Do we really need to put ocean ecosystems at risk in order to transition to a renewable-energy economy? Proponents of deep-sea mining claim that the as-yet-untested practice is the best means of supplying minerals like cobalt, lithium, nickel, copper, vanadium and indium used in electric vehicles, storage batteries and other green technologies. But a new […]
By Matthew Gavin Frank In early 2021, De Beers — the world’s biggest diamond company — achieved something of a public relations coup when it announced two new prestige jewelry lines intended to position the notoriously polluting corporation as environmentally friendly and responsible. The first, the high-end “Reflections of Nature” jewelry line, supposedly celebrates the […]
Art Zilleruelo’s poetry is often inspired by nature. Growing up, he wandered the hills of rural Pennsylvania. “It’s still possible to do things like get lost in the woods here if you want to,” he says. “It’s still possible to find places where the night sky is completely unpolluted by artificial light.” But the region […]
By Ajit Niranjan It makes up the concrete of our houses, the tarmac of our roads, the glass in our windows and the silicon chips in our phones. But sand, a building block of modern life that sits at the heart of a destructive and sometimes illegal industry, is in increasingly short supply — and […]
Aiming to preserve 30 percent of the world’s land and water by 2030, dozens of countries will take part in a UN biodiversity conference later this year – but Indigenous people won’t have a seat at the table. Indigenous communities have repeatedly mobilized to block logging, mining and overfishing, with great success. More than a […]
By Tara Lohan In the aftermath of the Nov. 3 election, President Donald Trump has tried every trick in the book to avoid facing the reality of his loss. A barrage of lawsuits accompanied by disinformation campaigns has attempted to cast doubt on the legitimacy of the election. But a close look at regulatory actions […]
The gateway to Yellowstone National Park is now safe from mining. A ruling issued by the Montana Supreme Court Wednesday has effectively squashed a plan by Canadian company Lucky Minerals to search for gold in the mountains above Paradise Valley, the northern entryway to the iconic national park. “Never underestimate the power of a community […]
Deep sea mining is leading private mining firms and arms companies to carve up the seabed in plans that should be halted by an international ocean treaty, argues a new report from Greenpeace. The investigation, Deep Trouble: The murky world of the deep sea mining industry, decries the increasing use of the ocean floor by […]
By Andrea Germanos Environmental campaigners stressed the need for the incoming Biden White House to put in place permanent protections for Alaska’s Bristol Bay after the Trump administration on Wednesday denied a permit for the proposed Pebble Mine that threatened “lasting harm to this phenomenally productive ecosystem” and death to the area’s Indigenous culture. […]