Francis Sealey
I am an ex-BBC producer who is now retired but active in creating channels of engagement around climate change, global conflict, and the challenges to democracy. Originally from Bridgwater in Somerset
- Badenoch shoots herself in the foot on the Tories’ long march to the right Not content with haemorrhaging MPs to Reform, Kemi decides to drive others into the arms of the Lib Dems www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
- Trump destroyed offshore wind. The Northeast can’t live without it. To keep the lights on, states like New York and Massachusetts will need to build projects that are currently “impossible.” grist.org/climate-ener...
- Small-scale farmers produce more of the rich world’s food than previously thought Who grows our food? This seemingly simple question is getting harder to answer in a world where our food crosses borders to get to our plate theconversation.com/small-scale-...
- The Guardian view on food security: Britain can no longer trust markets alone As climate and geopolitics shocks bite, countries are rebuilding food buffers. The UK clings to neoliberal ideas while households pay the price www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
- Number of people in 'very deep poverty' in UK hits record high, research shows About 6.8 million people — almost half of all of those in poverty — are living in "very deep poverty" in the UK, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation warns. www.euronews.com/2026/01/27/n...
- New polling: majority of Thames Water customers want Ofwat to reject creditors’ proposal for the utility New polling has revealed that over two thirds (68%) of Thames Water customers believe that Thames Water should be nationalised and run in the public sector. weownit.org.uk/news/new-pol...
- The UK government didn’t want you to see this report on ecosystem collapse. I’m not surprised It took an FOI request to bring this national security assessment to light. For ‘doomsayers’ like us, it is the ultimate vindication www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
- How botched Tory insulation scheme looms over Labour’s warm homes plan Eco programme turned into a national scandal – but experts worry £15bn plan will prioritise green energy over insulating www.theguardian.com/environment/...
- Despite ceasefire, Israel’s siege allowing only a trickle of aid into Gaza Palestinians report a dire lack of healthy food, medicine, and winter shelter, while a new ban on humanitarian groups will push the enclave to the brink. www.972mag.com/israel-siege...
- Healthy Streets Scorecard Bulletin January 2026 Edition The Scorecard is published by a coalition of London charities. It sets out data to show the health of each borough’s streets according to ten indicators. mailchi.mp/cprelondon/h...
- Why sinking cities may now be a bigger climate crisis than rising seas A hidden force is causing highly populated river deltas to sink. In many cases, the subsidence is happening faster than the sea is rising www.sciencefocus.com/news/deltas-...
- The Global Story: How Canada's Mark Carney is taking on Trump After striking a major trade and tariff deal with China – the US’s rival superpower – is Carney emerging as the leader of a global resistance to Trump? www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
- Millions of tonnes of greenhouse gas to be piped under Liverpool Bay “Carbon capture” is coming to Merseyside. So why aren’t green activists happy www.livpost.co.uk/a-mississipp...
- Nature loss is a national security risk, intelligence group warns UK national security is threatened by the loss of biodiversity in ecosystems like the Amazon rainforest, the new report says www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
- UK to join major wind farm project with nine European countries The new project could link offshore wind farms in the North Sea to more than one country via 'interconnectors' www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
- Hundreds of illegal waste tips operating in England - including 11 'super sites' Hundreds of illegal dumps are operating across England, including at least 11 so-called "super sites" containing tens of thousands of tonnes of rubbish, a BBC investigation has found. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
- Labour’s privatisation failure is turbo-charging an AI data centre water crisis The UK already faces a projected daily water deficit of nearly 5 billion litres by 2050, a challenge exacerbated by climate change and population growth. www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/...
- Trump’s wrecking ball pushes US allies closer to Beijing In the search for stability, some western nations are turning to a country that many in Washington see as an existential threat www.theguardian.com/news/ng-inte...
- ‘If there’s nowhere else to go, this is where they come’: how Britain’s libraries provide much more than books www.theguardian.com/news/article...
- RHS unveils plans to protect UK gardens from future water shortages Environmental charity to prioritise water capture and storage as it urges gardeners to prepare for ‘new normal’ www.theguardian.com/environment/...
- A knock at the door: fear of ICE is transforming daily life in America Does a society truly become safer when part of its population learns to live in constant fear? www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
- Ban Forever Chemicals Now To the European Commission, European Parliament and To the European Commission action.wemove.eu/sign/2026-01....
- Cashing-in on London’s Parks and Countryside Dame Judi Dench calls for protection for trees and access to nature, as our new report shows over 50 London parks and green spaces battle commercialisation. www.cprelondon.org.uk/news/cashing...
- Mark Carney’s lessons for Keir Starmer The Canadian leader has articulated the “progressive realist” doctrine that should be Starmer’s own www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk-...
- Why Greenland plays an outsized role in climate change science theconversation.com/why-greenlan...
- World is entering an era of 'water bankruptcy' Countries have spent beyond their sustainable water budgets for so long that critical assets are depleted and the world faces huge economic, social and environmental costs www.newscientist.com/article/2511...
- Decarbonising the energy system by 2050 could save trillions - new Oxford study Tackling the impact of climate change is projected to cost the world trillions of dollars, with annual economic damages estimated to reach $38 trillion by 2050. www.ox.ac.uk/news/2022-09...
- America was born in protest. What’s changed 250 years later? Protest has defined the story of the United States since its founding in 1776. Is this moment any different? eu.usatoday.com/story/news/n...
- American democracy on the brink a year after Trump’s inauguration, experts say Scale and speed of president’s moves have stunned observers of authoritarian regimes – is the US in democratic peril? www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
- Our leaders must listen to scientists on climate change – or catastrophe is around the corner Environmental destruction can happen quickly and catastrophically at the stroke of a politician’s mis-informed pen, says WWF UK's Mark Wright www.bigissue.com/opinion/clim...
- Lyse Doucet: Trump is shaking the world order more than any president since WW2 www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
- ‘Alarmingly high’ levels of forever chemicals found at airports in England, investigation reveals 17 sites recorded elevated levels, in some cases thousands of times higher than proposed safe limits, as experts warn of potential risk to drinking water www.theguardian.com/environment/...
- The National Education Nature Park programme empowers children and young people to make a positive difference to both their own and nature's future. www.educationnaturepark.org.uk?fbclid=IwY2x...
- China sees an opportunity in Greenland, but not in the way that Trump thinks For years, Beijing has struggled to gain a foothold in Greenland, in part because of US and Danish unity. Trump’s fraying of that alliance could create the opening it needs www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...
- Nearly 400 millionaires and billionaires call for higher taxes on super-rich Mark Ruffalo, Brian Eno and Abigail Disney sign letter timed for WEF in Davos saying wealthy are buying political influence www.theguardian.com/business/202...
- Biodiversity collapse threatens UK security, intelligence chiefs warn Ecosystem destruction will increase food shortages, disorder and mass migration, with effects already being felt www.theguardian.com/environment/...
- Starmer’s calm diplomacy makes mistake of assuming Trump is a sentient being PM’s effort to take heat out of Greenland situation is yet another humiliation in his relationship with The Donald www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
- Global power struggles over the ocean’s finite resources As climate change and great-power rivalry intensify, oceans are emerging as a geopolitical frontier. www.eco-business.com/opinion/glob...
- How food systems innovation can enable healthier, more resilient cities www.weforum.org/stories/2026...
- ‘Climate change is here’: Experts warn environmental crisis is decades ahead of forecasts Climate experts warn the gloomy predictions of long term environmental change are no longer the future - they are already here. www.independent.co.uk/news/world/c...
- A Model for Sustainable Cities Join us at our Encaf Forum this coming Thursday January 29th at 7.00 pm where we will look at how Doughnut Economics can be applied where we live to create a sustainable locality. Come and Join Us and you can register at us02web.zoom.us/.../register...
- As the world finally punches back, was this the week Donald Trump went too far? The US president took his bullying doctrine to Davos and hit a wall of opposition. If this creates a new western alliance against him, all to the good www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
- Coal power drops in China and India for first time in 52 years after clean-energy records Coal power generation fell in both China and India in 2025, the first simultaneous drop in half a century, after each nation added record amounts of clean energy. www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-coa...
- Earth Has Crossed 7 of 9 Limits Keeping It Safe for Humans. “Humanity Is Pushing Beyond the Limits of a Safe Operating Space,” Scientists Say www.zmescience.com/ecology/eart....
- What is the High Seas Treaty? The agreement ratified by 83 countries The High Seas Treaty will govern the vast ocean areas beyond any country’s control, marking a historic moment for ocean conservation after nearly two decades of negotiations www.independent.co.uk/climate-chan...
- The fate of the planet’s coastlines depends on how fast Antarctica’s ice sheets melt. Some regions of the continent have enough ice to push up sea levels by 15 metres if they all melt, but researchers don’t yet fully understand the consequences www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...
- Guterres warns of ‘powerful forces’ undermining ‘global cooperation’ Now, Guterres warns of a planet facing myriad threats that were then unthinkable, citing the climate crisis and threat from “cyberspace” www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...
- ‘Damaging to public understanding’: Spain warns of surge in online abuse towards climate scientists Spain could begin cracking down on online abuse targeted at climate scientists after finding an “alarming” increase in hate speech . www.euronews.com/green/2026/0...
- What if the taps in your city simply stopped running. Not because of a broken pipe, but because the reservoirs behind them had finally run dry. www.ecoticias.com/en/goodbye-t...
- UK homes to get £15bn for solar and green tech to cut energy bills Households will be eligible for thousands of pounds' worth of solar panels and other green tech to lower their energy bills, the government has announced. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
