Libby Robin
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libbydeq.bsky.social
Libby Robin
@libbydeq.bsky.social

Writer, historian of ideas, Environment in museums
What Birdo is That? A Field Guide to Bird People 🦅

New book coming soon on Conservation and Care. 🌿

Environmental science 37%
Philosophy 11%

www.theguardian.com/technology/2... Let's see how they go without subsidising the energy for data centres in Australia for a start... Once the billionaires have taken a cut, they may run.
‘We could hit a wall’: why trillions of dollars of risk is no guarantee of AI reward
Progress of artificial general intelligence could stall, which may lead to a financial crash, says Yoshua Bengio, one of the ‘godfathers’ of modern AI
www.theguardian.com

This is America. This is the context:
“I was tackled by #ICE agents & surrounded by about 50 #border #police. Just for taking photos. I tossed my camera to another Photographer to make sure it wouldn't be confiscated..."
Photo by Pierre Lavie. Yes this is me. And I threw my Leica. It landed on the bass plate with hardly a scratch. Another Photographer grabbed it along with my phone and I was able to track him later. I was held face down tear gas deployed right in front of me and pepper sprayed directly into the eye.

Reposted by Libby Robin

John Abernathy tosses his camera to another photographer (Pierre Lavie) to prevent its confiscation during the police riots in Minneapolis. Rarely is a photo *of* a photographer pulitzer worthy but this is!
Photo by Pierre Lavie. Yes this is me. And I threw my Leica. It landed on the bass plate with hardly a scratch. Another Photographer grabbed it along with my phone and I was able to track him later. I was held face down tear gas deployed right in front of me and pepper sprayed directly into the eye.

Reposted by Libby Robin

Our 1st #envhum #book talk of 2026 is on Monday, 19 Jan, 16:00 CET/15:00 GMT.
Join us to hear Isabelle Gapp @issygapp.bsky.social discuss her book A Circumpolar Landscape: Art and Environment in Scandinavia and North America, 1890-1930.
All are welcome!
newnatures.org/greenhouse/e...

They have moved Greenland to the Atlantic to put it next to France for the story - but they haven't recalibrated it so it looks too large (Mercator problem) Mapmakers sometimes move Tasmania to the northern tropics to fit it on a square page with Aust - common practice for "design" - not navigation!

www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01... Sharon Beder wrote 'Toxic Fish and Sewer Surfing' in 1989... this should not be "news" nearly 40 years later.
$3bn wastewater overhaul after debris balls on Sydney beaches
The NSW Environment Protection Authority identified the Malabar wastewater treatment system as the origin of the debris balls plaguing beaches in Sydney.
www.abc.net.au

Greenland is about 3X area of France, but it looks twice that here because Mercator projection is misleading.

Mercator projection very misleading at the poles. This map is about relative size not geography.

Reposted by Libby Robin

On va me dire que je suis élitiste sans doute.

Mais le seul truc qui est véritablement égalitaire et juste, c'est précisément l'exercice critique de la raison informée.

www.theguardian.com/science/2026... One assumes that the "gentleman in question" is an honorary fellow, as he isn't a scientist. So the question is, does he bring honour? If not, why keep him? Surely they are not hoping for a donation?
Royal Society president reignites Elon Musk row by defending lack of action
Society should only eject fellows for fraud or other defects in their research, says Paul Nurse
www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Libby Robin

Former Adelaide Writers' Week director says the reputation of the event has been "trashed" as she took aim at lobby groups and the SA Premier during an intense appearance on 7.30.
'Act of cultural vandalism': Adler attacks censors over Writers' Week scandal
Former Adelaide Writers' Week director says the reputation of the event has been "trashed" as she took aim at lobby groups and the SA Premier during an intense appearance on 7.30.
www.abc.net.au

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre... Adler: "boards composed of individuals with little experience in the arts, & blind to the moral implications of abandoning the principle of freedom of expression, have been unnerved by the pressure exerted by politicians calculating their electoral prospects..."
I cannot be party to silencing writers, which is why I am resigning as director of Adelaide Writers’ Week | Louise Adler
Cancelling the Australian Palestinian author Randa Abdel-Fattah weakens freedom of speech and is the harbinger of a less free nation
www.theguardian.com

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More than 350 structures have been destroyed by several bushfires burning across Victoria, authorities say, as residents return home to take stock of the devastation.
More than 350 structures lost to Vic bushfires as locals assess damage
More than 350 structures have been destroyed by several bushfires burning across Victoria, authorities say, as residents return home to take stock of the devastation.
www.abc.net.au

You shouldn't have to pay a lawyer to find out who made a decision about cancelling writers for a festival of ideas.

Sadly no one will come to hear any of that Board speak instead. Who are they punishing? And why is it so hard to name names? Members of Boards need to acknowledge how they voted, esp if all they are doing is smashing the institution they are there to nurture.

Sometimes captive breeding adds fences. 🇦🇺Sometimes it subtracts them. 🇳🇦 Different desert ecosystems of course. But the same problem: historic livestock farming. Undoing history is a complex task. @australianwildlife.bsky.social

How can a responsible human ignore a specific ruling of the Admin Review Tribunal? Just use a robo-generated algorithm to check legal obligations to clients. No human checking = No responsibility. You "save" by sacking staff & pay $$$ to Consultants & Managers w/ no idea about client needs. 🤔

Reposted by Libby Robin

Read more: satpa.pe/KXoM4B5

Reposted by Libby Robin

"‘The Land of Thirst’: Inside the Fight to Rewild Southern Namibia,"
atmos.earth/science-and-...
‘The Land of Thirst’: Inside the Fight to Rewild Southern Namibia | Atmos
Over the last century, southern Namibia has lost 90% of its wildlife. One conservation organization is working to rewild the region.
atmos.earth

With no community, the area will be dead. The people will find each other and other "pathways of desire". The investors are elsewhere. If you want a vibrant place to live, I recommend Marcus Westbury's "urbanist" thinking with the creative arts. It can save the investors too.
Disaster capitalism all over again: “At least 40% of lot sales in the fire-damaged areas in both Altadena and Pacific Palisades went to investors… This raises the likelihood, some experts say, that outsiders may hold off on rebuilding to maximize their investment.”

www.latimes.com/california/s...
Locals wanted to rebuild Pacific Palisades, Altadena. Then the big investors moved in
Investors purchased 40% of lot sales in areas damaged by the L.A. fires during Q3 of 2025, according to an analysis by Redfin.
www.latimes.com

Reposted by Libby Robin

Disaster capitalism all over again: “At least 40% of lot sales in the fire-damaged areas in both Altadena and Pacific Palisades went to investors… This raises the likelihood, some experts say, that outsiders may hold off on rebuilding to maximize their investment.”

www.latimes.com/california/s...
Locals wanted to rebuild Pacific Palisades, Altadena. Then the big investors moved in
Investors purchased 40% of lot sales in areas damaged by the L.A. fires during Q3 of 2025, according to an analysis by Redfin.
www.latimes.com

The artists are named. Why is the Board hiding behind anonymity? Time to name names. Anonymous bullying is no way to run a democracy. Let's talk about it.

www.theguardian.com/culture/2026... This is a reminder to Boards of creative festivals everywhere. Boards do not make festivals work: that is the task of writers and other creatives. @janecaro.bsky.social explains it well.
Dozens of writers boycott Adelaide festival after it dumps pro-Palestine academic Randa Abdel-Fattah
Miles Franklin winner Michelle de Kretser among more than 24 people who have pulled out of annual writers’ festival to protest Abdel-Fattah’s axing
www.theguardian.com

www.crikey.com.au/2025/12/23/d... The data they harvest is the new waste, hungry for energy and entirely unnecessary. Let's stop pretending AI is helpful to humans. It is profit-making for a few and planetary vandalism. Great piece by @ketanjoshi.co
Data centres are coming for what’s left of Australia’s green export superpower dream
Welcome to a little something I like to call 'the data centre black hole effect'.
www.crikey.com.au

Listen to local ABC radio today! This is a most important safety element.

Reposted by Libby Robin

A "catastrophic" fire warning is now in place for large parts of Victoria and two out-of-control bushfires continue to spread, as authorities warn of "dangerous" conditions to come.
'Catastrophic' fire warning for Victoria as out-of-control bushfires grow
A "catastrophic" fire warning is now in place for large parts of Victoria and two out-of-control bushfires continue to spread, as authorities warn of "dangerous" conditions to come.
www.abc.net.au

Terrible wi fi speeds today in catastrophic conditions Find your old radio and check its batteries. Not a day to rely on new tech alone. @abcnewsbot.bsky.social is important!

Woodlands are also important and support many of our most threatened spp

This is terrible news. Nous attacks top tier unis like Edinburgh, ANU and also in Canada & milks them dry. Experts in creative accounting. First suck in uni leadership then sack staff to cover costs. Massive damage done then too late to fix. No consequences. Just moves on to another uni.