Four years ago I was enrolled in one of my required courses at ASU for my MS in Biomimicry degree. We had a final class project in which we could do just about anything. I chose to make a film. I was reminded of this when I saw this recent article How the Biosphere 2 experiment changed our understanding of the Earth on the BBC website. I used footage that was taken from that experiment in my film to show the folly of man’s hubris in relying upon technology to replace Nature’s life support systems. 
Global Crisis and Radical Alternatives: Challenging the Dominant System for a Just and Sustainable Future
The world is going through a crisis of unprecedented global scale engendered by a dominant system that has resulted in deepening inequalities, increasing deprivation in old and new forms, the destruction of ecosystems, catastrophic climate change, ruptures in socio-cultural fabrics, and the violent dispossession of living beings.
However, there is an increasing emergence and visibility of an immense variety of radical alternatives to this dominant regime, contesting its roots in capitalist, patriarchal, racist, statist, and anthropocentric forces.
These range from initiatives with a specific focus like sustainable and holistic agriculture, community led water/energy/food sovereignty, solidarity and sharing economies, worker control of production facilities, resource/knowledge commons, and inter-ethnic peace and harmony, to more holistic or rounded transformations such as those being attempted by the Zapatista in Chiapas and the Kurds in Rojava. Alternatives also include the revival of ancient traditions and the emergence of new worldviews that re-establish humanity’s place within nature, as a basis for human dignity and equality.
– excerpt from the Global Tapestry of Alternatives
FINAL STATEMENT: ANTICOP 2024
I was fortunate in being able to attend ANTICOP 2024 in Oaxaca, Mexico a couple of weeks ago. Getting outside of the United States and being with other activists from around the world is always rejuvenating and renewing. Themes that were explored at ANTICOP included globalization, extractivism, militarism, land and water grabs, community displacement, government inaction towards climate change, and the commodification of nature. All this just before the 29th United Nations Climate Change conference, which will be recorded in the history books as one of the greatest ruses of all time.
Final conference statement (from the organizers)
Carbon Offsets: A Weapon of Mass Distraction
Capital capture is endlessly ingenious and disaster capitalism is simply one of its manifestations. Within capitalism the present climate crisis is arguably at least as financially lucrative if not more so than war. One of the biggest scams of all time is currently in play: carbon emissions trading. This expose recently aired on Al Jazeera and does a good job exposing this deceptive scheme.
How Non-Native Plants Are Contributing to a Global Insect Decline
Life on earth is 3.8 billion years old. Homo sapiens has only been around 200,000 years. A small fraction of that has seen non-native plants spread, yet look at the impact. We must cease the destruction emanating from our anthropocentrism. We must become as students before our teacher Nature.
Industrial food for profit = highly vulnerable food production system
Industrial food for profit has resulted in a highly vulnerable food production system. Now with climate chaos upon us, we must diversify our food crops. No more monocultures!
Energy Conservation versus Energy Production
Energy conservation (benign) could offset production (destructive). But no. Capitalism demands production, extractivism. Nature then pays the price. What we do to nature, we do to ourselves, as we are nature. The latest report of the IPCC Working Group II (Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability), points to the importance of integrating ‘indigenous and local knowledge’ in research and adaptation. Now even scientists understand that our dominant epistemology is a failure. The sooner we listen to this truth telling, the better. We can then change our behavior, rearrange our priorities, and begin to mitigate the worst effects of climate chaos.
COP26 “Greenwashing Festival” Ended – Now What?
Our world has become too politicized and economized. Everyone’s an expert. Thankfully there are scientists who remain undaunted by our pathetic state of affairs and are doing the hard work of providing sound guidance as to what must be done at this time. The time has come where the people must force their governments to do what’s necessary to save earth systems that support life. That translates into disaster declarations globally and instituting emergency actions across the board as cited in this report.
Localization is the Appropriate Response to Climate Chaos
Touring Bolivia giving lectures about localization expressed as ‘ecopueblos’ as a response to climate chaos in an effort to cease migration to the cities. Working with UNDP, the private sector, government, academia and civil society groups. We all need to be on the same page in this effort! #climatechange #environment #climate #climateemergency #globalwarming #climatechaosmitigation #climatechaosadaptation #climatechaosresilience
The Mystery Behind a Photo of a Logged Old-Growth Tree
Cutting an ancestral tree like this should be a crime, not only in British Columbia, but worldwide. We know that old growth forests sequester more carbon than young forests. These ancient giants dwarf our cleverness and can be relied upon to maintain the Earth’s carbon cycle, if only we would let them.