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CURATED ECOLOGICAL NEWS What me worry about energy hogs? Hey, we have nukes!
“Evergy and the Kansas Department of Commerce are partnering with TerraPower, a nuclear power company founded by Bill Gates, to explore locating an advanced nuclear power plant in the Sunflower State. “TerraPower is proposing a power plant, which uses liquid sodium as a coolant rather than water. ‘The ‘Natrium’ reactor is a 345-megawatt sodium fast reactor coupled with TerraPower’s breakthrough innovation — a molten salt energy storage system, providing built-in gigawatt-scale energy storage’, the company’s website said. “Site selection is based on everything from community support to necessary physical characteristics, as well as the ability to obtain a license from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and access to existing infrastructure. “‘My administration has always supported an all-of-the-above approach when meeting the energy needs of Kansas citizens and businesses’, Gov. Laura Kelly said. David Toland, lieutenant governor and secretary of commerce, said projects like this one could support the surge in [data center] economic activity in Kansas.” More at: Insatiable energy demand of data centers
“Data centers provide information technology (IT) infrastructure services for processing large amounts of data, such as for the rapidly growing field of artificial intelligence (AI). There currently are 10785 data centers from 170 countries worldwide, 4064 in the United States – 38%. “U.S. data center annual energy use in 2023 (not accounting for cryptocurrency) was approximately 176 terawatt-hours (TWh), approximately 4.4% of U.S. annual electricity consumption that year. Some projections show that data center energy consumption could double or triple by 2028, accounting for up to 12% of U.S. electricity use. “Roughly one-half or greater of the electric power demand of data centers stems directly from the operation of IT equipment. Much of the rest is for cooling. Currently, there are no legally binding energy standards that apply explicitly to operation of data centers in the private sector.” Restrain our cravings to live within our means
“Every consumption action we take will show up as a consequence in the future. Some consumption actions will be consequential and challenging. Five thousand years of human history are filled with examples of human behavior where the ‘consequence of choice’ manifested in a bill that brought us close to bankruptcy. “Consuming and living go hand in hand. If you can’t consume, you cannot live. The issue is not whether to consume or not to consume, but how do we distinguish between needs and wants? “In the pre-industrial world, production of food and other essentials was immediate and visible. People understood nature’s constraints because they were directly tied to the land and the seasons. People lived attuned to the cycles of growth, harvest, and renewal, with frugal habits. The Industrial Revolution severed this connection. “As industrial methods for extracting, manufacturing, and advertising evolved, matured, and scaled, three trends converged to create the modern consumer: A new consumer class with disposable income — cost of goods plummeted, making it more affordable for a wider market — and populations grew exponentially, creating an expanding base of fundamental human needs. “Can we develop the discipline to consume up to the level of our needs, and nothing beyond — consume only that which we deem necessary rather than frivolous — and replenish at a pace that matches or exceeds our consumption?” More at: AI throws a wrench in the works of cutting carbon emissions
“Current AI technology requires the use of large datacentres stationed around the world, which altogether draw enormous amounts of power and consume millions of litres of water to stay cool. By 2030, datacentres are expected to consume as much electricity as all of Japan. Microsoft is set to reopen Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania to power its AI services. “The continuous massive expansion of AI use and its rapidly growing energy demand would make it much harder for the world to cut its carbon emissions. What the world does next could determine whether AI innovation aligns with our climate goals or undermines them. “Some of this infrastructure may instead run on renewables, but there’s no binding requirement. Developers may tout efficiency gains, but these are quickly swallowed by the rebound effect: the more efficient AI becomes, the more it is used. “There lies the radical possibility of a global moratorium or outright restriction on the most harmful forms of AI, akin to international bans on landmines or ozone-depleting substances. But a global consensus on bans is, at least for now, a mirage. “But in between complacency and prohibition lies a window — rapidly closing — for decisive, targeted action. This could take many different forms: Mandatory environmental disclosure, emissions labelling for AI services, usage-based pricing tied to impact, sustainability caps or ‘compute budgets’, and water stewardship requirements. “Consumer awareness isn’t enough. Awareness does help. But expecting individuals to self-regulate in a system designed for ease-of-use is naive. ‘Only use AI when needed’ might soon be like ‘Don’t print this email’ a decade or two ago — well-meaning, often ignored and utterly insufficient.” More at: Frugal abundance — private sufficiency and public luxury
“The net zero plan to reduce climate damaging emissions is increasingly a politically divisive issue. The net zero lobby is pursuing strategies that are inadequate and simplistic. If we truly want net zero, then the only way forward is down, with far less overall energy use and less complex technology. “The principal means of carbon capture involves capturing carbon emissions from power plants and burying them underground. However, in addition to the technology so far not yet credibly existing, it would consume vast amounts of energy, and would not necessarily be secure from leakage. “Building and installing wind turbines and solar panels is dependent on fossil fuels. Wind turbines use large amounts of steel and concrete. Solar photovoltaic (PV) panels use the very common element, silicon. However, it requires intensive processing to yield the crystalline form used in the panels. “The relevant question though is whether the energy captured justifies this input. The evidence is not good. When the whole lifecycle of these technologies is taken into account, the average ratio of energy in to energy out is around 2:9 for onshore wind, 2:3 for offshore wind, and 1:6 for solar PV [lifecycle II in 25 years]. “There needs to be an emphasis on greatly reducing the energy the country uses. That means more than just improved efficiency — a major and very challenging transformation in the way we live, with less consumption, less mobility, fewer imports, and a more collective culture of sharing, what has been called ‘private sufficiency and public luxury’. “That means a change in technology, from high tech solutions, highly reliant on electricity, to the mass deployment of passive and lower tech solutions. Examples include: use of passive solar warming and cooling for buildings, direct transformation of wind energy to mechanical power for industrial purposes, regenerative low impact cultivation for our food. “This is not a return to the dark ages, but, if we get it right, an advance to what Serge Latouche called a ‘frugal abundance’. I find it attractive, but how do you sell that to the population at large? The answer must lie in the re-vindication of fairness, equality, solidarity, and community.” More at: Same as it ever was — clean energy exploitation by capital
“The transition to renewable energy sources is an industry and policy stunt that never really happened. The global coal consumption breaks records year after year. ‘The idea of renewable energy obscures the persistence of old systems’, says Alexander A. Dunlap. Industrial-scale renewable energy does not offer an alternative to the capitalist order and its exploitative relationships to earth. “Dunlap embarked on a research trip across the US to map out the life cycle of solar panels. The solar panel supply chain follows the same mining sites, rail roads, factory facilities, and prison institutions entangled with historic structures of extraction and labor exploitation. “Rio Tinto Kennecott, a mining, smelting, and refining operation in Utah, mines gold and silver and tellurium, which is an essential component in photovoltaic solar panels. The scale of the mine is massive, and operates all year round 24 hours a day. And it is not only eroding mountains, but it also takes its toll on people. “At First Solar, which produces industrial-scale solar panels, workers mostly do monitoring of machines. The pathway to management is blocked. The company sources its workforce via H1-B visas with workers from India and Taiwan. Due to visa limits, foreign workers are prevented from upskilling in community colleges and even getting promotions. “In the deserts of California, solar farms with millions of panels stretch up to 30 kilometers. ‘The desert landscape might feel less spectacular than the Amazon jungle, but it is like a forest upside down’, explains Dunlap. With large areas covered by panels, biodiversity suffers: ancient trees are cleared, soil is destabilized, and birds crash into the panels believing the glass to be water. The solar farms also disturb native burial grounds.” More at: U.S. Forest Service on the chopping block
“In 1891, Congress passed the Forest Reserve Act, which authorized the president to place some unregulated [public domain] tracts under ‘judicious control’, thereby mildly restraining extractive activities in the name of conservation. In 1905, the Forest Service was created as a branch of the US Agriculture Department to oversee these reserves. “Now the Trump administration is eager to begin a new era for the agency and its public lands, with a structure and a mission that maximizes resource production and extraction while dismantling the administrative state and its role as environmental protector. Over the last nine months, the administration has issued executive orders calling for expanded timber production and rescinding the 2001 Roadless Rule. “The most recent move involves moving at least 2,600 of the department’s 4,600 Washington, DC, employees to five hub locations – Salt Lake City, Utah, Fort Collins, Colorado, North Carolina, Missouri, and Indiana. “Though Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins’ proposal is aimed at decentralizing the department, it would effectively re-centralize the Forest Service by eliminating its nine regional offices, six of which are located in the West. “Rollins’ memo does not explain why the regional offices are being axed, or what will happen to the regional foresters’ positions and their functions, or how the change will affect the agency’s chain of command. “Curiously, the administration’s forest management strategy, published in May, relies on regional offices to ‘work with the Washington Office to develop tailored strategies to meet their specific timber goals’. Now it’s unclear that either the regional or Washington offices will remain in existence long enough to carry this out.” More at: True decentralized, cultural, indigenous forest management
“Tribal lands in the Pacific Northwest are earning national recognition for something the U.S. Forest Service has struggled to achieve: healthy, resilient forests. Despite receiving less than 40 cents for every federal dollar spent on national forests, tribes are restoring forest health and reducing tree mortality. Their success is rooted in thousands of years of stewardship and a willingness to act where federal policy too often stalls. “Long before European colonization, Indigenous people actively managed forests through cultural burning and selective thinning to clear underbrush, promote desired species, and prevent catastrophic wildfires. Upon settlement, tribes were forced onto reservations. Subsequent government policy excluded fire and scaled back active stewardship. “‘Indigenous people have been tied to these landscapes for thousands and thousands of years’, Steve Rigdon of the Yakama Nation said. ‘We know they need disturbance. They need the prescribed fire’. “But, for much of the 20th century, tribes relied on timber sale revenue and prioritized production over restoration. And the Bureau of Indian Affairs assumed a more paternalistic role and dictated extractive logging policies on tribal lands. That changed with a series of policy shifts. “In the 1970s, Congress enacted self-determination laws that offered tribes more autonomy to govern their lands according to their cultural values. In 1983, 80% of the Colville Confederated Tribe’s revenue came from timber. Today, timber accounts for just 20%. “Tribes now prioritize a suite of ecosystem services from clean water, to cultural plants and big game. Tribes leave the healthiest overstory trees on the landscape to promote resilience from disturbances like insects, disease, and fire. Then, they apply prescribed burning, salvage logging, selective thinning, and other treatments aimed to mimic the conditions their ancestors promoted.” More at: “Old Dog” book review (4th in a series)
“This post covers six books I read (and/or listened to) over the summer. Loosely speaking, the theme revolved around gaining a better anthropological sense of who we really are as a species. Some paved the way to others in a memorable story of its own. “The novel called Old Dog compares Old Dog [the character] to Ishmael. Old Dog is a mutt who has seen it all. Like Ishmael, he has an unusual knack for language comprehension (but alas, no telepathic ability). His life consisted of five main phases: family; street; education; feral pack; comfort. During this time, he develops keen insights on humans, dogs, and how domestication has fundamentally changed/reduced both. I would characterize much of the writing as having a decidedly philosophical bent that questions human aggrandizement and philosophical prowess, stresses a material reality, and bats down counterfactual fantasy. “The book also offers lots of substantive reflections on evolution, the merits of pre-modern lifeways (anthropologically well-informed), and the emergence of modernity.” More at: | 
