The air quality impacts would be significant, particularly during start up when aftertreatment systems would not be up to temperature.

"On days burning occurs, millions of people are exposed to increased pollution with PM2.5 concentrations exceeding World Health Organization air quality guidelines…" www.businessgreen.com/news/4529887...

He tops Starmer every time doesn't he.

If it’s the latter there may be some long term benefits, but it would come with a gargantuan price tag and you’d have to deliver the biggest reforms since privatisation at the same time as the clean energy transition and the biggest upgrade of water infrastructure in history.

#mobility Report on solar powered electric tricycles in Cuba. Chinese tricycles transporting cargo or up to 6 passengers are already popular in Cuba. Entrepreneurs put 650 Watt solar panels on the bikes, so they can avoid using the electrical grid all together www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jm8B...

Just been to see Northern Soul: still burning. Fascinating documentary about the history of Wigan Casino. Had seen a lot of the footage before (there isn't much around tbf) but I'd never seen this photo after it was burnt down. Wow! Sadly the same thing happened to the Ritz in Brighouse last year.

Is there anything better than a field left to do its own thing? This piece of land has been empty for years, presumably someone is trying to get planning permission. Trees, grasses and wild flowers have taken over and it's beautiful.

A good read. Can Andy Burnham, Labour’s charismatic chameleon, reinvent himself again? - giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/... via @FT

More about our work with @bmj.com: urbanhealth.org.uk/insights/new...

👏👏👏 “Public Living Rooms focus on cohesion, mutual support, connection and trust. Anyone can come in, make a cup of tea, sit quietly or strike up a conversation.”

I like this story. Hopefully just the start. www.cnn.com/2026/05/13/c...

Arrived in Manchester to see my favourite pianist Roberto Fonseca. Some good advice on the way in... very rare opportunity to see this Cuban genius. Very exciting.

It's clear that in a lot of Yorkshire wards Labour and the Greens split the progressive vote. The prog vote is actually higher than Ref+Con. Looking at Halifax, if the system was based on a single transferable vote, there would be 3 Labour councillors. Instead there are three Reform ones. Keir?

W.H. Auden, it turns out, truly hated internal combustion engine cars.

Well Barnsley has gone very heavily for Reform. I would be very interested to know if there were Reform voters in the NUM building last Saturday. There was no love lost for Starmer that's for sure.

10 seats to go and the Greens are taking more from Labour than Reform so this might not end too badly for Leeds. Phew.

Jonathon Prior (Leeds deputy council leader) certainly wasnt the problem but he's gone. Thankfully to the Greens. There has got to be a fair amount of resentment about who is the problem...

On a lighter note... happy 100th birthday to Sir David from the all of the good weirdos of Leeds. youtu.be/vVWm9GNRlQw?...

I fear Labour people risk falling into an ecological fallacy visible from space when reacting to these results. Here is what is very clear in results so far: Labour are losing *seats* to Reform, but... Labour are losing *votes* to the Greens Greens split the vote, Ref comes thru middle

I spent one of the best weeks ever in Havana. It's heart breaking to see this and I can't imagine what purpose Trump thinks it serves. It's petty and vindictive behaviour and not even the best way to promote the growth of capitalism in Cuba if that's the intention www.theguardian.com/global-devel...

Think about how many stories & headlines you've seen about small modular reactors (which still don't exist commercially) and how they can be 'manufactured' at scale. Now think about how many stories you have NOT seen about the small modular energy manufacturing juggernaut that's actually happening.

Turns out its a lot of work to recycle a 40 yr career. Asking myself why I've kept stuff for so long... my undergraduate vector calculus notes, files and files of lectures printed on acetates. 😳

Really interesting paper detailing the “nuclear energy paradox” which shows the gap between the hype around nuclear and the reality of it. "The historic perspective helps to show that nuclear imaginaries may never materialize and remain in a hypothetical state for decades."

Without stating your age post your favourite film released the year you turned 18. No clues sorry.

It's 100 years since the General Strike: the biggest industrial action in UK history. The PM, Stanley Baldwin, claimed Britain was "nearer to civil war than for centuries past". The Times called it "the gravest domestic menace since the fall of the Stuarts". So what was it & why does it matter? 🧵

Been singing in Barnsley (at the NUM headquarters) to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the 1926 General strike. Sharon Graham pulled a bigger crowd than us but it was fun.

For balance Nadine... This house is a 1930s detached bungalow. Not huge but 3 bedrooms + ext. Pretty standard insulation, 3 kw roof solar, 8.5 kw heat pump. The bills, including vehicle charging are ~£130 month. Minus the solar FiT that drops to <£100. Including driving. What is she on about...

Morning beech tree. 🧡

Amazing story and photos. Also should improve the influence of this region on dust related particulates in Iraq which have worsened during the long drought. Coincidentally we have a new paper out which touches on that today. www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/17...

Do beech trees have the best canopies? (Clue: the answer is yes)

Decoding the King’s speech… Plenty of well placed jibes in this one!

If the end of Act 5 was really to be the final downfall of Mandelson through the return of Ed Milliband to the Labour leadership, I for one would not be unhappy. Can't help thinking that the same forces that undid him last time are still lurking in the background. Interesting listen however it ends.

U.S. President Donald Trump has fired all 24 members of the National Science Board, the body that oversees the National Science Foundation. https://scim.ag/4cxQWhl

Well, multiculturalism is working for me. I've just been to a samba circle in a cafe in my neighborhood, Meanwood. Unlike the previous ones I went to in Rio, I actually got to sit down and play. What a lovely thing.

Who wouldn't want to be in Yorkshire on days like these?

The woods were looking mighty fine today.

I suppose this is good news but these plants are still HEFA (essentially waste oil) based and if we want to increase SAF supply then routes from lignocellulosic agricultural wastes have to be rapidly developed. I don't see it happening at scale yet. - giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/... via @FT

They've swapped Northern Soul for this?? 🫨

Voluntary but still a good idea. Let's hope the threat of higher taxes on excessive profits can make it stick. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Not without his troubles but Lancashire born, Leeds educated (at least partially) and a lover of alternative music. A sad loss.

A HUGE, narrative-breaking moment for the UK car market New EVs are now cheaper than petrol cars on average, says Autotrader Last yr CCC said price parity was due by 2028 – and it's already here And EVs are already MUCH cheaper to run than petrol

Light not great but always lovely to see a carpet of bluebells.

“By cramming large numbers of animals into confined spaces and relying heavily on fertilisers, these intensive systems release far more ammonia than the environment or our bodies can cope with.’ And yet the UK govt is considering relaxing planning rules for industrial chicken farms… 😐

A new public footpath has opened at Gair Wood in North Leeds, connecting with two popular routes, helping visitors avoid walking alongside busy roads 🌳👣 More than 60k trees were planted there three years ago to enhance the local environment and provide a valuable resource for research and teaching.

Aw. I'm just going to the shops Sadie I won't be long...

This is a great story. I'm currently working my way through the Ethels (peak district hills) and am up to 28 of the full 95. It's a great way to see the whole of the park.

I did appreciate the Russian doll with Orbán on the outside and Putin inside at the Tisza party 😀

Orbán's electoral crushing is a far greater achievement than most people outside Hungary realise. He systemically consolidated power for 16 years, fixed the electoral map, abused govt power for political purposes & censored media. The hurdles that Hungarians overcame for this moment were immense.

Another weekend, another farewell gig at the Brudenell. This time the Ukrainians, offering their superb punkisation of Ukrainian songs and Ukrainianisation of old punk songs. The clever among you will recognise Peter Solowka of the Wedding Present. He hasn't slowed down in his 60s.

What a life. What a pop song.