Insight and inspiration in turbulent times.
William E. Rees In the circumstances, humane, socially just Roadmaps that show the world community theoretical alternatives, however brilliantly conceived, are destined merely to reveal inviting roads that cannot be taken.
For the second time in two months, Europe has been hit by a record-breaking heatwave. The extreme conditions come on the 50th anniversary of a historic 1976 heatwave in the UK, prompting many comparisons between the two events by scientists and the media.
The Bad River Tribe has taken on a billion-dollar Canadian oil pipeline company to defend manoomin and the fresh waters that sustain it—and us all.
Nate turns from describing possible futures to exploring how we can make decisions when certainty is impossible. He introduces a framework for planning under uncertainty by distinguishing between two common mistakes – failing to respond to real risks, and taking decisive action based on incomplete understanding.
A prolific writer, teacher and communicator trying to alert students, policymakers and the public to the limits to growth on a finite planet, Richard was, in my experience, also humble and a good listener, always interested in different perspectives.
Amid plantation monocultures and industrialized farms built to maximize production at the expense of social and ecological costs to the public, there are also many communities where the economy and ecology are not in conflict.
Forsaking diversity and inclusion won’t save public lands. It will only splinter our movements and weaken our work to build just futures for all. This article is a call to resist reactionary responses to Trump’s attacks on public lands, environmental justice, and DEI.
Fake shopping apps, anti-vaxx dating sites and business as usual through climate disasters are stark reminders of the surreal lengths we’ll go to preserve a sense of normality, and how readily corporations will profit from it.
Richard’s writing never minimized the severity of the challenges before us, but neither did it surrender to hopelessness. Again and again, he insisted that another path could be imagined and designed—one based on ecological understanding, community-based economics, and a renewed culture of commoning.
I’ll never forget it. My family and I had just arrived in San Francisco in 2024 to begin a long tour with my podcast. I immediately reached out to Richard and was welcomed with the kindness that characterised him as much as his work.
I feel so deeply grateful to have known him, and for the support and enthusiasm he showed for the Transition movement as it emerged. He was a sensitive and thoughtful man who knew that human beings could do so much better.
A debate between Bill McKibben and Mark Roller highlights a central question: Can a “green transition” address a crisis rooted in ecological overshoot?
