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CURATED ECOLOGICAL NEWS “Green” capitalism profits from climate crisis
“In the Americas, governments, corporations, and multilateral institutions present themselves as champions of sustainability, rebranding old forms of extractivism and accumulation under the guise of ‘green’ development. But beneath the surface, the reality is stark: the transition being promoted today is not a break from fossil capitalism. It is a reinvention in which energy demand expands and the extraction of hydrocarbons intensifies under the illusory umbrella of ‘net zero’ policies. “The idea that capitalism can solve the climate and ecological crisis it has created is not only misleading but also dangerous. Under this framework of green capitalism, nature is positioned as a financial asset, territories as green sacrifice zones, and Indigenous and traditional communities, once again, as obstacles to development. “Across the Americas, extractivism is being painted green to fit into the transition discourse. In Brazil (host of COP30), for example, the so-called ‘Lithium Valley’ exemplifies this shift: a region marked by water scarcity, community resistance, and environmental degradation is now being promoted as a hub for sustainable development. “In the Brazilian Cerrado, there is an unchecked advance of eucalyptus monocultures. Indeed, agribusiness often slips through the cracks in debates on climate and extractivism. Yet it is a key driver of emissions through animal exploitation, soil degradation, deforestation, and land use change. “Despite the aggressive expansion of green capitalism across the Americas, communities are resisting land grabs, denouncing the greenwashing of extractivist violence, and organizing to reclaim autonomy over energy, food, territory, and ways of life. “Resistance and the construction of alternatives are two sides of the same struggle — rejecting the commodification of life while creating other ways of organizing energy, food, land, and political power. Who controls the means of transition? Who defines what sustainability means? Who decides which territories are sacrificed and which are protected?” More at: Driest place on earth targeted for hydrogen extraction from water
“At the two extremes of the territory called Chile, we find two ecosystems defined by their vastness: the Atacama Desert and the Magallanes steppe. To travel across them is an invitation to recall a shared origin: here, in the immensity of these plains, lives the oldest microbiota in the world. “The steppe at the southernmost end of Chile seems to merge with the highland landscapes of the north. South of the continental area of Magallanes, specifically in San Gregorio, lies the Pali Aike National Park. Here, the land is covered with basaltic lava, evidence of volcanic force during the Pliocene geological period. It is one of the most important archaeological sites in all of Patagonia, since evidence has been found in the Pali Aike Cave of populations who used the place as a shelter more than 11,000 years ago. “Crossing the Strait of Magellan lies Tierra del Fuego. This is one of only six places in the world [where their are] mineral structures similar to reefs: stromatolites, built by cyanobacteria over millions of years. These are the oldest life forms on Earth — our great-great-grandmothers. Their presence paves the way for investigating the origins of life on the planet. “If we move 3,500 kilometers north, we reach the Atacama Desert. Here it is possible to find all kinds of forms of existence, from the most spectacular in color and size, such as flamingos, to the tiniest, like cyanobacteria also found around highland lagoons and salt flats. “Antofagasta and Magallanes have been considered ‘development hubs’ for hydrogen. To obtain hydrogen from water by separating it from oxygen, one must break down the water molecule using electrical energy, in a process called ‘electrolysis’. “As part of a corporate capitalist energy transition, ‘green’ hydrogen has been promoted as a supposed shift away from fossil fuels toward non-fossil sources, sidelining other urgent concerns, including the enormous energy inequalities embedded in this so-called ‘transition’, as well as the pressing need to democratize and decentralize our energy systems. “The production of ‘green’ hydrogen requires the installation of large-scale infrastructure: desalination plants, hydroducts, ports, storage and transport systems, and above all, vast fields of solar panels and wind turbines. Hence why the powerful sun of Antofagasta and the strong winds of Magallanes are being envisioned as ‘windows of opportunity’ for Chile. “For the Chango people, this promise sounds like a threat. Their eyes are accustomed to perceiving the wealth of another vastness: evidence of more than 8,000 years of abundant life in food, cooperation, and patience. Now, as they examine the project maps, they realize that these will be located in the best fishing and shoreline gathering areas. Many of these species are not commercial, or are not categorized as ‘relevant’ in the eyes of public or private interests. Yet they are relatives and companions.” More at: As grows throughput, so grows waste
“In one recent assessment, Max Roser (2021) defines growth as ‘an increase in the quantity and quality of the economic goods and services that a society produces’. However, what goes with it is also inevitable but ignored — growth always increases waste. “Waste is an inextricable part of growth, always there, mostly invisible, hard to measure. After all, as UNEP reports some countries have no official waste data whatsoever, and some 2.7 billion people live their lives outside any waste collection. Purposeful deconstruction of waste as a component of growth continues to be left out as a growing factor in the production; waste nonetheless is a major constituent of growth, maybe the only constant in growth. “Food waste, e-waste, batteries, clothes and growing quantities of waste from every consumer good are overwhelmingly generated by the wealthier countries. Wealthy countries are by far the largest dispersers of their own waste through global networks and dumping, from plastic in the oceans, to clothing in the Atacama in Chile, to lead-acid batteries in Nigeria. “Researchers on degrowth emphasize a set of sources which must act as critical limiters on growth. But the problem with these premises is that they tend to cope with growth as a given, accepted thing, rather than analysing the systemic waste that creates growth. “From Adam Smith’s famous ‘Consumption is the sole end and purpose of all production’ to Edward Bernays’ work in turning public relations into a cattle prod for consumers, growth through unthinking consumption grew into the norm. Large groups of individuals could be persuaded to consume more of desired products at a faster rate, irrespective of utility.” More at: Evergy earns a “Fail” for fossil fuel use and data centers
“Big utility companies nationwide lost ground this year in their plans to meet minimum climate targets, and Kansas’ Evergy received an F for a ‘multi-year backslide’, a Sierra Club report said. Evergy received 9 points out of 100 this year, dropping from 12 last year. The company delayed the closure of the Lawrence coal-burning plant and advanced plans to build new gas-burning plants. “Evergy’s decisions are part of a national trend that stresses data centers and other large-load users. Said Ty Gorman of the Sierra Club, ‘There’s a good reason to increase load, but at a steady pace. Data centers, though, offer a different kind of economic risk than other electric load growth types. Evergy is courting data centers to come to the territory, and some of those costs shift to customers’, Gorman said.” More at: Trump pumps AI data centers, pads billionaire’s pockets
“The current occupant of the White house approved on Monday the construction of a 211-mile road right through the Northwestern Alaskan Arctic, with a simple explanation: Building the road will benefit the American artificial intelligence industry. “Only last year, the Bureau of Land Management released its Record of Decision selecting ‘No Action’ on the Ambler Road Project. The impact on fish habitat, water and air quality, disruption of groundwater flow, hazardous spills, and the negative impact on the Western Arctic caribou herd were all cited as reasons for denial. “Trump made it clear that he was approving the project to stay ahead in what he considers an AI race against China. The haul at the end of the 211-mile road is presumed to be copper, the primary component to efficiently help power and cool the massive data centers that run AI applications. “On April 6, 2024, billionaire John Paulson raised an historic $50.5 million for the re-election of President Trump. On October 6, 2025, Trump returned the favor. Trump announced that he was approving the construction of a 211-mile road through the Alaskan wilderness that will allow for the mining of copper, cobalt, gold, and other valuable minerals. “The two companies that will operate the mine are South32 Limited and Trilogy Metals. Paulson owns 14,326,996 shares of Trilogy Metals, about 8.7% of the company, making him the company’s third-largest shareholder. After Trump announced he was approving Ambler Road, the value of Paulson’s shares in Trilogy Metals increased from just under $30 million to over $100 million.” More at: World Conservation Congress convened in Abu Dhabi
“The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Conservation Congress will offer an opportunity to address the triple planetary crisis of biodiversity loss, climate change, and pollution, and set the course towards achieving the goals in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. “India’s first Red List of Endangered Species will be unveiled at the IUCNs Conservation Congress to be held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates from October 9-15, 2025. India has been a State Member of IUCN since 1969. “The last IUCN World Conservation Congress took place in Marseille, France in September, 2021. The event in Abu Dhabi will tackle five critical themes — Scaling Up Resilient Conservation Action, Reducing Climate Overshoot Risks, Delivering on Equity, Transitioning to Nature-Positive Economies and Societies and Disruptive Innovation and Leadership for Conservation.” “Scientists estimate that we are losing species at a rate 1,000 times higher than the natural rate. Globally, only 18% of the land identified as critical for biodiversity and ecosystem services is currently protected.” More at: Largest nesting site for Amazonian turtles
“Researchers from the University of Florida have uncovered the largest known nesting site for the threatened giant South American river turtle (Podocnemis expansa). Every year in July or August, female Arrau turtles gather to nest in the Guaporé River’s sandbanks between Brazil and Bolivia, and last year, a joint team from the University of Florida and WCS set out to count just how many come to nest. “Also known as the Arrau turtle, these freshwater reptiles live in rivers and lakes along the Amazon and Orinoco River basins. Some can have shell lengths up to 35 inches long and weigh upwards of 130 pounds. Arrau turtles’ primary threats include poachers who sell their meat and eggs, habitat loss, dams, and pollution. These reptiles are also considered exceptionally social.” More at: Complex societies create their own demise
“Luke Kemp’s new book, Goliath’s Curse, the History and Future of Societal Collapse, focuses on understanding the history and future of extreme global risk. I’s a deep dive into why the social structures that humans have been creating for the last few thousands of years, what we typically call civilizations, always inevitably collapse due to the very nature of how they were formed. “Most people talk about the collapse of a civilization, which of course begs the question, what is a civilization? There are two problems with that term. First, it’s always been incredibly vague. Definitions range from things like having an advanced culture, which is about as useful as it is biased — against indigenous peoples. “And the second one is this idea of having a whole checklist of different indicators as to what constitutes civilization — things like writing, the presence of cities, agriculture. The problem there is we have plenty societies, which we would call civilizations, which don’t have one of those factors. For instance, the Inka Empire, which at one stage was the largest empire of South America, didn’t have writing. “Yet the very first civilizations were far from civilized. They’re usually marked by things like mass human sacrifice, patriarchy, warfare. When we actually try to pick out the original civilizations, there’s one key thing that changes, and it’s one that we’re really uncomfortable with. Rather than being egalitarian, we start organizing ourselves into dominance hierarchies. That’s the key thing that changes in almost every one of the first states. “”You come to the conclusion that the entire system we live in today might be called a global ‘Goliath’. Why did Goliath’s first start appearing, and how many Goliaths were there? “When we think about different kinds of societies across the world, different big empires, they usually had that collection of dominance hierarchies. So patriarchy being a key one, for instance. Rome wasn’t just made up of the imperium. It was also a collection of other different dominance hierarchies, master above slave, men above women, rich above poor. “Across the world we have five different areas that produce the very first states, a state here being essentially a set of centralized institutions that enforce rules upon a given population within a given territory. There are a few things which unite these different areas — typically what you need is a surplus. “And once you get a surplus, you essentially need rulers and managers to more or less delegate the surplus and oversee much bigger projects. It’s not just a surplus, it’s a mutable surplus. These are resources that can be easily seen, stolen, and hoarded. And stored grain is the ultimate mutable resource. “As a good example here — Papua New Guinea has agriculture roughly the same time as Egypt does. They grow bananas, yam, tarot, but they never produce pyramids. They never produce a state. The key difference here is that banana, yam, tarot, they’re not mutable resources. So in the case of grain like wheat, for instance, which has grown in Egypt, you can store that for decades potentially. “I completely agree that Goliath ends up being a term you have otherwise identified as the Superorganism, also called by Lewis Mumford the mega machine, what some people call multipolar traps or Morlock. “I actually do think it’s not humans per se that are to blame for what’s happening. When you combine predatory, non empathic, dominant, status seeking humans at 10 per thousand, you can kind of predict what would happen — and that would be today’s modern civilization.” More at: “Civilized to Death” book review (6th in a series)
“Capping off my summer was a rip-roaring delight of a book by Christopher Ryan. What I loved most about the book was the frontal assault on Hobbesian mythology about the past, together with a fantastic treatment of the ‘noble savage’ accusation that inevitably is leveled any time any positive attribution is made toward foraging people. “The book is full of useful ‘correctives’ on health, happiness, maturity, longevity, and cooperative aspects of foraging people. Ryan portrays post-agricultural modernity as a fatally flawed path for humans. He characterizes us as living in captivity in a zoo of our own (very poor) design. “We must — in my view — just live and experience the world as it is in its staggering complexity, rather than thinking our way into how to live. What we can’t understand vastly exceeds what we can. No other creature on Earth has established a cerebral foundation for how to live, and our track record on that front is proving to be disastrous.” More at: | 
