless youths sees staggering reduction in homelessness
The state program gave participants $1,000 cash payments each month for two years. At the end of the project's first phase, 91% of participants reported being in stable housing.
streetroots.org