Lucy Siegle

Back at the desk of doom! Ok so this is my 25th year cataloguing biodiversity and climate as a writer, speaker, podcaster and wing-woman. Consistent mix of terrified, elated and furious. But always fascinated by stories, links and predicaments. Human psychology continues to determine the biosphere, and I’ll continue to report on that. For takes with meaning and stories that reveal the uplifting, the promising, strange plus unhinged. Plus explainers that cast light on this bonkers world please sign up to my substack The Weather Makers (link@in bio). Next issue out Friday. 💚🌎

A case worthy of #HerculePortmanteau Supervise writers at all times otherwise they begin speculating.

Exhaustion, trauma, anxiety, loneliness, violence - these are the realities shared by members of the Marie Colvin Journalists’ Network (MCJN), one of The Circle’s partners supporting women journalists across the Arab world. Their experiences reflect the daily pressures of reporting from their communities, exposing injustice, and holding power to account in horrendously difficult conditions. MCJN supports women journalists in the Arab world navigating these extremely challenging times through mentoring, counselling, and essential first aid and training. 📣 Learn more about the vital work MCJN does on the frontlines: link in bio 🟠 Want to take action? Join our network of changemakers and support some of the world’s most marginalised women and girls. #InSolidarityAndAction #TheCircle

In the early hours of this morning, I posted (or rather subtack posted) my latest Videocast/Podcast - a conversation with my great friend Livia Giuggioli Firth. I’d been desperate to talk to her all week. The ‘shit show’ of the Met Gala, the lavish opening of budget fast fashion brand Primark in NY - just two ‘fashion’ stories that seemed to be holding up a mirror to a very ugly power imbalance. I knew Livia would apply that framing that comes from the head and the heart. She zooms out to take a holistic view of humankind, then zooms in on specifics, all delivered with a compassionate unflinching honesty. My stuff is never about volume of likes and clicks (although I’m sure I’d love those too!), I’m aiming for connection. Already this morning I’ve had the most gorgeous messages about how this chimes. Thanks Livia for being an incredible guest. Please subscribe (this one is free!), share, comment and all that good stuff. The strongest way to build resilience is to be together.

First retail. Then space. Now culture. As rumours swirl around Bezos and Vogue, the Met Gala felt less like a good time and more a hostile takeover. Even the A-list became collateral damage. #Metgala2026

Houston, I have a Stella problem Twenty years after Stella McCartney first partnered with H&M, the collaboration is back. I didn’t buy then, and I’m not buying now. But this one stings more. Stella helped shape how many of us think about sustainable fashion. But in 2026, the question isn’t whether clothes can be made “better”—it’s whether we should be making so many at all. I’ve gone through the numbers, the materials, and the mythology of the original 2005 drop and made some predictions this time around. If sustainability now means fewer clothes, not just better ones, where does that leave a high-volume collaboration like this? Not in my wardrobe. But I suspect many people will go nuts for this collection. Full piece on Substack. Link in bio. It’s free this time, and I’d love to know where you’re at with all of this. Plus The Green Glow with @angelicolife

A few #earthday thoughts on the Primark/ Associated British Foods uncoupling, is it conscious like fast fashion’s fig-leaf collections? I think it could be tough for Primark as the marketplace brings in new rules including digital product passports.

A little policy, a lot of subtext. Consider this your elegantly distilled guide to getting ahead of the grid. Link to my new substack and full video in bio #policydecoded #energytransition #poshpreppers

From earlier today: here’s the daily unwrapping of all the plant babies here at #climatecottage. I’m obsessed and it’s getting worse the more beds I have to fill. Earlier this spring I headed over to @killrudderyhouse in South County Dublin to do a brilliant short course in growing cut flowers (more on that in next week’s substack, the next in my series on #PoshPrepping, and I’ve been trying to put everything I learned into action). There’s a couple of complications. Where I live at the edge of the North Downs in #ruralcroydon (that’s me adding lols. I promise I haven’t seen estate agents use it…yet) we are home to helix pomatia, an endangered and super sized snail. Fun fact: it’s often referred to as the Roman Snail and there was always a suggestion the Romans introduced them here as a food source. However, geological deposits showed that they long predate the Roman invasion. Anyway, they enjoy selected vegetation. The second spice to add to growing here is the fact that we’re in a ‘Frost Hollow’. These occur where cold air drains off the North Downs and collects in low lying valleys…In February 1986 the meteorologist @frosted_earth the only meteorologist to successfully predict the Great Storm of 1987) measured temperatures here of minus 18C, one of the coldest parts of the country. It’s also been a fraction of a degree off the hottest parts of the UK too. My neighbour calls the plants that we grow here spartans. Here’s to everyone trying to grow fellow spartans in challenging climate-induced conditions. (Given plenty of people report a sort of sludge of seasons, I’m happy to be checking for frosts at all). Anyone got any good tips for irrigation? #sustainablegardening #cutflowers

On BBC One tonight, I’m reporting from Cornwall on lithium and geothermal energy. These are the stories I’m most interested in: where geology, policy and investment meet. As countries push toward electrification (with very different starting points - France’s baseload advantage being one), questions about energy security and scalability are only becoming more urgent. Geothermal is one of those often-overlooked pieces of the puzzle. Oh, and then there’s the lithium… Thank you @bbctheoneshow @noelgay.agency #energysecurity Join us tonight if you’re interested in where this is heading.

In my regular @Thetimesluxx Sustainability column for March, I got to write about my love of farm shops. Even though personally I’m currently in a more frozen-aisle-budget-supermarket phase of the freelance life, I’m evangelical about the importance of the British Isle’s spine of farm shops. The best reconnect us to soil, seasons and the people with the backbone, compassion and vision to grow real food. (The worst just stock stuff they’ve no connection to). HERE’S MY TOP FIVE!!! 5. Obvious, but the instagram-ready cathedral of abundance @daylesfordfarm raised the bar and continues to raise the roof. 4. @thehouseofbruar near Pitlochry Scotland. Started with ‘country clothing’ (a category I’m not overly familiar with) but moved into local, artisan, very high quality produce and finds new produce talent. 3. @teals_store - motorway stop magic, somehow turns a motorway service stop on the A303 into a multi-layered destination: deli, natural wine, EV charging - a proper launchpad for local producers. 2. @thefarmshopgg @thesoilfarm Incredibly thoughtful and holistic programme of regenerative growing, zero-waste kitchens, local supply network. Farm the soil and all goodness follows. 1. @fordhallfarmshop Twenty years ago The Battle for Fordhall Farm (it’s a book, and should be a movie) saw the Hollins siblings see off a multinational food conglomerate. It was epic. So is their farm shop today. I’m sure you can taste the spirit of rebellion in their produce. What and who did I miss? I’d love to know who you rate.