“Normal, natural, evolutionary extinction takes millions of years. Abnormal, unnatural, non-evolutionary extinction is now a thing. It wasn’t until I read Jean-Baptiste Fressoz and Adam Becker’s books, back to back, that I became clearer about why it is happening now.
“During the past five centuries, planet Earth has been changed much more significantly by human actions than in the previous 300,000 years or so of the existence of Homo sapiens. In More and More and More, French historian Jean-Baptiste Fressoz sets out the facts and figures on the intensification of the extraction and use of the raw materials required to create the energy necessary to power industrial production over those centuries.
“Where did the idea come from that H.sapiens both could and should keep using (up) more and more and more of Earth , and how did it get presented as a good thing? This is where I started noticing the overlap between Fressoz’s account of one set of engineers and moneymen, and Becker’s account of another set.
“Fressoz shows that while the so-called ‘renewable’ energy generation has indeed increased over the past few decades, so has energy derived from burning fossil fuels. ‘Transition’ is a fiction. This is a ‘symbiotic increase of all energy sources’ needed to feed capitalism’s relentless demand for energy.
“In More Everything Forever, Becker makes the irrefutable case for why and how H.sapiens will never ever ever exist anywhere other than Earth, given the vast distances between Earth and other planets in the Universe, and the impossibility of humans travelling that far.
“So why is this continual stream of BS about ‘conquering’ space being produced? Becker’s book deals with the creation of institutes, centres, think tanks, etc., all claiming to provide a credible analysis of where humanity should be in the future.
“The snake oil they peddle includes technological utopianism – the idea of government by ‘technocracy’ rather than by the elected or appointed representatives of citizens. Becker’s book takes up the storyline of proposing new, hypothetical, unproven and even totally fanciful technologies as solutions to current problems. He traces some of it to the science fiction writing, [particularly] stories involving visiting or colonising other planets.
“Both books follow the money, from those who are paid to create and spread the myths, to those who benefit from their ‘investment’ in myth-making.”
ENRON — nuclear you can trust
“The Enron Egg, an at home nuclear reactor, is a compact nuclear reactor that uses Uranium-Zirconium Hydride (U-ZrH) fuel rods to generate heat through nuclear fission. This heat is transferred via a 3D-printed heat exchanger, powering a turbine to generate electricity. A closed-loop cooling system ensures safe operation without environmental contamination.
“Is the Enron Egg safe? Yes, safety is a top priority in the Enron Egg’s design:
- Fail-Safe Mechanisms: The reactor automatically halts reactions if overheated.
- Advanced Shielding: Built with lead-polyethylene-boron materials and a steel liner to protect against radiation.
- Controlled Reactions: Boron-coated control drums ensure precise regulation of the fission process.
“The Egg has been rigorously tested and adheres to strict safety standards for residential use. The heat-resistant casing is engineered to withstand extreme temperatures, ensuring unmatched durability and safety. Designed for peak performance, it protects the reactor’s core while maintaining optimal thermal efficiency — even in the harshest conditions.
“The heavy-water pump keeps hydrogen-enriched coolant flowing flawlessly, ensuring precise temperature control and peak reactor performance — quiet, efficient, and built to last.
“The integrated chip enables seamless 24/7 monitoring by Enron’s nuclear management facility, ensuring real-time oversight and unparalleled operational safety — anytime, anywhere.
“Limitless Power. Perfectly Controlled. The uranium zirconium hydride reactor combines advanced neutron moderation with boron control drums to precisely manage the nuclear reaction, delivering exceptional safety, unmatched fuel efficiency, and compact, sustainable power — all in one breakthrough design.”
Societal complexity: the harder they come, the harder they fall
“In Impasse: Climate Change and the Limits of Progress, Roy Scranton offers a profound and unflinching take on humanity’s ecological crisis. He argues persuasively that climate change isn’t a problem to be solved but a predicament to be faced.
“Scranton builds on anthropologist Joseph Tainter’s theory of the diminishing returns of societal complexity, which says that every proposed solution, from carbon taxes to geoengineering, require further investments in complexity, which in turn stands to hasten our societal collapse rather than prevent it. In other words, the obstacles are structural; they’re embedded in the very systems designed to address them.
“Scranton examines why our current civilizational crisis is so difficult to understand and address. He and other ecological thinkers — including Wendell Berry, John Michael Greer and Rob Nixon — call this ‘the myth of progress’, or the tacit assumption that humankind can keep exploiting nature without regard for ecological limits.
“By letting go of blindly optimistic narratives like the myth of progress, Scranton argues, we can avoid the deluded thinking that can lead optimists to do harm in the name of hope.”
Proposed Kansas data center called to task
“The developer of a hyperscale data center facility, Red Wolf DCD Properties, submitted plans for six buildings totaling 1.8 million square feet on the north and south sides of Parallel Parkway in western Wyandotte County. The project would be the largest development in Wyandotte County’s history. A protest petition and lawsuit have put the brakes on.
“Proponents of the plan say it will bring badly needed revenue to the county. However, residents and an environmental group have voiced concerns about government transparency, location and environmental costs associated with the facility, whose end user remains unknown.
“‘We’re trying to figure out how to make sure that we’re not doing any harm to the communities, to the ecosystems, and the environment,’ said Zack Pistora, director of the Kansas chapter of the Sierra Club. Ty Gorman, of the Sierra Club, said the proposed project would double the energy usage of the county.
“Data centers have become notorious for their energy requirements and for the massive amount of water needed to cool their servers. ‘AI likes to represent itself as a clean technology, but AI must be powered by the grid’, said Alex Boynton, a professor of environmental ethics at the University of Kansas. ‘There are significant parts of the U.S. grid that are still run by fossil fuel energy, which calls into question the validity of those claims’.”
Massive electricity use and pollution by AI data centers
“A new report by Stand Earth finds that Microsoft’s electricity demand for AI data centers will surge over 600% by 2030, which is enough to power the entire New England region, or 12% of all homes in the U.S. Microsoft’s rapid expansion of AI data centers is set to lock in massive new fossil fuel infrastructure, threatening community health across the U.S.
“In most states hosting Microsoft facilities, grid electricity remains at least 50% fossil fuel-generated, and new data centers will instigate additional coal and gas consumption. Microsoft’s data center pollution reached over 7.87 million metric tons of CO₂e (carbon dioxide equivalent) globally in its 2023 fiscal year.
“Microsoft leads all hyperscale data centers in pre-leased third-party capacity, but provides 0% dedicated reporting on its energy use or pollution, obscured by co-location deals.
“The report concludes that new data centers must be powered by 24/7 renewable energy, Microsoft should increase transparency around hourly matching energy procurement, scale up community benefit programs, and strengthen voluntary and regulatory reporting standards.”
Slow grid modernization vs. hyper-rapid electricity demand growth
“Electric transformers aren’t something most people think about unless one serving their home or business is damaged resulting in a power outage. But it can be a problem if large numbers of transformers are damaged at once such as occurred in the recent California wildfires. That’s because the waiting time for new transformers is now 127 weeks.
“The Build America, Buy America provisions of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law require substantial and in some cases 100% domestic content for goods and services. Unfortunately, America only produces about 20% of the equipment it needs for its electrical power and transmission system.
“What’s happened is a perfect storm for manufacturers in the form of quickly increasing demand — aging grid infrastructure, new renewable-energy generation, expanding electrification, increased EV charging stations, and new data centers all contribute to the rising demand for these machines.
“Transformers are vulnerable to electromagnetic pulses. The possibility of using an atomic weapon exploded high in the atmosphere to create a powerful electromagnetic pulse has forced militaries across the world to harden their warfare equipment.
“Nothing comparable has been done for civilian infrastructure which means, even if we humans avoid a nuclear war, an intense solar storm could someday produce similar devastation by shutting down most of the grid. The need in that case will be new transformers. But there simply won’t be millions of spare ones sitting around.
“In case you are wondering, the last solar storm capable of such devastation occurred in 1859.”
Local business advantages, socially, ecologically, and economically
“Monopolistic business practices have been illegal in the United States for more than a century. Yet, monopoly power continues to accelerate in our modern commercial landscape. Large, powerful corporations edge out smaller businesses, often citing scale, ‘efficiency’, and lower costs as their reasons for success.
“But looking more closely reveals a reality that is far different. Small businesses are more cost-effective and deliver better results to the people they serve than giant corporations. Furthermore, they form the backbone of engaged and connected communities. In this episode, Nate is joined by economic writer and strategist, Stacy Mitchell, the co-executive Director of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance.
“So why do you [Stacey] think it’s so important to focus on the strength of local economies rather than solely focusing on top down national level? Well, let me start with the risk.
“We learned very vividly during the pandemic that these highly concentrated long distance supply chains are incredibly vulnerable. When you think about what nature does, nature deals with risk by having an incredible amount of diversity and lots of redundancy.
“Another risk is that we all live our day-to-day lives in ways that are largely controlled by the decisions made in a handful of distant boardrooms, [such as] a medical procedure approval. And the corporations that drive those decisions not only have a lot of economic power, they have incredible political power. And we see them commandeering government and driving their agenda through our government.
“Why are those two things, local economies and local social networks so entangled? Yeah, that’s a very good connection. I think when you have more local businesses, more community controlled economic systems, more regional systems — the day-to-day exchanges — it’s a set of people who share the same geography and who are connected not only by that economic exchange, but by the fact that their kids go to the same school or they live in the same neighborhood.”
Regenerative economics must supplant extractive economics
“The purpose of a Regenerative Economy is to promote and sustain human prosperity and wellbeing in an ‘economy of permanence’. To achieve this, we must first study the laws and patterns that the cosmos uses to build healthy networks that actually exist all around us. We must then design the economy — and the financial system that serves it — to embody those principles.
“Ecologist, and co-creator of the ‘ecological footprint’ concept, Bill Rees explains, ‘A regenerative system is one that does not deplete or pollute its host, and at best, facilitates its host’s thriving. Therefore, a regenerative economy maintains reliable inputs and healthy outputs.
“The next most critical characteristic of health lies in being self-nourishing and self-regulating. Living organisms and ecosystems are designed to constantly channel energy into nourishing their internal workings. [Consequently} a regenerative economy must nourish the human networks upon which its vitality depends.
“The term regeneration implies a ‘continuous process of becoming’. This broad form of regeneration implies an indivisible connection among humanity’s physical, psychological, and spiritual dimensions, as well as with the entirety of the energetic whole we call the universe. Can we not, then, view the emergent regenerative economy as a more highly evolved response to the extractive economy it will replace?”
