Insight and inspiration in turbulent times.
Richard Heinberg While the U.S. celebrates its 250th anniversary, political attention is drifting away from climate change just as warming accelerates and Earth’s life-support systems approach collapse. From disappearing federal climate data to record-breaking heat, denial is giving way to something more dangerous: collective delusion.
Industrial agriculture relies on more than tractors and diesel. From synthetic fertilizers to depleted soils, the modern food system is deeply tied to fossil fuels, leaving farmers, ecosystems and food security increasingly vulnerable. Amid the polycrisis, we must rebuild food systems by valuing the natural world and supporting human communities.
A new proposal would shrink the public’s right to comment on the rulebooks that govern grazing, logging, and permits across the national forests. You can have your say right now.
Under Gustavo Petro, Colombia became a leading voice for phasing out fossil fuels. Now, his ally has lost to hard-right Trump favourite Abelardo de la Espriella, who backs more oil and “fracking to the max”. What could the shift mean for Colombia’s climate leadership?
From “natural resources” to “natural disaster” and “sustainability,” the language used in environmental and development discourse doesn’t just describe the world, it shapes what is seen and prioritized.
From Indigenous-led governance to worker-owned cooperatives, scattered experiments may offer a blueprint for a pathway out of our global predicament.
Oklahoma restricts oil field wastewater injection within a half-mile of public water wells to protect against pollution. Regulators have let companies do it anyway. Officials are taking on the oil industry by calling for additional protections against oil field wastewater injection.
Trying to kill algae with chemicals is a common response when community ponds or other water features go green. But there are better solutions that cost far less, last longer and carry less risk of harm to pets and wildlife. Rather than battling against nature, these alternatives work with nature for long-term solutions.
In this post, former teacher and researcher Chris Smaje reflects on the practical skills, relationships and forms of exchange he believes will be needed to navigate collapse.
Industrial agriculture transformed how the world eats after the Second World War. The gains were enormous, but so were the costs: depleted soils, monocultures, plastic pollution and growing dependence on fragile global supply chains.
A deal to bring Colorado River water to Native American communities in northern Arizona, where a third of homes lack running water, is being blocked by neighboring states, caught up in a broader battle over how to divide the dwindling river.
From climate disasters to housing shortages, the system finds new ways to extract value from crisis. In this essay, author Craig Collins argues that modern capitalism is no longer built to expand prosperity, but to monetize collapse.
