A book review that says: "The end of capitalism – or the end of civilization? The choice could be that stark."
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Herrmann argues that there is no choice other than radical and seemingly unimaginable change if we are to survive in anything like a civilized condition: “There is no alternative for the industrialized countries. Either they end growth voluntarily, or the era of growth will end violently, when everything that forms the basis of our way of life has been destroyed.”

There is no doubt that unmitigated climate change and environmental degradation will transform our lives and the political systems that circumscribe them. By the time they do, it may be too late to do anything useful, other than keep a lid on social breakdown. It won’t necessarily be the end of the world, but it may be the end of any human civilization worthy of the name.
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FULL REVIEW -- https://theconversation.com/the-end-of-capitalism-or-the-end-of-civilisation-the-choice-could-be-that-stark-250922
GET THE BOOK -- https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-end-of-capitalism-why-growth-and-climate-protection-are-incompatible-and-how-we-will-live-in-the-future/7f61983f99d22db3

https://www.europesays.com/1925636/ EPA Withdraws Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind Permit Amid Environmental Review #BusinessTrends #CorporateSustainability #EnergyEfficiency #EnergyManagement #Environment #EnvironmentalLeadership #ESGStrategies #RenewableEnergy #sustainability

#Kia showcases full #EV line-up, including compact EV3 and smooth EV4 #car #living #ElectricCar

https://lucire.com/insider/20250319/kia-showcases-full-ev-line-up-including-compact-ev3-and-smooth-ev4/ #Aotearoa #NZ #Auckland #TāmakiMakaurau #Auto #voiture #environment

As UN research notes the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere reached its highest point in 800,000 years, with 2024 likely to have been the hottest year on record and the first to surpass 1.5C above pre-industrial levels' UNSG António Guterres warns 'Our planet is issuing more distress signals'...

Indeed it is, but like the body's response to infection, what the Earth may be trying to do is to rid itself of a dangerous parasite, humans

#climate #environment
h/t FT

Single use plastics - again

Some of the crap will come from other countries but much/most of it is generated by us. Yes, some has been reduced and legislation was introduced by the last Conservative government, but it is clear that even taking the inevitable delays as some restrictions came in, it is not working. Urgent action is required - but of course we need to ask does this prohibit growth Reeves?

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/mar/19/single-use-plastic-waste-on-uk-and-channel-island-beaches-up-by-95-last-year

Fish farming - a false economy

Salmon farming is a drop in the ocean of Scotland’s economy, 0.2 per cent according to the Scottish government, yet its impact is disproportionately devastating. This is not a sustainable homegrown industry, it is Scottish taxpayers subsidising foreign-owned corporations whose loyalty lies not with Scotland but their bottom line.

http://archive.today/2025.03.19-003830/https://www.thetimes.com/uk/scotland/article/why-salmon-farming-is-a-false-economy-destined-to-fail-sb3jh2zdf (archive)

www.drive.com.au/news/electri... #Auspol #EV #Environment

Electric car prices in Austral...

Breaking News ~ The US Adopts Australia's #Coalition #LNP Clean Coal Technology.
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Two days after Director Lee Zeldin announced he was gutting the EPA, Trump announced we are going to fire up “clean coal” plants:

“After years of being held captive by Environmental Extremists, Lunatics, Radicals, and Thugs, allowing other Countries, in particular China, to gain tremendous Economic advantage over us by opening up hundreds of all Coal Fire Power Plants, I am authorizing my Administration to immediately begin producing Energy with BEAUTIFUL, CLEAN COAL.”

More than 150 ‘unprecedented’ climate disasters struck world in 2024, says UN

Floods, heatwaves and supercharged hurricanes occurred in hottest climate human society has ever experienced

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/mar/19/unprecedented-climate-disasters-extreme-weather-un-report

Excerpts from a very disturbing op-ed about the growing use of petrochemicals in producing the foods we eat…
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Fossil fuels are on track to be an even bigger presence in our food system. As sectors like transport are decarbonizing, the oil industry has its sights on food, particularly through petrochemicals. An estimated 74% of all petrochemicals are already used for agricultural fertilizer and plastic.

The International Energy Agency projects that by 2050 half of all oil and gas will be used for petrochemicals. Based on current levels, 40% of that will be going into our food system in the form of plastics and fertilizers.

Chemical companies are now introducing microplastic-coated pesticides and fertilizers. Along with increasing the presence of plastics in food production and threatening public health, microplastics used this way dissolve in the soil, impacting soil health, reducing how much water soils can retain, and destroying healthy microorganisms essential for nutrient cycling.
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FULL ESSAY -- https://civileats.com/2025/03/11/op-ed-the-food-system-cannot-become-another-fossil-fuel-industry-escape-hatch/

HT > @jblue

You couldn't write a dystopian novel with a grimmer plot than what we are witnessing in reality.

Here's how the story goes: Capitalism cuts down all the forests in search of profits, strip-mines the Earth in search of profits, pollutes our air and our water in search of profits... and now, what's left?

Oh, wait, say the capitalists, we haven't dug down into the deep sea yet in search of profits, er, um, minerals. And guess what, we can pretend we're doing that for the sake of the climate and environment!

Yeah, that's the idea. We need those minerals to make electric cars. So it's a win-win. We'll make billions more in profits, AND we'll make ourselves look good by promoting Green Growth!
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LEARN MORE https://www.theguardian.com/environment/ng-interactive/2025/mar/12/as-countries-scramble-for-minerals-the-seabed-beckons-will-mining-it-be-a-disaster-visual-explainer

Our inlet is at risk of a catastrophic oil spill and yet the government’s promised mitigation plan is still nowhere to be found. The residents of Port Moody - Coquitlam, Anmore and Belcarra are still waiting and this is unacceptable. #portmoody #coquitlam #anmore #belcarra #environment #environmental

DOGE Could Jeopardize the Ability to Track Extreme Weather

Right now, satellites operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are capturing real-time images of the weather churning across the planet’s surface. The agency’s ocean buoys and radar systems help the Coast Guard perform rescues and fishermen navigate shifting tides and currents

https://archive.ph/LuVc7

81% Finns for active role of municipalities in climate change risks

https://www.dailyfinland.fi/national/42297/81-Finns-for-active-role-of-municipalities-in-climate-change-risks

The Texas Institute of Letters recognized Dylan Baddour's article, “Forgotten Keepers of the Rio Grande Delta,” as the best short nonfiction of 2024.

Congratulations Dylan!

We are proud to have published this important story, and so many others you've contributed. https://www.texasobserver.org/forgotten-keepers-of-the-rio-grande-delta/

Holy Hell

““Now everything is dead, it’s like a totally dead river. Unbelievable. Overnight, this river died.”

“an acid spill at a Chinese-owned mine …contaminated a major river and could potentially affect millions of people after signs of pollution were detected at least 100 kilometers (60 miles) downstream.”

https://apnews.com/article/mining-pollution-china-zambia-environment-93ee91d1156471aaf9a7ebd6f51333c1

#1ThingaDay Today I signed up for my local Elders Climate Action chapter. #environment #stopclimatechange https://www.eldersclimateaction.org/

Wildwood residents may have noticed a wastewater spill over the weekend near the end of Flaming Star Avenue, with the flow going down the canyon and into the creek.  Public Works staff determined the cause was a blockage, not a pipe break, but unfortunately were not immediately able to clear the blockage. Instead crews quickly established a bypass line, effectively stopping the spill. (1/2)

It turns out billionaires like Bill Gates care more about themselves and their money than about maintaining a livable planet for the rest of us.

Are you surprised? I’m not.
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In decades past, as the effects of climate change slowly became undeniable, some people looked to the super-rich for solutions. By the early 2020s, a few billionaires had positioned themselves as masters of climate change policy, taking advantage of their great fortunes to become indispensable to environmentalism.

Now, however, many of those same billionaires are pulling their support at an alarming rate. Microsoft founder Bill Gates, the sixth richest man in the world, is the latest among them. Breakthrough Energy — Gates' climate change nonprofit — has locked the doors on its policy and advocacy office, laying off dozens of employees throughout Europe and the US.

Ever since billionaire real estate mogul Donald Trump won his second presidential election, tech barons like Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, Sundar Pichai, and of course Elon Musk have made no bones about shedding their progressive skin and embracing the new administration.

Gates, too, is cozying up to the returning president. In early January, the Microsoft founder spent three hours dining with his fellow billionaire, telling the Wall Street Journal he was "frankly impressed" by Trump's grasp on the issues dear to him.

Though many no doubt feel betrayed by what seems like a sudden rightward turn, billionaires like Gates have always behaved like wolves in sheep's clothing, prioritizing their fortunes above all.
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FULL ARTICLE -- https://futurism.com/bill-gates-gives-up-climate-change

SEE ALSO -- “Bill Gates Is Giving Up on Climate Change”
https://gizmodo.com/bill-gates-is-giving-up-on-climate-change-as-trump-drains-the-woke-out-of-washington-2000576270