The “polluter pays” principle transformed the energy industry half a century ago. Now, as industrial agriculture drives climate breakdown, deforestation, and water scarcity, experts say it’s time to apply the same rule to our food systems—and make corporations, not consumers, bear the cost of the damage. Representational image -- Wilfredor, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons By Alex Crisp The “ polluter pays ” principle is a cornerstone of environmental regulation. It raises

An unprecedented avian flu outbreak in Argentine Patagonia devastated a stable elephant seal colony, highlighting the rising threat of infectious disease to wildlife in a warming world. Elephant Seals -- Ecohotel, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Claudio Campagna, Valeria Falabella and Julieta Campagna In the spring of 2023, we returned to Península Valdés, a rugged coastal region in Argentine Patagonia, expecting to witness the familiar sights and sounds of southern el

At the 10 year anniversary of the Paris Agreement, U.S. climate commitments are being swallowed up by military spending. David B. Gleason from Chicago, IL, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Alliyah Lusuegro Ten years ago as of December 2025, nearly every country in the world made a promise. By signing the Paris Agreement , governments committed to limit global temperature rises to no more than 2°C — and ideally 1.5°C — to avoid the most devastating impacts of a warming p

Millions of African children are born into overlapping crises, and true climate justice must begin with birth equity to uphold human rights, sovereignty, and reparative action. Nigerian children doing a class exercise -- Ibukshizzy, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Esther Afolaranmi In July 2025, the International Court of Justice held its first hearings on states’ climate responsibilities in decades. A lead judge described climate change as an “ urgent and existential

Often overlooked in traditional emergency management, women play a critical role in preparedness, risk reduction, and building resilient communities. Representational image -- Kartiki Gonsalves, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Reynard Loki On February 26, 1852, the HMS Birkenhead struck a cluster of rocks off the coast of South Africa. With only a few lifeboats for the 638 people aboard, Captain Robert Salmond ordered the women and children to board first while the men

The relentless push for data centers is raising US power bills and polluting US communities. It doesn’t have to be this way. Virginia data center -- image via news video screenshot By Michi Trota Bill Gates recently made headlines by suggesting that climate change is no longer a priority , but the American public begs to differ. In this last election, climate change was a defining issue in states like Virginia and Georgia , where voters grappled with rising energy costs. And

After centuries of dam building, a nationwide movement to dismantle these aging barriers is showing how free-flowing rivers can restore ecosystems, improve safety, and reconnect people with nature. The silt filled Matilija Dam in California -- Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License, via Wikimedia Commons By Tara Lohan With more than 550,000 dams in the United States, free-flowing rivers are an endangered species. We’ve dammed, diked, and diverted almost every ma

Image via India Today on X, November 28, 2025 By Srujana Bodapati It is that time of year again when India’s national capital Delhi’s air quality turned acutely hazardous. Official Indian air quality indicators hit their maximum adverse readings of 500, while indices based on international norms shoot past 1,000 or even 2,000 —a level that effectively turned the city into a gas chamber. The thick smog, loaded with toxic gases, seeps into every corner of the city, including in

The end of the first week of COP30 saw a protest organized by social and environmental movements, bringing together Indigenous groups, youth, NGOs, and activists demanding climate justice, an end to fossil fuels, and real participation in negotiations. Image from the march via X By Manish Chandra Mishra, Mongabay Family farmers, traditional communities and Indigenous peoples led the People’s Summit Unified March, a climate justice protest, on November 15, bringing colour and

People march in Belem, Brazil on November 15 as part of the popular protests outside of COP30 -- news screenshot via X By Cade Dunbar On Friday, 17 October 2025, the UN Development Programme released the 2025 edition of its Multidimensional Poverty Index Report . For the first time, the report directly evaluates their multidimensional poverty data against climate hazards, exposing the extent to which the world’s poor are threatened by the environmental crisis. According to th

Humanity’s evolution into a super predator has reshaped ecosystems and instilled a primal fear in much of the animal kingdom. Representational image - public domain By John Divinagracia Hunting is considered critical to human evolution by many researchers who believe that several characteristics that distinguish humans from our closest living relatives, the apes, may have partly resulted from our adaptation to hunting, including our large brain size. Over time, however, the

In this special issue of the NACLA Report, we critically examine the rise of green capitalism in the region in the lead-up to COP30 in...

Lands vital for climate resilience and the forestry industry are also critical habitats for declining bird species, offering a rare...

AI data centers produce massive noise pollution, use huge amounts of water, and keep us hooked on fossil fuels. A Google Data Center in...

A national human ecology curriculum that begins with food education could help address our most pressing crises—from climate change to...

Wind turbines out to sea by Oliver Dixon, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Prabir Purkayastha The tipping point between renewable...

As AI adoption accelerates, its soaring energy demands and carbon footprint raise urgent concerns about sustainability, highlighting the...

Lula during a 2023 ceremony announcing the holding of COP 30 in the city of Belém -- Palácio do Planalto from Brasilia, Brasil, CC BY...

"This is not a dry spell," said the co-author of a new U.N. report. "This is a slow-moving global catastrophe." Representational image...

Fidel Castro's speech at the UN Conference on Environment and Development, Rio De Janeiro, June 12, 1992. It remains powerfully relevant...