Zoe Avison
@zoeavison.bsky.social
Senior political adviser at Uplift. Fossil fuels, climate change and politics, views my own.
I'm not sure folks have realized just how crazy the second half of 2026 and 2027 will be for global temperatures – on the back of a record-smashing El Niño event. Here is my latest estimate of where both years will end up compared to global temperatures since 1850.
1/ @mjflepage.bsky.social argues in @newscientist.com that more North Sea drilling doesn't matter for the #climate, because what counts is how much we burn. He's usually excellent as a climate writer and I found the piece a real let-down. A thread on why. 🧵
++BREAKING++ The UK and Spanish governments have issued a joint statement overnight: "[We] agreed that this summer’s wildfires demonstrated that climate change was now a national security emergency facing Europe and threatening our way of life." www.gov.uk/government/n...
As of 20 July, Parliament is no longer publishing the names of MP and Lords' staff on its register of interests. A backwards step for transparency members.parliament.uk/members/comm...
View current and previous versions of the Register - MPs and Lords - UK Parliament
Access current and previous versions of the UK Parliament's Register of Interests of Members' Staff.
members.parliament.uk
The diminishing returns from North Sea oil and gas will flow to a shrinking subset of firms and workers By contrast, the future of the clean energy system can be one of growth and the distribution of benefits across the country Manchesterism for energy www.chathamhouse.org/2026/07/why-...
Why Burnham should back Britain's new clean energy system, not more North Sea drilling
Renewables and electrification could help the new prime minister deliver on his promise to distribute economic benefits across the UK.
chathamhouse.org
This isn't news, but it's still a shocking sign of what Elon Musk has done to the platform formerly know as Twitter 2 identical posts 2x as many followers on X as on Bsky 100x more engagement on Bsky than on X
Delighted to announce the launch of my new thinktank, Panacea, specializing exclusively in "silver bullets" and one-size-fits-all policy interventions
“hundreds of North Sea licenses granted by the Conservatives over 14 years have produced the equivalent of just 36 days of gas for the UK. The North Sea reserves have been in terminal decline for years. This is a feature of geology, not a piece of political spin” www.politicshome.com/opinion/arti...
North Sea drilling is not the answer to our energy problems.
The urgency of the climate crisis is undeniable. The next 12 months are pivotal for advancing the global phase-out of fossil fuels and leaving a li...
politicshome.com
www.mirror.co.uk/news/politic...
Burnham warned new drilling licences in North Sea will 'not lower bills'
EXCLUSIVE: In a major intervention, 19 different groups including Oxfam and Greenpeace wrote to the incoming-PM expressing 'alarm' at reports Mr Burnham might water down the UK's focus on renewables
mirror.co.uk
It was the summer, there's a brand new Labour PM. They need to pick something for their first big policy announcement, looking tough is a bonus. Among the many things they could go for, they pick something that is going to be divisive among the Labour coalition. It all goes swimmingly.
James Ball@jamesrball.com · 3w agoAndy Burnham is going directly against the 2024 Labour manifesto by doing this (as the BBC correctly and prominently notes). That opens a door that his team have tried hard to keep shut. If he can go against the manifesto for *this*, he will hear, why not for other issues?
While I broadly think this is a marginal policy in both directions... ... its a hell of a signal to foreground it as he is and combined with Mahmood + wider signalling is a hell of a set of gifts to give to the Greens immediately.
Ellie Mae O'Hagan@elliemaeohagan.bsky.social · 3w agoHow did drilling in the north sea, a policy that has relatively no advantages whatsoever, become some kind of test of political seriousness? www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Theres lots of searching for reasons electricity costs are high that miss the very obvious - the tories built absolutely no grid, no anticipatory investment for 15 years and now we’re playing catch up. We don’t blame high water bills on environmental targets. Everyone agrees we didnt build anything
Left Outside@leftoutside.bsky.social · 3w agoAlso just shows how useless the debate is. We're gonna spend a HS2 on the grid to complement renewables, that doesn't show up in LCOE. System costs are going up a lot.
Here's Andy Burnham committing to a fossil fuel phase out and the @fossiltreaty.bsky.social last year. The science is extremely clear, we already have far more fossil fuels than can be burned if we are to stay within the Paris #climate targets & prevent catastrophic warming.
Oil Change International@oilchange.org · 3w agoDeadly heatwaves are hitting the UK. This is not the moment for more oil & gas. Burnham just backed a global plan to phase out fossil fuels. Now, reports suggest he'll back new North Sea drilling—a big reversal + mistake for the economy, climate, & UK. financialpost.com/pmn/business...
Burnham seems to be trying a 'Starmerism but harder' approach and to be ignoring both who votes Labour and who Labour voters are defecting to. Im.... not confident
As a way to kick off a premiership that needs to attract back left-leaning voters, it's hard to imagine a worse first move. After haemorrhaging voters to the Greens at the May elections, it's unclear that Andy Burnham's strategists have internalised the lessons. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Burnham to Back North Sea Oil and Take Control of Thames Water
Within days of taking office incoming Prime Minister Andy Burnham is preparing to announce new drilling for oil and gas in the North Sea as well as taking public control of Thames Water.
bloomberg.com
Burnham’s team will surely know that dropping the focus on Net Zero would be a ‘winter fuel allowance’ moment for key sections of the electorate.
Steve Akehurst@steveakehurst.bsky.social · 3w agoWeird thing is most testing will show you that one of the most vote losing positions Labour could adopt is explicit anti-Net Zero signalling. This is because climate still disproportionately matters to Lab/Green voters while Lab/Reform voters don’t care either way...
Weird thing is most testing will show you that one of the most vote losing positions Labour could adopt is explicit anti-Net Zero signalling. This is because climate still disproportionately matters to Lab/Green voters while Lab/Reform voters don’t care either way...
Arieh Kovler@ariehkovler.com · 3w agoIt's kind of weird how watering down Net Zero has become a political litmus test in Labour. Net Zero was in the last TORY manifesto!
Or much of a drop in public support. Fascinating example of elite consensus switching despite popular opinion.
Arieh Kovler@ariehkovler.com · 3w agoIn two years Net Zero went from broad political consensus to politically toxic, without any particular scandal over the policy.
You'd expect better from the New Statesman's senior data journalist than to publish this slop polling, surely?
Who would have thought it? It is an industry lobby's job to shriek as loudly as possible about the impacts of a policy change. Good ministers look through the noise, spot bluffing, and don't get spooked by scare tactics. www.thetimes.com/business/com...
Renters’ Rights Act fails to spook buy-to-let market
Landlords are buying property again, but those who tried to sell up have struggled. Six in ten flats listed by investors in 2025 failed to sell
thetimes.com
Oh this is excellent open.spotify.com/show/75APf1v...
Posh George: The criminal behind Farage | Times Investigates
Podcast · The Times · Posh George: The criminal behind Farage is season 13 of Times Investigates - bringing you award-winning investigative and true crime podcasts from The Times and The Sunday TimesF...
open.spotify.com
incredible how much of the UK press is taking Trump's line on our politics. It's in Trump's interest to keep us hooked on oil and gas, much of which we import from the US. It's in our national interest to cut that dependence ASAP
