Eby: "I feel sorry for Americans. If you can't be friends with Canada, then you almost certainly do not have a friend anywhere in the world. And that is a very lonely place to be." #cdnpoli
Malcolm Fairbrother
@mfair.bsky.social
Prof. of environmental and political sociology. Sweden-based (Uppsala Uni + Institute for Futures Studies), formerly Canada, U.S., Mexico, UK. Decoupling, public opinion, learning from successes, modeling emissions. And political trust. www.fairbrother.org
Apparently Trump will be at the World Cup final. Let's hope Spain wins. That would be deeply satisfying.
Trump orders halt to US trade with Spain over NATO spending, Iran
U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday ordered an immediate halt to all trade with NATO ally Spain, escalating tensions over defence spending and the Iran war, despite European Union rules requirin...
reuters.com
EU member-states are debating its emissions trading system, the EU's *main* tool for solving climate change. Italy and nine countries in eastern Europe want weaker rules (and a hotter planet). DK, ES, FI, LU, NL, PT, and SE advocate continued ambition. Others are in between, mixed, or undeclared.
The five blocs dominating Europe's carbon pricing fight | Euractiv
Political fault lines emerge as the European Commission finalises a proposal to overhaul the Emissions Trading System (ETS)
euractiv.com
Canadian media reporting on wildfire smoke in Toronto that's so bad people are recommended not to be outside... and they don't even mention climate change. There was never smoke like this when I was a kid. Come on @cbcradiocanada.bsky.social , do better.
Toronto air quality among world's worst as wildfire smoke blankets city | CBC News
Environment Canada's poor air quality warning in Toronto due to wildfire smoke could stick around until the end of the week, said a meteorologist.
cbc.ca
This flouf is one of 15 healthy California condor chicks to hatch at our conservation center this season. A new record! #Condorable #KeepCalmAndCarrion
The UN General Assembly voted 141–8 supporting an ICJ opinion that countries have a legal obligation to address climate change. The eight voting against: USA, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Israel, Iran, Yemen, Liberia, and Belarus.
UN countries agree on legal obligation to address climate change | CBC News
The United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday voted 141–8 to adopt a resolution backing a world court opinion that countries have a legal obligation to address climate change, with the world's big...
cbc.ca
No kidding. Disgusting. And the law goes into effect on National Day. 🤮
Joe Noonan@joenoonan.se · 3mo agoThe Swedish Parliament rejected transitionary rules for citizenship applications. This is a devastating decision for thousands of people who have waited 24+ months for their citizenship to be processed. A horrible precedent that stains Sweden's reputation as a country with a strong rule of law.
Not only did the Swedish parliament just make it harder to become a citizen, they applied the new rules retrospectively. So people who submitted an application, meet the existing requirements, and are just waiting for a decision... may be denied only because it wasn't processed in time. So gross.
Beslut: Skärpta krav för svenskt medborgarskap (Beslut 29 april 2026)
riksdagen.se
Whoa, France… Impressive! Now, who’s next? (Denmark has previously announced a similar plan.)
France unveils plan to ditch all fossil fuels by 2050
France on Tuesday announced a “first of its kind” plan to phase out coal by 2030, oil by 2045 and gas by 2050 during a global conference aimed at breaking reliance on fossil fuels.
ctvnews.ca
”It’s stupid.” Indeed, though it’s also about the weirdness of consumers’ preferences. Why, in 2026 let alone 2035, would anyone still even think about buying a new internal combustion car?
‘It’s stupid’: why western carmakers’ retreat from electric risks dooming them to irrelevance
Iran war should be wake-up call about costs of not going full throttle towards EVs as Chinese have done, experts say
theguardian.com
Spain's renewables build-out has structurally decoupled its electricity prices from gas markets. Gas now sets the price in only 15% of hours, compared to 90% in Italy. Countries that invested early in clean power are far less exposed to fossil fuel price shocks. Those that didn't now pay the price.
Today, Europe’s energy system is cleaner, much more diverse - and much more stable than a few years ago. Yet the developments in the Middle East remind us once again of the risks of relying still too much on fossil fuels.
It's almost... like the world should have invested more in sources of energy other than fossil fuels? 🤔
Ok, their goalie stood on his head and they won the big game. But we still have democracy.
The Transnational Institute mourns the sad news of the passing of Susan George. No one has done more to shape, energize and inspire TNI over the decades – she has been our inspiration, our honorary leader, our intellectual soul, and our beloved friend. www.tni.org/en/article/s...
”We should not [allow ourselves to be] blackmailed by him," Austrian State Secretary for Energy Elisabeth Zehetner said. … ”I can’t understand the argument of the U.S. … Maybe it’s an ideological thing.” Just maybe, yeah.
POLITICO Europe@politico.eu · 6mo agoThe United States is calling on the world's most influential energy organization to abandon net zero emissions scenario modeling that has informed much of the global green transition, arguing the targets are unrealistic.
Today, Navalny's message to the world may resonate with many Americans differently than it did over two years ago. Alexei Navalny died on this day in 2024, poisoned using that the deadly frog toxin as reported by the governments of the United Kingdom, Sweden, France, Germany and the Netherlands.
Jacek Debiec, MD, PhD, DPhil 🌎 🧠@drjacekdebiec.bsky.social · 11mo ago“My message for the situation when I am killed is very simple: don't give up! If they decide to kill me, it means that we are incredibly strong. The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to do nothing.” Alexei Navalny
Sort of wondering when foreign leaders who understand the basic facts of climate change will tell Trump that he's making hugely costly decisions for the whole world, and it's not OK. The reality is that greenhouse gas emissions are harmful. Trump not believing that doesn't change the reality.
While in Sweden the current government—and the center-left opposition—work to deport teenage children of adult immigrants working here. 🤦
‘A lot of fear’: the families bearing brunt of Sweden’s immigration crackdown
Many of those moved into an asylum return centre have held jobs for years and can speak the language
theguardian.com
Malcolm Fairbrother@mfair.bsky.social · 6mo agoSánchez is about the world’s best leader right now. What a message. I hope others take note.
Sánchez is about the world’s best leader right now. What a message. I hope others take note.
Opinion | I’m the Prime Minister of Spain. This Is Why the West Needs Migrants.
nytimes.com
This seems like good, or at least surprisingly relevant, food for thought these days….
Military personnel
Number of troops under the command of the national government, intended for use against foreign adversaries, and held ready for combat as of 1 January of the given year.
ourworldindata.org
More than 200,000 Danish citizens have signed a petition to buy California as a response to Trump’s attempt to take Greenland. They say they will provide Californians with “rule of law, universal health care, fact-based politics, and a lifetime supply of Danish pastries.”
Out now: *A Research Agenda for Political Trust* This excellent collection of papers points out future directions for political trust research: the unanswered questions, problems, promising theoretical pathways, and methodological innovations. www.e-elgar.com/shop/gbp/a-r... And: it's open access!
A Research Agenda for Political Trust
‘Low trust in government provides the fuel for democratic backsliding. There is no more important topic for scholars to confront. This volume is invaluable because it provides important insights on tr...
e-elgar.com
Possibly the best part of this: "The analysis in this report excludes those Member States with low heating demand or no fossil fuel consumption in domestic heating. Therefore this analysis excludes Cyprus, Finland, Greece, Malta, Portugal, Spain and Sweden." EVEN COLD COUNTRIES DON'T NEED FFs!
Clean Energy Wire | CLEW@cleanenergywire.bsky.social · 8mo agoPlugging heat in: smart policy can help electrify household heating in Europe - Ember
New research in environmental sociology by @mfair.bsky.social and colleagues. The study shows that public support for national climate policies increases when people perceive stronger climate action by other countries (“They Reduce, We Reduce”) journals.plos.org/climate/arti...
They reduce, we reduce: Perception of other countries’ climate effort predicts support for climate policies
As public support influences policy choices, it is crucial to understand how people view climate policies. Based on the premise that individuals tend to be conditional cooperators, we derived the “The...
journals.plos.org
It has become received wisdom in Brussels and Washington that there is a new “euro-sclerosis”: that the EU economy is lagging the US This view is wrong A little primer on the measurement of productivity – and why reports of the economic death of Europe are greatly exaggerated🧵