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CURATED ECOLOGICAL NEWS Community, or superficial electronic “relationships”
“Despite most people having constant digital access to one another, there is an increasing loneliness crisis across global society. What can evolutionary psychology teach us about this lack of meaningful relationships at a time of hyper-connectivity? How does that shape the way we build community? “I think there is a unsustainability of our energy and material throughput, but there’s also an unsustainability of our social relationships, both the number of them and the quality of the relationships. We can’t have hundreds and hundreds of real relationships that are healthy, because that requires time and effort and full attention and awareness of being in real relationship and conversation with another human. “In addition to our bodies, our minds are a product of what worked in our evolutionary past. Roughly, if women reproduce at the age of 20 historically, just to make the math easy, that’s 15,000 generations of modern homo sapiens. Of that, all but 500 of those 15,000, were pre-agricultural, and we’ve had only 12 generations since the founding of the United States, and one or two generations since the founding of the internet and social media. “So there’s a prominent theme in evolutionary psychology called Dunbar’s Number — the social brain hypothesis — which is that certain primates, because of the social arrangements, had to develop an advanced neocortex. Robin Dunbar, extrapolated that because of the complexity of social arrangements, roughly 150 individuals is about the capacity that we could have stable, meaningful relationships with. And that was kind of the midpoint — the sweet spot between 50 and 300. “One of the the hallmarks of the social brain hypotheses is we have different hierarchies of relationships — there’s like an inner core, your family, and your really, close friends. And then there’s an outer circle, and then there’s a fringe of people that you’ve met and know, but they’re outside of your network. This got me to thinking about Ian McGilchrist who told me that the greatest gift that humans can give to another human isn’t money. It’s full attention to the moment. “How does the fact that we are on the precipice of The Great Simplification all fit together? I don’t know the answer. That means you either have partial relationships with a lot of people, or you consciously focus on the meaningful relationships. The real upshot of this is that at some point, the carbon and available-credit smorgasbord that we’ve become accustomed to is going to slow or stop.” More at: Alternative money for local exchange relationships
“For those interested in how money works, the financial crises of the last two decades have led to many good books and articles explaining how money is created and managed. Ester Barinaga Martín is a professor of social entrepreneurship at Lund University in Sweden, who first came across local currencies in 2016 in the shape of the Malaga Común. Barinaga soon discovered numerous examples all over the world, plus arrangements such as mutual credit, that don’t always involve a physical or even virtual representation of money. “A key point is that there are two different ways to think of money. In the ancient Middle East, money originated as a debtor-creditor relationship. Money, in other words, is born out of a relationship and is ‘double-sided’. One person’s (or institution’s) credit is another’s debt. “Another story about the origin of money involves barter societies — money in the form of tokens was invented because a ‘double coincidence of wants’ rarely happened. The resulting image of money as a commodity is widespread, and how most of us would think of it. Money is something you either have or you don’t. “But this isn’t how our money works. In fact, the idea that money is neutral and just an intermediary Barinaga sees as Adam Smith’s and Karl Marx’s blind spot. Instead, it relates to the interests of the economic class that issues and governs it. “The global financial crisis of 2007–2009 revealed facts about our money system that hardly anybody had previously known — up to 97% of the money in circulation is created by commercial banks, effectively ‘out of thin air’ in the form of interest-bearing loans; bankers’ expectation of future profits therefore sets the direction of the economy; and, fluctuations in lending cause the real economy to behave in a way that intensifies boom and bust.” More at: Atrazine to be banned by JFK Jr?
“After glyphosate, atrazine is the second-most widely used pesticide in the United States. The country uses around 70 million pounds of it over an area of roughly 60 million acres every single year. About 99% of that is used on three agricultural crops: corn, sorghum, and sugarcane. It’s a common contaminant of water bodies, including drinking water, and so dangerous to both people and wildlife that it has been banned in more than 60 countries across the world. “Numerous studies have provided overwhelming evidence linking atrazine to significant human health concerns, including increased risk of aggressive prostate cancer and reproductive problems. Atrazine is also linked to declines of amphibians and fish. Exposure at levels as low as 0.1 parts per billion (ppb) has been shown to harm reproductive organ development in frogs, potentially leading to population-level impacts. “Now, American environmental groups are finding some unexpected allies — the current administration and its MAGA supporter base, extending even to some men’s rights influencers on how toxic chemicals are threatening masculinity. A ‘Make America Healthy Again’ commission led by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wants to highlight the harms of pesticides like atrazine. “Lori Ann Burd, senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, sees an uneasy but potentially powerful alignment of interests. ‘There’s an epic battle brewing over the direction that the administration is going to take on toxic chemicals’, she said. ‘This is the movement that helped to elect the Donald, but we’re also up against some of the most powerful corporate lobby groups in the country’.” More at: Home construction prices impacted by tariffs
“While on-again, off-again tariffs on Canadian timber are currently off, Kansans should prepare to pay more for just about everything else in the house, Kansas building supply managers warn. The import steel business has been affected, up about 15 to 18% over the last 45 days, with pretty much daily price updates. Fasteners, nails, screws, products for building connectors, have all seen 20 to 25% price increases. Hardware like doorknobs and door hinges is up 20 to 25%. “Travis Daniels of McCray Lumber and Millwork said he is concerned that Canada’s recent election, which gave Mark Carney the Liberal Party win, might have an impact on lumber. ‘I’m concerned that may be setting us up on a collision course’, he said. ‘I think that’s how he got elected, because he said he’ll draw the hard line against the Americans’.” More at: Detailed research shows bird populations plummeting.
“North American bird populations are plummeting, especially in drylands, grasslands, and the Arctic where they have historically been most abundant, new research has found. The research featured recent trends in bird populations at scales of 16.78 square miles — the smallest ever attempted for a study covering such a big geographic area. “The analysis of almost 500 species of North American birds indicates that three out of four species are suffering declines across their ranges, with two in three shrinking significantly. Locations that once provided ideal habitat and climate for these species are no longer suitable, indicative of more major shifts happening. “Said lead author of the paper, Alison Johnston, ‘For almost all species, we found areas of population increases and decreases. This spatial variation in population trends has been previously invisible when looking at broader regional summaries. Areas where species are increasing where they’re at low abundance may be places where conservation has been successful and populations are recovering’. ‘It’s this small-scale information across broad geographies that has been lacking, and it’s exactly what we need to make smart conservation decisions’, said Amanda Rodewald, a professor at Cornell University.” More at: Tornado numbers and range expanding
“Violent tornado outbreaks, like the storms that tore through parts of St. Louis and London, Kentucky, on May 16, have made 2025 seem like an especially active, deadly and destructive year for tornadoes. The U.S. has had more reported tornadoes than normal — over 960 as of May 22, according to the National Weather Service’s preliminary count. That’s well above the national average of around 660 tornadoes reported by that point over the past 15 years. “What stands out about 2025 so far isn’t just the number of tornadoes, but how Tornado Alley has encompassed just about everything east of the Rockies, and how tornado season is becoming all year. The high tornado count in 2025 has a lot to do with the weather in March, which broke records with 299 reported tornadoes — far exceeding the average of 80 for that month over the past three decades. “About 115 tornadoes swept across more than a dozen states March 14-16, stretching from Arkansas to Pennsylvania; and 145 tornadoes hit March 31 to April 1, primarily in a swath from Arkansas to Iowa and eastward. That’s well to the east of traditional Tornado Alley, typically seen as stretching from Texas through Nebraska.” More at: All 400 authors of National Climate Assessment fired
“The Mump* administration has dismissed all the scientists and other authors working on the next National Climate Assessment. The move will allow the administration to either skip the congressionally mandated report altogether, or pursue an alternative, potentially far more skeptical take on what is otherwise widely accepted climate science. “The last National Climate Assessment came out in 2023. It found that climate change is already transforming every region of the country. Congress mandated these reports to be produced every four years. The next is due by 2027. Before the dismissal of about 400 authors slated to work on the next iteration, NASA had already canceled a key contract with the consulting firm ICF. “Meade Krosby, of the University of Washington, said the reports are ‘A crucial resource for communities, local and state governments, and businesses asking how climate change is affecting the things they care about, and what can be done to reduce risks. It’s Congressionally mandated for a reason’.” More at: * Mump regime — Musk plus Trump = Mu…mp. California’s ban of internal combustion engine (ICE) cars blocked
“The Senate voted last Thursday to block California’s first-in-the nation rule banning the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035. El Caudillo Del Mar-a-Lago is expected to sign it. The Senate also rescinded waivers allowing California to set stricter emissions standards for new diesel trucks, and mandating the adoption of zero-emission trucks. The House approved the three resolutions earlier this month. “California makes up roughly 11% of the U.S. car market, giving it significant power to shape purchasing trends. Vehicles are one of the largest sources of planet-warming emissions. A provision in the Clean Air Act also allows other states to adopt the Golden State’s standards; 16 states and the District of Columbia have adopted many of the rules established by the California Air Resources Board. “On a wonkier level, however, legal and policy experts objected to the way senators rescinded California’s waiver. They used the 1996 Congressional Review Act, or CRA, a law enacted to allow Congress to overturn some federal actions with a simple majority rather than the usual 60 votes. “California Attorney General Rob Bonta objected to the Senate vote and vowed to challenge it in court. ‘Reducing emissions is essential to the prosperity, health, and well-being of California and its families’, he said. ‘Republicans should tread carefully today’, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), told NPR.” More at: Greening the Sahara is eminently doable
“While recent satellite images reveal a spectacular greening of the Sahara — lakes are reappearing, vegetation is resurfacing in southern Algeria after the exceptional rains of September 2024 — a burning question arises: why have we still not launched a true regeneration of the North African desert? “This ambition is grounded in proven knowledge, effective techniques, and concrete examples from around the world. Regenerative hydrologists remind us that it is possible to restore water cycles, soil fertility, and biodiversity. “The Sahara was not always a desert. Between 11,000 and 5,000 BCE, it was home to rivers, lakes, savannas. Even today, its fertile fringes — the Atlas steppes, Saharan oases, the lands of the Tell — are dying not from lack of rain, but from neglect. The degradation stems from unsuitable farming practices, bare soils, blind concretization, and infrastructures disconnected from life. “And yet, the solutions are known — Zai techniques, Agroforestry, Permaculture, Windbreak hedges, Rainwater infiltration, Treatment and reuse of wastewater, Aquaponics, Bioclimatic architecture. Why don’t we act? Because the obstacles are political, economic, and cultural. Money, rent-seeking, corruption, and indifference sterilize our public policies. Water is diverted, not managed. Soil is exploited, not cared for. Development is thought through extractive, short-term logics, often in blatant contradiction to ecological resilience.” More at: | 
