Jack McGovan
Writer and environmental journalist @ Sentient, The Guardian, Hakai etc
www.sower.world
🇬🇧🏳️🌈
- Reposted by Jack McGovanI didn't save this tweet but somebody did and it feels worth resurfacing
- Reposted by Jack McGovanX is the megaphone of 21st century fascism and authoritariansim. It has poisoned public debate. It is a tool for bullying, abuse, and assault. X needs to disappear from our discourse. When people and institutions post there, it gives X credibility. It keeps it relevant. It's time to stop.
- Reposted by Jack McGovan⚡2026 is a turning point. UK #climate & environmental activists face both crisis & opportunity. Fascism rises, the #climate agenda is under attack, & political representation is urgent. 🧵A longish thread on why we must unite behind @zackpolanski.bsky.social & the @greenparty.org.uk 💚
- Results from the Basic Income for Artists scheme in Ireland were published in September, and they showed the scheme was a huge success across every metric. I spoke directly with some of the recipients to get their thoughts on the scheme and how it could be improved moving forward.
- For every euro spent through the scheme, there was a 1.39 euro benefit to the economy. For most of the artists themselves, however, the main benefits were more time to focus on their art, improved mental health and alleviating imposter syndrome.
- All of the artists I spoke to had an overwhelmingly positive impression of the scheme, but there were some critiques: disabled people on the scheme lost other benefits, people in full-time employment got slots on the scheme, and not everyone loved the lottery system which decided who got it.
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View full threadThe article was published on my newsletter, Sower, in November. I took a social media break at the end of the year so just sharing this now, but do sign up to support my work and ensure you receive articles as soon as they're live.
- The fact that so many ostensibly progressive people still use X is so demotivating. If we as a collective can't even stop using a social media website that was launched two decades ago, we have zero chance of dismantling infinitely more complex power structures that have existed for millennia.
- Reposted by Jack McGovanThis finding of "hidden" public support for green policies strongly echoes our work on pluralistic ignorance when it comes to non-car travel: most people support non-car travel more than car travel, but at the same time they believe this is a minority view
- "MPs underestimate support for green policies, study reveals" www.theguardian.com/environment/...
- Reposted by Jack McGovanOpen AI loses copyright case in Germany. Judge Elke Schwager summarized the case saying that if you want to build something and need components, "then you purchase them and do not use the property of others."
- Reposted by Jack McGovanHow is AI *really* impacting jobs? Henley Chiu, the CTO of Revealera, a jobs data analysis firm, analyzed 180 million jobs listings in 2024 and 2025, in an effort to find out. Chiu found an: -8% drop in all jobs postings -~30% drop in art, photography, writing jobs -22% drop in journalism jobs
- Reposted by Jack McGovanClimate and energy is not immune to today's discourse. "From what I've seen firsthand, utility policy advocates working on questions of finance, governance, and operations are primarily cisgender, straight (and mostly, white) men. Women, people of color, and queer people work separately..."
- Reposted by Jack McGovanVital piece of investigative reporting from Sky. They've uncovered the X algorithm which feeds users extremist right wing material from the moment they join the site. It is a far-right radicalisation engine, by design. news.sky.com/story/the-x-...
- Reposted by Jack McGovanWhen environmental educator Mona Shomali submitted this essay about the misuse of "survival of the fittest" to us at @therevelator.org, I couldn't wait to share it with our readers... Capitalism Loves Competition. Nature Has Other Ideas. therevelator.org/social-darwi...
- Reposted by Jack McGovanA Scottish charity wants to reintroduce state-subsidised diners for all—a potentially a big ask in the current political climate. #universalbasicservices www.sower.world/public-diner...
- A charity is gaining momentum pushing for state-subsidised diners to be reintroduced across the UK to improve access to affordable, healthy, and climate-friendly food. Not everyone is convinced, however, that there's a chance in the current political climate. My latest for Sower ⬇️
- Free community dining experiences are gaining in popularity across the world – a symptom of a failure in social policy to ensure everyone has access to nutritious, climate-friendly foods. That's why Nourish Scotland is pushing for state-subsidised diners instead.
- It might seem like a big ask, but state-subsidised dinners were already a thing in the UK during the wartime period of the 20th century – at their peak, there were more so-called British Restaurants than there are McDonalds today! I grew up in the UK and had no idea of that history.
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View full threadand big thank you to @ruxandragrrr.bsky.social as always for her edits!
- Reposted by Jack McGovanThis new reconstruction of global whale biomass shows that countries can successfully tackle environmental problems when they come together But it's a story with an under-recognised hero 🧵 1/
- Resharing this since Musk has now said civil war is inevitable in the UK. It takes two minutes to email your MP asking them to demand the government leaves X!
- Just emailed my MP asking him to join his colleagues in demanding that the government leaves X following Elon Musk's recent comments. It literally takes two minutes to do, and I encourage everyone to do the same: www.writetothem.com.
- Reposted by Jack McGovanI'm Still On X For The Engagement I Signed Up For StormFront Because That's Where The Influencers Are I'm Staying On TruthSocial Because I Can't Let The Right Fill The Space
- Reposted by Jack McGovanA stat we don't talk about enough: Newspapers have lost 77% of their jobs over the last 20 year, more than any of the 532 other industries tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Reposted by Jack McGovanstellan skarsgård seems like a good dude
- "In the two years since the state started charging a 4% surtax on incomes over $1 million, the effort has created a $5.7 billion windfall, with the surplus being used to fund bridge repairs, bolster literacy programs and address the transportation system’s budget deficit." Taxing the rich works!
- Reposted by Jack McGovanAda Lovelace, first AI denigrator
- Reposted by Jack McGovan“Now Scientific American has updated and re-released what it calls the “classic graphic” that shows that a human on a bicycle—able to coast, or freewheel, without pedaling—remains the world’s most energy effecient traveler.” @carltonreid.com on the re-release of the iconic graph in @forbes.com.
- Reposted by Jack McGovan🔥 The never-ending narrative… This week, I’ve once again heard prominent climate researchers dismiss individual action as either irrelevant or a distraction instigated by the fossil fuel industry. Here’s a 🧵 on why this argument frustrates me to no end and why I think it misses the bigger picture.
- "Recent research shows that for every million dollars, public spending on the military-industrial complex buys five jobs, while education spending creates thirteen and health care investment creates nine."
- Increasing military budgets as part of rising great-power competition is a disaster across multiple fronts: for the victims of wars, for an already burning planet, and for workers who don’t see real benefits from military conflict. New from me & @transitionsec.bsky.social co-director Khem Rogaly
- Reposted by Jack McGovan1/6 We are the most terrifying animal in existence, even for wolves They tested whether wolves (Tuchola Forest, Poland) fear the barking of dogs more than the human voice when speaking. The wolves fled sooner and faster when they heard our voices (paper) www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
- Reposted by Jack McGovanPretty freaking wild to hear "actually AI is useful for climate change" constantly and from people who should know better when the people deciding how the massive resources it consumes are used are saying stuff like this
- Reposted by Jack McGovanDepressing that the IUCN's confirmation that an endangered species is in fact endangered is the closest thing I can provide to "good news." Latest for @mongabay.com shows how a concerted effort by the biomedical research lobby to downgrade the IUCN listing of long-tailed macaques has failed.
- Did you or somebody you know take part in the Basic Income for Artists scheme in Ireland? I’m looking to speak to some participants for a piece, anonymous is also fine! DM or email is in bio, please share 🙏 #journorequest
- Reposted by Jack McGovanFully support what Jack is saying here, we need more recognition of collective work and not singling out individuals, especially when they're involved in super collective work. Why not award orgs and coalitions?
- Reposted by Jack McGovanLRT “In 2017, Kenyan conservationist Dr Mordecai Ogada published the book The Big Conservation Lie, which criticised ‘white saviours’ like Goodall...Have any African conservationists received a damehood or regular well-paid speaking opportunities across the world for their work?”
- Reposted by Jack McGovan"The economic system we live under has nurtured these Great Man narratives because it’s precisely what keeps it propped up. Our system teaches us that those who work hard will rise to the top on the basis of their merit and contribution to the world."
- With Jane Goodall's death last week and the Nobel Prize announcements this week, I wrote about why it's a big problem that we lionise individuals for achievements that resulted from the work of collective groups of people.
- @rmkubinec.bsky.social @pwgtennant.bsky.social @grimalkina.bsky.social maybe interesting for you based on your recent posts about the Nobel Prize!
- "No fight against the slaughterhouses will ever be successful if we do not also confront capitalism. Likewise, no fight against capitalism will fully succeed unless we also fight against slaughterhouses." Can't encourage people enough to read this essay, it's incredibly important writing.
- Reposted by Jack McGovanDamn. This is amazing. £325 per week, paid monthly, for 3 years - and the result was a profit for the Irish economy: www.citizensinformation.ie/en/employmen...
- See also: Jane Goodall. We spend way too much time deifying individuals instead of recognising collective contributions to knowledge or other forms of human creation.
- Reposted by Jack McGovanUntil people in the climate movement very publicly stop eating meat and flying, we're not going to seem trustworthy. I will die on this hill.
- Every month for my newsletter, I round up stories I find of people taking action to make the world a better place in the hopes my readers find inspiration. I also add in music other media recommendations (books, TV, recipes etc) for people looking for something new to enjoy ⬇️
- Reposted by Jack McGovan"I stopped eating meat some 50 years ago," wrote Jane Goodall, "when I looked at the pork chop on my plate and thought: this represents fear, pain, death." Best as I can tell, not one obituary or article on her passing mentions this fact. It's worth knowing. news.janegoodall.org/2017/04/28/w...
- “Governments are reluctant to push hard on dietary change, livestock emissions, or fertilizer dependence because they trigger cultural sensitivities and risk political backlash," said @jessfanzo.bsky.social.
- The longer the climate movement sweeps meat consumption under the rug, the longer we put off difficult conversations that we need to have as a society to move towards more sustainable food systems.
- Reposted by Jack McGovanI may have found my defining quote. Pair this with my pinned post and you will see what I mean!
- Reposted by Jack McGovan“Year after year, land and environmental defenders—those protecting our forests, rivers, and lands across the world—continue to be met with unspeakable violence.” 146 environmental and land defenders were murdered or disappeared in 2024
- Reposted by Jack McGovanOne of the unexpected things I've learned from my advocacy for trans people is how malignant parts of the State can be, how it can misuse data for positively evil purposes. It's taught me people can't be safe with a digital ID card and so I've signed this. petition.parliament.uk/petitions/73...
- After receiving a breakdown of my rent recently and seeing how my money helps maintain the communal areas, I was happy – despite realising that I've barely used them myself. I wrote about community spirit, setting up roots as a renter, and what I wish living in my apartment complex looked like ⬇️
- People have been shown to display more unethical behaviour when they use AI tools as an intermediary i.e it's not just that tools themselves produce inaccurate information, they actually encourage people to act in a dishonest way.
- It seems like people are basically eschewing responsibility when they use "AI" tools, as if the "AI" itself is the one making the decisions and not them personally – or that line of reasoning provides them with plausible deniability.
