Naturalist, conservationist and dad to two great boys. Grants manager at Esmee Fairbairn. All views are my own.

Joined December 2014
Simon Wightman retweeted
Coinciding with the #StateOfNature report the @yorkshirepost has a reminder that freshwater ecosystems are the most threatened of all, with once abundant species of fish, including Salmon & Eel, in danger of being lost in Britain. Unthinkable just a few decades ago.
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After a summer of wildfire and floods, and records broken here in the UK, yesterday's announcement is barely fathomable. Future generations will ask why, after these stark signs, the government would put this country’s global leadership on climate change into reverse. Fairness should absolutely be central to any change, but it is not fair that our children will have their future blighted by the poor decisions made today. It isn't fair that businesses that have invested heavily in pioneering green technologies and the jobs of tomorrow will have to put their plans on ice, nor that changes in policy endanger our much-loved cultural heritage and natural environment, undermining everything from food security to our health and wellbeing. And it isn't fair that the poorest in our society will lose out most in the future. Progress towards Net Zero must be sustained, not kicked down the road for political expediency. We urge the Prime Minister and his Government to rethink.
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Simon Wightman retweeted
📢 Breaking NEWS 📢 In response to our complaint, OEP has said the Environment Agency, Ofwat and Secretary of State may have broken 'key points of the law' in relation to sewage spills. Find out more 👇 wildfish.org/latest-news/reg…
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An OEP investigation has identified possible failures to comply with environmental law by Defra, EA and Ofwat in relation to untreated sewage discharges. Read our statement here: bit.ly/3ZgXmJG
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Simon Wightman retweeted
🚨Are government policies on water management working? 🏞️Do we need #AFreshWaterFuture? 📢Help us understand: - How well water's been managed in the UK? - What needs to happen to achieve healthy, resilient freshwaters? Fill in the survey now: ow.ly/g5JK50PHP3Z
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Just last week @AvaraFoods admitted its impact on the River Wye and citizen science evidence clearly point to the impact of agricultural pollution is having on the river. When will @NFUtweets stop spreading misinformation and denying its impact? 😡😡bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-6644…
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Government is expected to publish Biomass Strategy soon. This (often burning wood) is pushed as part of #NetZero plans But UK use of bioenergy relies on lack of full reflection of climate impacts & can lead to loss of wildlife sites🌳 UK must not fuel this fire🔥 More soon🗓️
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Simon Wightman retweeted
DEFRA @EnvAgency good to see 2022 catchment data out now but Chemical status removed with no priority hazardous substances assessed. Public deserve to know chemical PFAS (fail) status! Why removed? environment.data.gov.uk/catc… @Feargal_Sharkey
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Simon Wightman retweeted
All the while such stupidity persists it has to countered. Toss a coin once and you won’t know if it’ll be heads or tails (weather: will it rain next week?) but after 1000 tosses you know half will be heads (climate: longer range average trend).
Matt goes to the heart of it. With current measurement technology and state-of-the-art computers it is still impossible to predict the weather more than a few days ahead. Yet these same people, with the same technology, think they can model long term climate change. They can't.
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Does the UK need more North Sea oil and gas extraction? @C4Ciaran digs deeper into Rishi Sunak’s decision to grant new North Sea oil and gas licences.
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Simon Wightman retweeted
Almost all the media (including the normally excellent @Channel4News) reporting ulez as a climate issue. It’s nothing of the sort. It addresses air pollution in London, and thus children’s health. Like a foreign report mistaking France for Germany!
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100% agree with this headline. But is it me - or does everyone seem to be forgetting that the main driver for ULEZ is to tackle the fact that air pollution is killing people in London - and both parties seem fine with that continuing?? theguardian.com/environment/…
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Simon Wightman retweeted
Puffins
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Wot @RoseONei11 said! 👇 "Speaking to a full room in Westminster yesterday morning, Environment Minister Trudy Harrison asked the public to hold this Government to account to deliver their promises for nature. Just hours later, a major promise for #NationalParks was in tatters."
Last night, Parliament rejected critical new laws proposed for National Parks & AONBs. It’s a major set back - and seriously undermines England’s nature targets. But there remains some hope and we will keep on fighting. Read our blog by @RoseONei11 cnp.org.uk/news/set-back-nat…
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Don’t read this piece in @thetimes before you’ve checked out this thread explaining why it’s very misleading. As is often the case, we find wetlands are the answer.
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"I felt Darwall’s case got weaker as the day went on.” Supporters of the appeal to have wild camping rights on Dartmoor restored have expressed cautious optimism after a hearing at the high court in London today. Read the full story 👇 thegreatoutdoorsmag.com/news…
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Political leaders must back action to save UK nature by 2030: 👩‍🌾Double nature-friendly farming budget 🌊Make polluters pay 🏞️More space for nature by 2030 🌱Boost green jobs 🌳A human right to healthy environment Read about #Nature2030 & get involved👇 bit.ly/nature_2030
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Simon Wightman retweeted
I'm very conflicted over monetizing nature. But today I read the line " The UK's stocks of natural capital have been severely depleted" That's not how we should talk about our plants and animals.
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Simon Wightman retweeted
Hi @BBCNews, the lethal dose of hemlock is rather large. It would take a person eating a large handful (c.30g) to become seriously ill from conine, while the RHS has identified >130 highly toxic plants that commonly grow in gardens Stop demonising nature bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-su…
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