Southill Community Energy, Charlbury Town Council, former Chair Green Party Exec. Cotswolds National Landscape, board member. Reason by name, Reason by nature.
Oxford
Joined March 2009
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Liz Reason retweeted
John Healey has clearly bought into the tech bro hype around AI, hook, line & sinker.
Mega data centres create very few local jobs and burn vast amounts of fossil fuels. Their main purpose is to concentrate even more wealth into fewer hands.
The very opposite of "good growth".
EXCLUSIVE:
Britain needs to embrace artificial intelligence and invest in data centres because it will offer the country a "productivity revolution" and bolster the wages of ordinary workers, the Chancellor has said
In an interview with The Times John Healey, the chancellor, said that artificial intelligence "is coming whether we like it or not" and that Britain needs to take "maximum advantage" of the opportunities it offers
He said that artificial intelligence has the potential to draw investment to Britain on a "big scale" and argued that Britain needs to develop its own "sovereign" artificial intelligence to bolster economic growth and national security
Healey believes that the improvement in productivity the technology brings will filter through to everyone. On Wednesday he discussed the artificial intelligence "revolution" with Kevin Warsh, the chairman of the US Federal Reserve, during a visit to the UK. Andy Burnham, the prime minister, also briefly attended the meeting.
Healey said: "He [Warsh] believes we're on the edge of a productivity revolution and transformation with AI.
"We had a good discussion because he sees this as not just potentially bringing benefits to the super-rich and big tech, but already in the US, signs that it is increasing, raising the level of productivity, therefore the value and the wages of many ordinary workers. It may be that we're starting to see some of that in some of the detail of the growth figures today in Britain."
He added: "I think the signs are it's a revolution already underway. The challenge for policy makers and I think the change for investors the challenge for investors and business is how do we make the most of this for Britain, and in doing so reassure people about the steps we can help take against the risks that they quite rightly also feel and see."
Healey said that Britain can learn from the bitter debates over the "free for all" of new data centres in the US by ensuring that they have the support of communities. In the Budget he announced a new data centre “covenant”, which will require owners to invest in local communities, create jobs and protect water supplies in exchange for priority access to the national grid.
He said: “It [artificial intelligence] is coming, whether we like it or not. Many people are already using it, I want to avoid the free-for-all on AI and data centres we’ve seen in the states.
“So where NHS health data is used with AI, I want that data in Britain, not in data centres abroad. Where AI is used for our security, I want that data in Britain, for Britain, not abroad. To do that, we have to develop more data centres. I’m ready to back them if they provide the community benefits and can help build public trust.
“If we haven’t got the independence, we haven’t got some of the control and sovereignty on our AI capacity in the UK, then we will find that we can’t provide the level of confidence, the level of security that I think people are rightly wanting, and we can’t make the most of the big economic opportunities that are there.”
thetimes.com/uk/politics/art…
Liz Reason retweeted
To help reduce congestion on the A326, Hampshire County Council (HCC) could instead restore funding for the Hythe ferry.
It operated for 500 years across Southampton Water between Hythe and Southampton but ceased in 2024 partly due to HCC withdrawing funding. 1/2
Liz Reason retweeted
Well I am dashed! Trump has caused CO2 emissions to fall this year, after rising fast over the past decade! But not through any action he has taken on climate change. It’s down to his war on Iran and the closure of the Straits of Hormuz….
dw.com/en/iran-war-oil-shock…
Liz Reason retweeted
As #Gaza now endures flooding as well as disease, violence & starvation - why are we not taking stronger action to compel #Israel to uphold its duties as the occupier? Surely that’s the least we should be demanding?! @Caabu @Doylech middleeasteye.net/opinion/he…
Liz Reason retweeted
The late, great @JaneGoodallInst described trophy hunting as ‘unconscionable’, ‘utterly cruel’, ‘unnecessary’ and ‘disastrous from a conservation perspective’.
The Government must bring forward the long-promised legislation to Parliament.
Liz Reason retweeted
Palantir now exposed as having paid for Cressida Dick's time as well as Tom Watson
We have real concerns about the efficacy and ethics of Palantir's tools
We need real safeguards on the revolving door of public servants into corporate lobbying thebureauinvestigates.com/st…
Liz Reason retweeted
Hugely importantly it’s increasingly looking as if China’s CO2 emissions have peaked. They fell sharply last quarter. Admittedly the closure of the Straits of Hormuz had some role in this, but emissions have now been declining since March 2024.
carbonbrief.org/analysis-chi…
Liz Reason retweeted
Activists from the environmental organization Greenpeace, operating from the vessel Arctic Sunrise, have deployed nine massive, two-ton boulders onto the seabed approximately 30 miles off the Norfolk coast. This strategically placed underwater barrier is designed to physically obstruct bottom trawling, a destructive commercial fishing method where heavy, weighted nets drag across the ocean floor, tearing up marine habitats and disrupting marine life.
The high-profile intervention successfully closes off 116 square kilometers of protected waters to bottom trawlers within the Southern North Sea Marine Protected Area, a sanctuary originally established to safeguard vulnerable harbour porpoises.
This direct action stems from mounting public frustration over government inaction regarding industrial fishing inside official conservation zones. The campaign received high-profile backing from prominent figures, including actors Benedict Cumberbatch and Simon Pegg, whose signatures were inscribed directly onto the boulders before deployment.
The initiative highlights a stark regulatory contradiction: the continued operation of heavy industrial fishing gear inside supposedly protected sanctuaries. While environmental authorities maintain that maritime activities must strictly comply with official licensing procedures, ocean conservationists argue that physical barriers remain a vital last resort to prevent irreparable seabed degradation and give marine ecosystems a genuine opportunity to recover.
Liz Reason retweeted
Turkeytail fungus (Trametes versicolor) on the old stump of a lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta), photographed on the Findhorn Hinterland a few days ago.
Liz Reason retweeted
These little beauties are candlesnuff fungi (Xylaria hypoxylon) that were fruiting on the old stump of a lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) on the Findhorn Hinterland a few days ago.
Liz Reason retweeted
Another day, another fossil fuel company raking in billions whilst our ocean heats to extreme levels and marine wildlife suffers the consequences.
BP has pocketed £6.3 BILLION in just 3 months. How much longer until we say enough is enough? 1/2
theguardian.com/business/202…
Liz Reason retweeted
My thoughts on The Green Party and Adrian's interview.
I finally managed to hear all of the interview with @AdrianRamsay and I support most of what he said. I joined The Greens because of those core values that he mentions, and we definitely need climate change and environmental issues front and centre because it impacts every part of life.
I wholeheartedly support @ZackPolanski as leader and I think he has brought many people in. I love his energy, his charisma
and his communication skills, but I also get where Adrian is coming from. He has been a member for decades so he will have his own views and experiences.
To manage a party with lots of members is not going to be easy because people pull in different directions. I am glad therefore that Adrian acknowledged how the party has grown since Zack became leader.
I believe Adrian is concerned about extremism creeping into the party. I can understand that too. Foreign policy is always a difficult area of concern. It isa subject that the other political parties tiptoe around.
I personally don't want us to be an extreme party, I want people to vote green because we are a party of truth and integrity.
No doubt, the Zionism vote has caused some damage with how people see us. But it has also led to lots of people talking about the Israeli leaders and what is happening in Gaza. So it is not all bad.
I understand the motion but wouldn't have supported it as it was.
That's my personal view. There is nothing wrong with Green former leaders or anyone speaking out against it.
Call me old school but perhaps the party does need to change so that more voices are reflected in key votes. It will be interesting to see what happens. I am glad Adrian still remains committed to the party, his voice in Parliament is an important one.
One thing though, I was concerned that so many people seemed to be against Adrian before even knowing what he had said. It shouldn't have been 'for or against'. Both Zack and Adrian play important roles.
In my opinion, Adrian talked a lot of common-sense.
I firmly believe the Greens need to be more united than ever. Let's be honest, Labour are not going to protect us from the negative impacts of climate change or make our country better for nature or for us. The media will pick and probe over every word and will spin things to suit, and that's why we need to pull together.
Liz Reason retweeted
Without doubt the worst thing I’ve even seen in my 56 years was flying over Kalimantan to see sterile palm plantations that had replaced primary rainforest and then walking through a newly stripped area of rainforest ready for more palm plantations.
🌍 Indonesia holds 34% of the world’s peat reserves,one of the planet’s most critical carbon sinks. When these peatlands are drained and burned for palm oil, centuries of stored carbon are released in a flash. This year’s fires have already emitted an estimated 180 million tons of carbon,the highest in 24 years. #CarbonEmissions #Peatlands
