Climate Consensus Crumbles
Pick Of The Week – 7th October 2025
This newsletter is a curated cornucopia featuring some of the best of Medium and Substack, and the wider world, rumoured to exist outside of these platforms.
Please note that in view of the impact of AI on the writing community, Eco has a stringent “No AI-content” policy, and will seek to actively avoid any articles we consider to be partly or fully generated by AI, and not feature authors believed to be using it in this way again. We are fully committed to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion. In support of our aims and objectives, 10% of earnings from this series will be donated to Greenpeace.🌈
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Sponsors – a link to donors and paying Substack subscribers 🦄 will appear here:
Ecosia; The Environmental Transport Association; Mary Grindeland; Writer Chick With A Ukulele; Adéla Valčíková; Rob Moir;
Pick of Medium – (advisory allergy note – may contain poetry)
Amid an increasingly bitter political divide, Susie Kearley highlights the breakdown of consensus in the UK on the climate emergency:
https://susiekearley.medium.com/conservatives-vow-to-ditch-climate-commitments-64d3fa066b40
Archana appeals for less AI and more human input:
https://medium.com/write-your-world/how-it-feels-seeing-the-ai-generated-comments-9725a61f0177
Martin Heiland-Sperling wonders if we are conversing with humans, bots, or hybrids:
https://medium.com/illumination/are-we-still-talking-to-humans-b71b436d3fd6
Grace Kelly volunteers some observations on the needs of migrants:
https://medium.com/gracetakesnotes/dont-ask-don-t-tell-the-quiet-work-of-caring-317f55c9a67f
Leonard Tillerman is busy doing nothing:
Robin Wilding dissects male friendships:
https://medium.com/@robin_wilding/male-friendships-are-batshit-crazy-4bd6053ee717
Anu Maheshwari reveals her favourite word:
https://medium.com/catharsis-chronicles/my-favourite-word-in-english-chaos-3f01f4650b82
Burk does the Substack maths, and it doesn’t add up:
https://stories.byburk.net/why-substack-needs-more-than-paid-subscriptions-to-survive-8760a04d2a35
Maria Rattray has a new way to count birthdays!
https://medium.com/the-daily-cuppa-grande/fragapanophobia-is-real-0d2ce8720db3
Yoofi Biney makes an application:
https://medium.com/illumination/application-for-employment-as-a-husband-4fb6233f20f5
Mary Cappelli does some flute practice:
https://medium.com/write-a-catalyst/can-prosecco-help-lower-the-risk-of-cardiac-arrest-86a888d9bba0
Gary Martin reports on peak Starbucks:
https://medium.com/write-a-catalyst/starbucks-closing-100s-of-stores-in-the-u-s-8ad4e3e3190f
Pallvi seeks to escape routine:
https://medium.com/introvert-diary/i-dont-want-sex-every-day-thanks-0241b959270b
Roseanne Bloom is tired of politics:
https://medium.com/whispered-takes/everywhere-i-turn-i-see-american-politics-im-tired-b16e25209af4
Marya Khan urges us to resist social pressures:
https://medium.com/no-time/according-to-society-i-was-old-at-26-595d4ac32bc4
Tip of the week –
Burk has hopes for Medium’s future:
https://stories.byburk.net/the-biggest-medium-update-yet-07798b5caf1c
Pick of Substack:
Christopher Armitage covers America’s slide towards authoritarianism:
More from Christopher here on options for opposition:
https://substack.com/home/post/p-174957166
LaurenJane urges that it is never too late to improve:
Lev Parnas reports an extraordinary claim about that meeting of the generals:
https://substack.com/home/post/p-175153427
The wider world:
Renewables overtake coal:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx2rz08en2po
A report has found that biomethane is not viable for widespread domestic use:
The Conservative Party in the UK has vowed to scrap vital climate legislation, breaking many years of consensus that action is needed:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/oct/02/kemi-badenoch-vows-to-repeal-climate-change-act
A rare Australian hawk is at risk of extinction:
George Monbiot highlights some of the true costs of austerity, where false economies abound:
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/oct/04/crashed-bike-pothole-cost-cycling
The UK is rapidly losing land for development:
On the experience of “bill shock” as everyday items become luxuries, when prices rise:
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/oct/03/coffee-pizza-express-changing-britain
An amusing and informative feature about performative men:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp8jrzejqjro
Feeling off colour? You are not alone!:
This article suggests that climate consensus is still needed:
BrewDog has sold a flagship rewilding project:
Preparations are underway for awarding the next Earthshot prize:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cz08591znr8o
On protecting young people from conspiracy theorists:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c749d9557j2o
Political News
A review of that speech:
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/oct/05/trump-military-quantico-speech
This article claims we have entered the age of stupid:
https://www.theguardian.com/news/2025/oct/02/critique-pure-stupidity-understanding-donald-trump-2
The rise of Reform UK threatens a political earthquake in the UK? Will it translate into a General Election win?
More on the demise of the UK Conservative Party and rise of Reform UK:
Christopher Armitage considers possible futures for the US as the crisis intensifies:
https://substack.com/home/post/p-175212793
Here Christopher Armitage ponders whether the Supreme Court has facilitated a dictatorship in the US:
AI News
An article on preparing for AI personhood:
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/sep/30/artificial-intelligence-personhood
Life Hack of the Week –
Grace Kelly explores mechanisms for change:
https://medium.com/gracetakesnotes/the-power-of-identity-over-positive-thinking-7892d03a0a16
Feel the grief to grow suggests this article:
Quote of the Week:
“Stay afraid, but do it anyway. What’s important is the action. You don’t have to wait to be confident. Just do it and eventually the confidence will follow.” - Carrie Fisher (with thanks to LaurenJane)
Joke of the Week:
(Health warning – swallow coffee before reading)
A neutron walks into a bar and asks how much for a drink. The bartender says: “For you? No charge.”
I saw a guy at the coffee shop today. No smartphone. No tablet. No laptop. He just sat there. Drinking coffee Like a psychopath.
To all the people who always said I’d never amount to anything because of my procrastination. Just you wait…..
Walking down the street today I got hit by a violin, a clarinet, and then a French horn. It was an orchestrated attack…
Did you know?
Carol Finch highlights the lowlights of an awful avian:
https://medium.com/@carol.finch1/one-minute-facts-the-stinkbird-a247eede12f9
Word of the Week:
atavistic – an adjective meaning relating to or characterised by reversion to something ancient or ancestral.
Clip of the Week:
A UK MP has tried to turn himself into an AI helpbot:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/clyljxrr0deo
As always, thank you for reading, and enjoy your day.
Editor’s comment: It is noted that the authors featured above have not consented in advance to their inclusion - I have assumed that authors appreciate a mention and sharing of your work – but if you do not wish to be featured please let me know and apologies.
Amazing Read 👏🏻