Tesla CEO Elon Musk Should Stop Flinging Poop And Start Selling More Tesla EVs, STAT [ 15-Feb-26 2:45pm ]While Tesla EV sales flounder, CEO Elon Musk engages in epic online poop-flinging against a leading Democratic donor.
The post Tesla CEO Elon Musk Should Stop Flinging Poop And Start Selling More Tesla EVs, STAT appeared first on CleanTechnica.
"These Guys Aren't Screwin' around." Gavin Newsom on Trump's Sabotage of US Auto Industry [ 15-Feb-26 2:39pm ] Why the Fossil Fueled Epstein Class Hated the Environmental Pope [ 15-Feb-26 2:32pm ]
Let's get a grip and learn how to live with the rain | Emma Beddington [ 15-Feb-26 2:00pm ]Wetter winters are set to become the norm, so unless we're farmers or flood victims, we need some coping strategies to keep our spirits up
There's a lot of complaining about the weather currently and I get it, it's wet. Here in York the river is getting above itself yet again and the council has fenced off large puddles in the park for health and safety reasons, to widespread mockery. Things currently taking in water include the letterbox (yesterday the postman told me with a manic laugh that he was leaving for the Philippines), the hens, my shoes and our car, which is growing moss around the windows. On the inside.
But does it merit all the moaning? I don't mean farmers, for whom it's a catastrophe, flood victims or the poor folk of Cardinham, North Wyke and Astwood Bank, who endured a biblical 40 days straight of rain. They're entitled to rend their garments and corral their pets into boats, two by two. But maybe the rest of us, just dealing with it being "quite wet", could get a grip. When life gives you rain, make rain-ade (do not drink rain; it's full of forever chemicals)! After all - OK, not the cheeriest thought - this could be as good as it gets in future, given accelerating climate breakdown. At the very least, these wet patches will probably happen more often, so we need coping strategies. Here are mine.
Continue reading... The greening of career education: US students learn new skills as climate crisis intensifies [ 15-Feb-26 1:00pm ]Some districts are adding programs in clean energy and sustainability, while one state is infusing environmental lessons into culinary education and construction
On one end of the classroom, high school juniors examined little green sprouts - future baby carrots, sprigs of romaine lettuce - poking out of the soil of a drip irrigation system they built a few weeks prior.
On the opposite end of the room, a model of a hydropower plant showed students how the movement of water can stimulate electrical currents. In this class in South Carolina's Greenville county school district, students primarily learn about one topic: renewable energy.
Continue reading...
Last Week in Collapse: February 8-14, 2026 [ 15-Feb-26 12:43pm ]Devastating environmental warnings portend hothouse earth, species depletion, coral bleaching, future wildfires, and the dramatic reduction of grazing land. Is anyone listening?
Last Week in Collapse: February 8-14, 2026
This is Last Week in Collapse, a weekly newsletter compiling some of the most important, timely, soul-crushing, ironic, amazing, or otherwise must-see/can't-look-away moments in Collapse.
This is the 216th weekly newsletter. The February 1-7, 2026 edition is available here if you missed it last week. These newsletters are also available (with images) every Sunday in your email inbox by signing up to the Substack version.
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Our "economy and society will cease to function as we know it," scientists warned, discussing the possibility of crossing devastarting tipping points that could doom earth into 3 or 4 °C temperature rise before the year 2100. A study in One Earth warns of a not-too-distant "hothouse earth" scenario, and that "We are leaving the stable conditions of the Holocene, and entering a period of unprecedented climate change beyond the natural interglacial envelope, with outcomes that are difficult to predict." There'll be no coming back from this.
The U.S. government reversed the so-called "endangerment finding" from 2009, which conceded that greenhouse gases present dangers to human and planetary health. This removes incentives and regulations on auto producers to produce more fuel-efficient vehicles, and also loosens pollution standards for power plants. President Trump also opened up for fishing the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, a couple tracts of the Atlantic Ocean far off the coast of Rhode Island (equivalent roughly to the size of the island Palawan in the Philippines).
Researchers say in a Nature study that "species turnover over short time intervals (1-5 years) has decelerated in significantly more communities during the last 100 years than it has accelerated, typically by one third." In other words, many species are not hitting their replacement rate as global warming & climate change intensify. Scientists say that "the internal engines of biodiversity are losing momentum due to the depletion of regional life," and it's because of human impacts.
Sustainable biodiversity of economic growth? A 37-page report from the UN was released last Sunday on this question, and 150+ countries more-or-less agreed that the two cannot both be achieved at the same time. The incentives between business (growth) minded people and those who prioritize the ability of our planet to sustain life are simply incompatible, and the values of the many stakeholders are much in conflict with each other. The UN Secretary-General has said as much many times over—but the people seem to have chosen death by economy.
"The growing economy continues to contribute to the direct drivers of biodiversity loss (land and sea use, unsustainable direct exploitation of organisms, climate change, pollution, and invasion of alien species, among others), placing increasing pressure on biodiversity and nature's contributions to people….while biodiversity and nature's contributions to people are providing more food, energy and materials than at any other point in human history, this often comes at the expense of rapid biodiversity decline, diminished ecosystem function, and reductions in many of nature's contributions to the people….the resulting degradation of ecosystems generates physical risks for the very businesses and economic systems that depend on them….Risks associated with biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse, along with extreme weather events, critical changes to earth system, and natural resource shortages and pollution, are among the highest-ranked global risks over the next 10 years….Climate- and biodiversity-related risks may interact to amplify social and economic impacts….businesses bear little or no financial cost for negative impacts and may not generate revenue from positive impacts on biodiversity. As a result, there are insufficient incentives for businesses to act to conserve, restore or sustainably use biodiversity….In addition to shifting financial flows away from negative activities, financial institutions can deploy instruments and strategies, such as blended finance, impact investing and green or sustainability-linked bonds to provide capital to businesses engaged in conserving, restoring or sustainably using biodiversity…" -selections
A study examined hundreds of Japanese folks' attitudes towards nature to determine what root values contributed to their mindsets. They sorted the base attitudes into three groups: instrumental, intrinsic, and relational. Relational is the one to which most attention is given here; it represents "the perceived appropriateness of the relationship individuals maintain with nature….relational value is not held in isolation; it is deeply embedded in traditional worldviews shaped by cultural and spiritual contexts." They concluded that "(i) relational value is linked to traditional religious-oriented worldviews; (ii) relational value shows a strong association with scales measuring human-nature relationships; and (iii) the distinctions among instrumental, intrinsic, and relational values extend beyond Western contexts."
A study from the European Geosciences Union found that boreal forest has expanded 12% from 1985-2020, a result of the warming earth making far-north habitats more viable for such forests. So the Arctic forests may provide a source of stronger-than-expected carbon sequestration, although "It remains uncertain whether boreal soils-especially under changing permafrost regimes-can structurally sustain expanded forest cover."
A third storm, Marta, struck Spain & Portugal within a two-week period, killing at least four people, displacing 11,000+, and bringing floods as far as Morocco as well. Flooding in Colombia killed 14 people and forced the president to declare a state of emergency.
A 51-page study on Patagonia's wildfires concluded that the devastating wildfires, which have left at least 23 people dead, had "conditions that drove the wildfires in the Chilean and Patagonia regions are characterised as a 1 in 5-year event in today's climate in both regions." Some of the trees affected by the wildfires were over 3,000 years old, and among the planet's oldest living trees. The full study contains lots of number tables if you're into that.
"...fire-season rainfall intensity has decreased by about 25% in the Chilean region and by about 20% in the Patagonia region….all climate models project a continued shift toward more severe fire weather conditions alongside declining seasonal rainfall. This strong agreement among models gives us high confidence that the changes already observed are driven by climate change….fire-adapted pine has replaced native vegetation, as climate continues to increase wildfire risk - the likelihood of succession by fire adapted species and even high wildfire risk increases…" -selections from the study's main findings
As the ancient ice sheets melt, some travelers are mounting so-called "last chance" tourism to see glaciers before they are gone forever. The irony is that this tourism increases the damage to the warming ecosystems in which glaciers spend their final years.
A marine darkwave is a sudden reduction in underwater light. Experts say darkwaves are increasing in the oceans around California and New Zealand, due mostly to storms that kick up sediment; though algal blooms can also cause the same phenomenon. Other scientists meanwhile say El Nino beginning in the second half of this year will probably cause record temperatures in 2027. The last El Nino (2023-24) "produced the largest detrended sea level anomaly on record," according to a Nature study.
A Nature Communications study concluded that the 2014-2017 "Global Coral Bleaching Event" affected "51% and 15% of the world's coral reefs {which} suffered moderate or greater bleaching and mortality, respectively, during one or multiple years, surpassing damage from any prior global coral bleaching event….the impacts of ocean warming on coral reefs are accelerating, with the near certainty that ongoing warming will cause large-scale, possibly irreversible, degradation of these essential ecosystems."
A recent study in PNAS estimates that there will be "a 36 to 50% contraction in suitable grazing areas by 2100 due to future climate change….this could displace the livelihoods of over 100 million pastoralist and 1.4 billion livestock….51 to 81% of these impacted populations reside in countries with low income, serious hunger, severe gender inequality, and high political fragility." So we might see a decline of total grazing land by half before the 21st century is done.
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While much of the world becomes increasingly dependent on AI, some researchers determined that AI actually gives workers much more to do, not resulting in a decrease of time & effort spent. This is due to three primary factors: "Task expansion. Because AI can fill in gaps in knowledge, workers increasingly stepped into responsibilities that previously belonged to others….Blurred boundaries between work and non-work. Because AI made beginning a task so easy—it reduced the friction of facing a blank page or unknown starting point—workers slipped small amounts of work into moments that had previously been breaks….More multitasking. AI introduced a new rhythm in which workers managed several active threads at once…this rhythm raised expectations for speed—not necessarily through explicit demands, but through what became visible and normalized in everyday work." The upper limit on AI efficiency has also imposed new expectations for workers (those who haven't been totally replaced by AI yet) to do more in less time, resulting in more stress—and usually not more pay.
Some observers fear that AI may engineer a new pandemic. AI has been increasingly used in disease & threat monitoring, but it might also be "misused for harmful applications - such as designing a new biological agent with pandemic potential, or modifying an existing virus or bacterium to be more harmful or transmissible." Experts claim that it is unlikely that AI could, at present, design a completely new & effective virus, but within a couple years this may become much more realistic.
Recent flooding in Zambia resulted in an ongoing cholera outbreak that killed seven people this year. In Mozambique, deaths from diseases following flooding claimed 146 lives, alongside widespread residential flooding. In four states in the U.S., $600M in funding for STD prevention is being cut.
How many people can your country sustainably support? Switzerland (2026 pop: 9.1M) is planning a referendum on capping the population due for a vote in June. The proposal, if successful, will limit immigration to the landlocked Alpine country once the population in Switzerland hits 9.5M before 2050, with the aim of preventing the total population from reaching 10,000,000.
Estimates on the burden of Long COVID to the economy say that the disease may cost the U.S. economy $6.6B per year. They found that "certain people are genetically predisposed to develop Long COVID," namely those with the gene FOXP4, which is expressed primarily in lungs. Scientists may have also determined a blood-based protein that could more accurately identify Long COVID. Some researchers think that metformin, a type 2 diabetes drug, also greatly reduces the chance of developing Long COVID, when it's taken while you have COVID or recently recovered from it.
Bird flu has already been confirmed in 26 U.S. states since the start of 2026, and observers say it's coming back—and bringing higher egg prices along, too. H5N1 was responsible for the first dieoff of wildlife in Antarctica, after 50+ dead skuas (a kind of sea bird) were recently confirmed killed by bird flu during the 2023-2024 summer. Bird flu was also confirmed in South Korea at a duck farm.
U.S. household debt rose 1% in Q4 2025, to a new all-time high: $18.8 trillion. About two thirds of that new debt was in the shape of mortgages, followed distantly by auto loans, student loans, and credit card debt. U.S. government spending is projected to increase the deficit by another $1.4T over the next 10 years.
A revisionist piece on the Collapse of the Mayan Civilization posits that many more people may have lived in the jungles of Guatemala & Mexico than earlier believed, making their Collapse even more devastating. Some say it was due to climate change (megadrought), others say overpopulation, others claim soil depletion, others argue it was a result of a rejiggering of trade routes—and some scholars say all these and more, simultaneously.
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An investigative report on Ethiopia's role in the ongoing Sudan War found evidence that the UAE likely funded a training camp for rebel fighters on Ethiopian land, not far from the border with Sudan. Some 4,300 people are said to have been trained at the site, mostly Ethiopians, although a number of Sudanese and South Sudanese were also trained. Recent tensions between Ethiopia and its Tigray region in the north are also heating up, and could drag the country back into Civil War. A brutal, 29-page UN report details a wide range of war crimes committed by the rebel RSF fighters in Sudan, including but not limited to summary executions of civilians, recruitment of child soldiers, ransom kidnappings, and torture. Read at your own peril. A couple children were slain in a drone strike on a mosque in North Kordofan; the assailants are unknown at this time.
A number of far-right European parties are reportedly planning their own versions of ICE-like police deportations if they gain power in their countries. ICE is meanwhile planning on greatly expanding its physical presence at 150+ new office & storage sites across the U.S. A migrant boat overturned in the Mediterranean, drowning 53 of its 55 passengers. Italy is committing to a stronger naval network to intercept and send back migrant ships coming from North Africa.
Train workers in Spain mounted a 3-day strike to protest safety failures following several recent train crashes. Unknown saboteurs meddled with Italy's train system as the Winter Olympics began in Milan. Algeria accused the UAE of election interference. North korea warned the South against drones trespassing over their airspace. An official in Niger's ruling junta claimed that "we are going to enter into war with France" days before hundreds of local bandits stormed through a village and killed 30+ residents. South Africa is planning military deployments to back up police forces in their struggle against gang violence.
Indonesia is planning to send a large brigade of peacekeepers (5,000-8,000) to monitor the ceasefire in Gaza. Last Sunday, Israel's government finalized a draft to change the status of the West Bank, which would allow Israel to impose its laws on much of the territory—and pave the way to greater Israel-directed building projects. Israelis would also be allowed to directly purchase land in 40% of the West Bank, and therefore establish new settler outposts more easily. Reports of strikes in Gaza on Wednesday claim 24 were slain.
Ukraine's retaliatory strikes on Russian oil refineries are estimated to have cost Russia's economy almost $13B USD in 2025 alone. Russian strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure have meanwhile been reported to result in at least ten deaths by hypothermia. Thursday night strikes from Russia took out the electricity for 100,000+ people, injured a few, but did not result in any deaths across the four cities targeted.
The U.S. apprehended a shadow oil tanker in the Indian Ocean that had departed from Venezuela last month. Turkish military officials confirmed that they will not exit Syrian land they are occupying, despite agreements to do so. A Chinese fighter jet shot flares at a Taiwanese aircraft during an exercise near their air border. Japanese fishing officials seized a Chinese vessel illegally fishing in its waters—the first Japanese capture of a Chinese fishing ship since 2022.
The 2025 Corruption Perception Index report was released on Tuesday, and the full 28-page document and the U.S. and UK hit all-time lows. The report rates 182 countries on a 1-100 scale (with 1 being the most corrupt) for perceived corruption. Denmark ranked first, followed by Finland, Singapore, and New Zealand & Norway. Tied for last were Somalia and South Sudan, slightly behind Venezuela. The global average was 42/100. Researchers are particularly concerned because democracies are experiencing corruption increases—or at least the perception of corruption.
"Two patterns stand out among countries whose CPI scores have fallen. The first is a set of sustained declines since 2012, where deterioration has been substantial and prolonged….{some} countries show long-term, structural erosion of integrity systems driven by democratic backsliding, institutional weakening and/ or entrenched patronage networks. This has been accelerated by conflict in some cases. Their declines are steep, persistent and hard to reverse because corruption becomes systemic and deeply ingrained in both political and administrative systems….Several have also experienced strains to their democracies, including political polarisation and the growing influence of private money on decision making….The United States political climate has been deteriorating for more than a decade, and this year the country dropped to its lowest-ever CPI score. While the data has yet to fully reflect developments in 2025, the use of public office to target and restrict independent voices such as NGOs and journalists, the normalisation of conflicted and transactional politics, the politicisation of prosecutorial decision making, and actions that undermine judicial independence, among many others, all send a dangerous signal that corrupt practices are acceptable….the UAE's role as a weakly regulated financial hub facilitates abuse of power abroad - grand corruption perpetrators and their accomplices use it to invest their stolen wealth overseas and flee from justice…" -excerpts
At the Munich Security Conference, Germany's PM announced in a speech that "the international order based on rights and rules is currently being destroyed. I fear we must put it even more bluntly: it no longer exists. Together, we have entered an era once again openly defined by power and great power politics." A graphical article indicates how much of the world is being pulled into China's orbit (or, rather, pushed away from the U.S.) due to President Trump's economic & diplomatic policies. A growing number of leaders, and citizens, think WWIII is coming. Some observers argue that, like Collapse, it's already here, just not evenly distributed.
The United States is allegedly preparing to send a second aircraft carrier to the Persian Gulf in preparation for operations against Iran—or as leverage in increasingly aggressive negotiations. Sources claim a weeks-long operation is being gamed out—but the rules are constantly in flux.
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Select comments/threads from the subreddit last week suggest:
-Collapse is becoming, or has become, a dominant theme across a variety of other subreddits. This weekly observation cites a few climate & teaching related subreddits on which you can find alarming tales about brainrot, AI, crazy weather, flooding, and feedback loops.
-There are some black swan disasters you aren't preparing for—and some very common & realistic scenarios, too. This popular thread from r/preppers brainstorms some dangerous scenarios that you might want to put on your radar.
-You might want to start prepping for worldwide water shortages, according to this thread from r/TwoXPreppers , a women-oriented subreddit dedicated to prepping.
Got any feedback, questions, comments, upvotes, Iran predictions, ship-trackers, Candida auris poems, singularity rants, etc.? Last Week in Collapse is also posted on Substack; if you don't want to check r/collapse every Sunday, you can receive this newsletter sent to an email inbox every weekend. As always, thank you for your support. What did I miss this week?
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Sweden's EVs At 63.2% Share In 2025 — Volvo EX40 Best-Seller [ 15-Feb-26 10:08am ]December saw plugin EVs take 68.6% share in Sweden, up from 62.8% year-on-year. BEV share grew marginally YoY, while PHEV share increased. Full year 2025 saw EVs at 63.2% share, up from 58.4% YoY, with two thirds of the gain coming from PHEVs. Overall December auto volume was 23,877 units, ... [continued]
The post Sweden's EVs At 63.2% Share In 2025 — Volvo EX40 Best-Seller appeared first on CleanTechnica.
France 2025 EVs at 26.7% Share — Renault 5 Best Seller [ 15-Feb-26 8:37am ]December's auto market saw plugin EVs at 34.4% share in France, up from 23.5% year on year. Full year 2025 saw EVs at 26.7% share, up slightly from 25.4% YoY, and let down by shrinking PHEV share. Overall December auto volume was 172,927 units, down some 6% YoY. Full year ... [continued]
The post France 2025 EVs at 26.7% Share — Renault 5 Best Seller appeared first on CleanTechnica.
'It makes no sense': the battle over plans for a windfarm by the Yorkshire Dales [ 15-Feb-26 7:00am ]The fight for Hope Moor is set to be repeated across the UK as the government aims to hit its renewable energy targets
Instead of a slingshot, the Davids are brandishing a sculpture and a coffee table book. Their Goliaths are a Norwegian energy company and a UK energy secretary with renewable targets to meet.
A fierce battle has begun over one of England's tallest windfarms, proposed for deep peat moorland overlooking the Yorkshire Dales national park, in what residents say will mark the irrevocable industrialisation of their rural landscape.
Continue reading... 'What do we want gardens to sound like?' It began with a frog pond - then suburban rewilding became an obsession [ 14-Feb-26 7:00pm ]Wild gardening is about shedding obsessions with tidiness, embracing a looser aesthetic and providing a home for 'the most important creatures on the planet'
On a wintry January day in Manchester, I crossed University Green, navigating a paved path behind our hotel through lush patches of lawn. It was the start of the inaugural "Wilding Gardens" conference. For two days, scientists and practitioners were gathering to discuss new ways to think about gardens and nature, about what nature needs to thrive, and the untapped potential of gardens - if we step back and allow ecological processes to unfold - to help counter climate change and biodiversity loss.
Clumps of snowdrop flowers poked through the unmown grass and a grey squirrel streaked across it, from one bare-branched tree to another. Probably common alders, going by the University of Manchester Tree Trail. The world's first industrial city seemed an apt venue for a talkfest on the urgency of rewilding suburban gardens to help save the planet from precisely what drew Marx and Engels there to study, 180 years ago: the impacts of industrialisation.
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Continue reading... From cigarette-smoking orangutans to lavender for lions: Melbourne zoo's dark history gives way to progressive animal care [ 14-Feb-26 7:00pm ]Tackling the tension between promoting conservation, keeping animals in captivity and its heavy history, the zoo has been reshaped around environmental awareness
On the other side of wire mesh, two large lions pace, shaking their shaggy manes and occasionally letting out a low rumbling, not quite a roar. They think - or perhaps hope - it is feeding day but their keepers have other plans.
"We sort of mimic what happens in the wild," Meryl says. "They got fed on Monday." It's Wednesday, so Meryl is walking around the temporarily empty enclosure with a bucket and a shovel, looking for the outcome of that feed: lion poo.
Continue reading...
Geely & BYD Are Top Bidders For Nissan/Mercedes Aguascalientes Plant, Potentially Expanding Mexican EV Production [ 15-Feb-26 1:02am ]Recent reports out of Mexico indicate that Nissan and Mercedes are selling their joint venture factory in Aguascalientes, Mexico, and the top bidders have been narrowed down to BYD and Geely. Overall, this represents a dramatic shift for legacy automakers in Mexico. While Chinese vehicles have rapidly risen to take ... [continued]
The post Geely & BYD Are Top Bidders For Nissan/Mercedes Aguascalientes Plant, Potentially Expanding Mexican EV Production appeared first on CleanTechnica.
America's New Maritime Plan Is Competing for the Wrong Century [ 15-Feb-26 12:24am ]The new U.S. Maritime Action Plan, available from the White House Maritime Insights page, is serious policy work. It acknowledges that American commercial shipbuilding has withered to less than 1% of global output and that only a handful of domestic yards can build large oceangoing vessels. It recognizes workforce shortages, ... [continued]
The post America's New Maritime Plan Is Competing for the Wrong Century appeared first on CleanTechnica.
Is this another warning sign for the US economy? [ 15-Feb-26 12:39am ]
The Weekend Wonk: Hilarious Slap Down of DOE Climate "Red Team" [ 14-Feb-26 9:40pm ] Natural Gaslighting: "Baseload" Plants Vulnerable to Cold [ 14-Feb-26 9:13pm ]
Whether The Endangerment Finding Stays Or Goes Will Be Up To The Supreme Court [ 14-Feb-26 9:44pm ]Repealing the endangerment finding may tick of a lot of boxes for right wing extremists, but the result could be not what they expect.
The post Whether The Endangerment Finding Stays Or Goes Will Be Up To The Supreme Court appeared first on CleanTechnica.
Canada, California, & Europe: Three Ways to Force EV Adoption [ 14-Feb-26 8:37pm ]Canada has just shifted its electric vehicle policy architecture. Instead of relying on an explicit EV sales mandate, the federal government has moved toward tightening fleet average emissions standards combined with credit trading and trade policy adjustments. On the surface, this looks like a procedural change. In practice, it changes ... [continued]
The post Canada, California, & Europe: Three Ways to Force EV Adoption appeared first on CleanTechnica.
New Energy Storage Solutions Are Killing Trump's Coal Power Fantasy [ 14-Feb-26 8:17pm ]The greedy, grasping, living cartoon of a Scrooge who currently occupies the White House is leveraging coal power to support his plans for killing as many Americans as possible. Hopefully he will leave office again — peacefully, this time — before doing much further damage. In the meantime, energy storage ... [continued]
The post New Energy Storage Solutions Are Killing Trump's Coal Power Fantasy appeared first on CleanTechnica.
Links of the Month: February 2026 [ 14-Feb-26 4:22pm ]
words on a T-shirt I saw recently; pretty much sums up what the pols and their media are trying to do to our minds, I think
Things can change. So Cory Doctorow reassures us:
[In] Thomas Piketty's 2013 Capital in the 21st Century, [he introduced] the notion that any societal condition that endures beyond a generation becomes "eternal" in the popular consciousness… [This] is a vital observation about the human condition: as a species, we forget so much. Something that was commonplace a generation ago becomes unimaginable today, and vice versa… Things that seem eternal and innate to the human condition to you are apt to have been invented [not long] before you started to notice the world around you, and might seem utterly alien to your children. As Douglas Adams put it:
Anything that is in the world when you're born is normal and ordinary and is just a natural part of the way the world works. Anything that's invented between when you're fifteen and thirty-five is new and exciting and revolutionary and you can probably get a career in it. Anything invented after you're thirty-five is against the natural order of things.
What Cory seems to be saying is that even if the government of the day seems hopelessly awful and the situation seems utterly chaotic and collapsing, things can change in ways we can't and daren't imagine.
Of course, this is true. Everything may be determined, but nothing is predictable. Black swans come in a range of forms, from apocalyptic to rapturous. Circumstances change, in ways we can't imagine or control, and they can change everything.
What I'm hearing a lot these days, from friends and contacts all over the world and across the political spectrum, is the weary assertion that anything would be an improvement over what we're dealing with now. My sense is that that belief is often rooted in an ignorance of history, and/or in Cory's observation that we forget so much.
Forgetting can be the essential ingredient in healing. And it can also be the essential ingredient in inaction, in complacency, in unwarranted hopefulness, and, too often, in enabling recurring cycles of error, and of tyranny.
COLLAPSE WATCH
El Niño is waking up and is forecast to return with a vengeance this summer, reaching full intensity in winter 2026-27; from NOAA via Severe Weather Europe
Rate of global warming increase is doubling: The latest analysis by James Hansen suggests that the global warming rate is accelerating and we will hit 2ºC of warming by the late 2030s (ie in a decade or so), and 6ºC of warming before the end of the century. If economic and political collapse haven't completely undone our civilization by then, that will be more than enough to finish it off.
First, the economy: Tim Morgan explains again why it will be economic collapse that will precipitate the collapse of the rest of our civilization's systems.
The return of El Niño: As the chart above illustrates El Niño is expected to return this summer and will probably make next winter, and both 2026 and 2027, the hottest on record.
Entering an era of "water bankruptcy": Just one more sign there is now not enough (of any essentials for life) to go around, and the situation is rapidly worsening.
Detoxing from "hope porn": The flowery "we can do this and we have to, for our childrens" absurd, unrealistic reassurances from people like Rebecca Solnit, Ezra Klein, a host of neoliberals, and even Greta Thunberg hold out false hope and pacify us into magical thinking, when the only effective activism now is climate realism. Thanks to Paul Heft for the links, and the one that follows.
How "recycling" plastic makes it worse: An entropy scientist explains the myth of the circular economy, and that much of our society's environmental damage is essentially permanent.
Why the economy hasn't crashed — yet: Hank Green provides his theory, and explains how this has made the economy horrifically unstable and vulnerable, created an unprecedented Ponzi bubble, led to unprecedented political and economic corruption, and radically redistributed wealth to the ultra-rich from everyone else, and then discusses it with economist Kyla Scanlon (whose blog I just added to my RSS feed).
LIVING BETTER
I have used this for years in just about all my creative writing — even in poetry and especially in dialogue; from the memebrary
Ways of Seeing: John Berger's extraordinary 7-essay series produced for the BBC in 1972 on how we "see" western art and images, and how the misogynistic and capitalistic message of western art and now of graphic advertising has (not really) shifted since the Renaissance, is now on YouTube and the derivative book is online.
Secure your own mask first: Advice from Tod Maffin on dealing with the endless doom news cycle when you're also dealing with substance addiction and/or emotional challenges.
Breaking free from the Big Tech Oligarchy: A step by step guide to switching to alternatives to Facebook, Google, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, XTwitter, and the rest of the abusive gang. Thanks to Emily van Lidth de Jeude for the link.
A different kind of red hat: Opponents to ICE have taken to wearing red toques with a long history of anti-fascist resistance behind them.
How resistance to the ICE paramilitary looks on the ground: A reporter describes the endless hard work involved in alerting people to, and resisting, Trump's domestic storm troopers. Thanks to Kavana Tree Bressen for the link.
POLITICS AND ECONOMICS AS USUAL
screencap from a video of a delivery robot steering around a homeless man; pretty much says it all; Google has now censored this video from YouTube but I found it here thanks to Caitlin's post
"America is unraveling": Under the mad king and an impotent opposition and crumbling judiciary, "there is no point fearing an American dystopia to come: It has already arrived and we live in it." And "the American imperium [is] sliding into ever-accelerating decline—at home and abroad—and taking the Constitution and ordinary citizens down with it". As 'leaders' mumble, a ragtag resistance emerges when there is no other choice: "Organized gangs of wine moms" take to the streets: "the messages flash by in the ever-expanding network of groups. Someone needs food, someone needs shelter, someone needs diapers, formula, someone needs a lawyer. And the ask is answered. For a moment, the need is met".
...and threatening the rest of the world as it goes down: Trump declares economic war on the rest of the world (except Israel, its only remaining ally). The deranged, childlike missive of the king to all international heads of state. Danish MP Rasmus Jarlov says that if the US military invades Greenland, "it would be a war, and we would be fighting against each other." Canada's PM says Trump's actions represent "the death of the rules-based order". In China, Canadian ex-pat Daniel Dumbrill and US ex-pat Ben Norton explain what this means for the acceleration of multipolarity to fill the crumbling Empire's void. At Davos, an incoherent rambling Trump and back-room talk and front-stage warnings from the rest of the world.
… and a different take from the astonished Global South: Indrajit says the "civil war" that Trump has unleashed within White Empire is great news for the Global South, and that Canada, Europe, and Australia have shown their true 'Empire is fine as long as we're benefiting from it' stripes.
Imperialism, Militarism & Fascism: Short takes:
- Three Shots — a song for Renée Good (thanks to Brent Bolton for the link)
- Plurality of Americans want ICE completely abolished
- The abortive US "Board of Peace" — an "abomination" to replace the UN
- Bannon calls on ICE to "swarm" and intimidate voters at polls during midterm elections
- Bessent's "economic statecraft" is just illegal economic warfare
- A new, thorough explanation of how the US dollar 'system' is used to sow global political and economic disorder (via Cory Doctorow)
- Oops, Sy: The usually-unimpeachable Sy Hersh gets it all wrong on Russia
- Is Türkiye playing both sides in the cold war between US-Israel and Iran?
- In case you'd forgotten, the genocide of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank continues unabated
- The US' deliberately unnavigable, monstrously complex immigration process
- The atrocity of Canada's publicly-funded "Catholic" hospitals denying constitutionally-guaranteed and humane MAID continues
- Canada's white supremacy movement, encouraged by the country's two main right-wing extremist parties, the Conservative and People's parties, and largely dismissed by the media as a tiny fringe, has cynically tapped into and whipped up public fear and frustration, to the point this highly centralized, militarized, racist movement now poses a serious threat to Canadians, especially those of South Asian and First Nations ancestry. Just ask the reporters facing death threats and other dangers for trying to investigate them.
Propaganda, Censorship, Misinformation and Disinformation: Short takes:
- How Iranians and ex-pats are being led by the nose by US/CIA/Mossad propaganda
- The US openly admits they, with the CIA and Israel, are funding, planning, organizing, propagandizing, and fomenting the violence in the streets of Iran
- Yanis walks a fine line on the chaos in Iran
- While "the [US-Israeli] tag-team failed to overthrow the regime in Iran, it surely has not given up on that goal, and there is good reason to think that Israel and the US did not 'win' the 12-Day war".
Corpocracy & Unregulated Capitalism: Short takes:
- Fascinating take on how Ireland exploited international tax loopholes for temporary prosperity, for better and for worse, and how it could be a model for global "de-enshittification"
- How grocery oligopolies use lease agreements to prevent local groceries from opening
- Canadian companies in billionaire Jim Pattison's empire, and Canadian companies Hootsuite and Roshel, are getting pushback (but nothing more) for selling properties and weapons to ICE
- Billionaires are pulling out all the stops to defeat a proposed California wealth tax
- How stock buybacks enrich billionaires and impoverish everyone else
- Musk's Starlink satellites have to make 400 "course corrections" a day to avoid collisions that could cascade and fill the atmosphere with debris that would make future space travel impossible
- The horrific state of predatory pricing in the sports and entertainment industries
- The fight against Trump's lunacy has to include punishments for the corporate oligarchs egging him on (the article also has interesting advice on how Europe in particular could fight back by tanking the US stock market, divesting from US bonds, exploiting the Trump regime's weak information security, and preparing to defend against and retaliate for US military attacks)
Administrative Mismanagement & Incompetence: Short takes (I could have included every link about Trump in this section):
- A brilliant spoof of the staggering incompetence of Ursula von der Leyen
- A lovely rant from Aurélien on how to 'manage' incompetent and mentally deficient 'leaders': "Mr Trump's antics are not the fundamental problem: he is a natural consequence of a state machine that no longer functions."
- When will Trump attack Iran?: "the enemy cannot know your plan, if you do not know your plan."
- Gavin Newsom's biggest problem is Gavin Newsom
- Could Trump be removed under the US 25th amendment before his mental illness causes disaster?
Department of Health Prevention: Short takes:
- Emails obtained under FOI releases reveal that RFK Jr lied under oath and to Congress about his trip to Samoa, where he was promoting his anti-vax conspiracy theories just before thousands fell ill from a huge measles outbreak there in which 83, mostly children, died. Congress shows no signs it is prepared to remove the lunatic from office before he does further damage. Democratic party leaders are opposed to the latest impeachment motion.
- 50 media articles criticizing RFK Jr's disruptive anti-science interference in public health management in his first year as health secretary
FUN AND INSPIRATION
that's the US Democrats for you — ignore the devastation and just foment righteous indignation until they get their turn back at the trough; Lee Camp is a comedian and an astute political commentator
What we mean by "science": It isn't theory or hypothesis. It's something much more important. (Hank Green)
Why AI music (like Suno) is bad for musicians: Adam Neely gets it right, when it comes to the damage these tools, and the greedy corporate assholes behind them, will do to music professionals and the "industry". But what he doesn't acknowledge is that AI music is a wonderful tool for amateur musicians, a very useful learning tool, and enormous fun. Should we still ban it?
The making of the Beatles' A Day In The Life (and Jimmy Webb's Wichita Lineman): David Hartley provides a fascinating, step-by-step walkthrough of the process of collaborative musical genius that resulted in the Beatles' masterpiece. And as an encore, here's David's explanation of the strange process that produced another masterful song, Jimmy Webb's Wichita Lineman. Bonus: If you want to understand how well-crafted music can make you cry, check out David Bennett's chord-by-chord analysis of the unusual and evocative structure of Jimmy Webb's remarkable song. These are two examples of brilliantly, imaginatively composed, masterfully crafted, popular musical works, the types of works that no AI will ever be able to produce. And, sadly, the types of works that the oligarchic pop music "industry" almost never produces anymore.
THOUGHTS OF THE MONTH
cartoon by the incomparable Kansas-based cartoonist Grant Snider
From Arundhati Roy: War Talk
Our strategy should be not only to confront empire, but to lay siege to it. To deprive it of oxygen. To shame it. To mock it. With our art, our music, our literature, our stubbornness, our joy, our brilliance, our sheer relentlessness - and our ability to tell our own stories. Stories that are different from the ones we're being brainwashed to believe.
From Robinson Jeffers: Shine, Perishing Republic:
While this America settles in the mould of its vulgarity, heavily thickening to empire,
And protest, only a bubble in the molten mass, pops and sighs out, and the mass hardens,
I sadly smiling remember that the flower fades to make fruit, the fruit rots to make earth.
Out of the mother; and through the spring exultances, ripeness and decadence; and home to the mother.
You making haste haste on decay: not blameworthy; life is good, be it stubbornly long or suddenly
A mortal splendor: meteors are not needed less than mountains: shine, perishing republic.
But for my children, I would have them keep their distance from the thickening center; corruption
Never has been compulsory, when the cities lie at the monster's feet there are left the mountains.
And boys, be in nothing so moderate as in love of man, a clever servant, insufferable master.
There is the trap that catches noblest spirits, that caught - they say - God, when he walked on earth.
From Li-Young Lee: To Hold:
So we're dust. In the meantime, my wife and I
make the bed. Holding opposite edges of the sheet,
we raise it, billowing, then pull it tight,
measuring by eye as it falls into alignment
between us. We tug, fold, tuck. And if I'm lucky,
she'll remember a recent dream and tell me.
One day we'll lie down and not get up.
One day, all we guard will be surrendered.
Until then, we'll go on learning to recognize
what we love, and what it takes
to tend what isn't for our having.
So often, fear has led me
to abandon what I know I must relinquish
in time. But for the moment,
I'll listen to her dream,
and she to mine, our mutual hearing calling
more and more detail into the light
of a joint and fragile keeping.
'What's more important, the electricity or food?': Extreme heat is driving up power bills in central Australia [ 14-Feb-26 7:00pm ]Vanessa Napaltjari Davis puts $70 per week on her prepaid electricity card - but as Alice Springs swelters through ever-hotter summers, that credit lasts less than three days
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Since the start of summer, Vanessa Napaltjari Davis and her grandchildren have sweltered in their two-bedroom home. Temperatures in the southern half of the Northern Territory have been well above average, and the electricity running their single air-conditioner has been regularly disconnected.
"We almost had 40 days over 40," she says. "I was struggling to keep on top of the power bill and keep my little grannies [grandchildren] cool."
Continue reading...
18 Months Until this Sub Gets Crowded [ 14-Feb-26 5:55pm ]
AI = Artificial Intelligence or Always Incorrect? [ 14-Feb-26 4:04pm ]6 years and 3 months ago my wife and I took delivery of our new long range, dual motor Tesla Model 3, on October 21, 2019, at the Salt Lake City Delivery and Service Center. At the time, I paid $6,000 for what was called Full Self Driving (FSD). I ... [continued]
The post AI = Artificial Intelligence or Always Incorrect? appeared first on CleanTechnica.
"When it gets to Election Day, we've been proactive to make sure we have the right people voting, electing the right leaders to lead this country." [ 14-Feb-26 5:10pm ] Collapse meetup in London - Sunday, March 29th [ 14-Feb-26 3:35am ]
Democratic senators launch inquiry into EPA's repeal of key air pollution enforcement measure [ 14-Feb-26 4:32pm ]Senators said repeal was 'particularly troubling' and was counter to EPA's mandate to protect human health
More than three dozen Democratic senators have begun an independent inquiry into the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) following a huge change in how the agency measures the health benefits of reducing air pollution that is widely seen as a major setback to US efforts to combat the climate crisis.
In a regulatory impact analysis, the EPA said it would stop assigning a monetary value to the health benefits associated with regulations on fine particulate matter and ozone. The agency argued that the estimates contain too much uncertainty.
Continue reading...
Meta DataCenter Louisiana Build is Boggling [ 14-Feb-26 3:21pm ]
14th February Today's Round-Up of Climate News [ 14-Feb-26 10:26am ]Huge thanks to my February sponsor, John Rember, author of the three-book series Journal of the Plague Years, a psychic survival guide for humanity's looming date with destiny, shaped by his experiences living through the pandemic in his native Idaho. Thoughtful, wry and humane, Journal 1 is a pleasure.
"National security plans must adapt to avoid 'new world disorder', says UN climate chief…
"The warnings came as a draft of a key agenda for the Cop31 climate conference omitted to mention fossil fuels, and skewed instead to the interests of the Turkish hosts, such as waste management and tourism."
"Sustainable Burnout: Global Conflicts Eclipsing Climate Change Concerns.
"A Kantar study reveals emerging eco-fatigue and challenges retailers to move from pledges to action. Wars, insecurity, and economic concerns overshadow climate in consumer priorities, yet their demands on brands remain unwavering."
"As of Feb. 10, 2026, the planet is tied for 2nd hottest on record, at 1.64°C above the 1850-1900 IPCC pre-industrial baseline.
"The Climate 8-ball says, "El Nino? We don't need no stinkin' El Nino!"" [Prof Eliot Jacobson]
https://x.com/EliotJacobson/status/2021967876698292435
"Back in 2021, we warned of a potential Aerosol Termination Shock from rapidly reduced pollution over the oceans.
"Based on NASA satellite data, it's even worse than we feared. It takes heat and therefore time to warm the oceans and for the regional and global climate to change."
[Leon Simons]
https://x.com/LeonSimons8/status/2021946424590586163
"…NASA observations reveal a steady shrinkage of cloud cover, which is deeply worrying.
"Loss of the tropical stratocumulus cloud decks is predicted to result in a cataclysmic 8C hike." [Prof Bill McGuire]
https://x.com/ProfBillMcGuire/status/2022316824143000027
"Arctic peatlands are expanding as temperatures continue to rise, new research confirms…
"Given that the study covered a broad range of Arctic conditions—with 91 samples from 12 sites in the European and Canadian Arctic—the researchers say peatland expansion is likely to be happening across the Arctic."
https://phys.org/news/2026-02-arctic-peatlands-temperatures.html
"'I kayaked Greenland's 'pristine' waters. What I found was terrifying'…
"Jensen kayaked to one of the most "isolated corners of the Arctic", located hundreds of kilometres from any kind of road. He expected to find fibres and general plastic debris - which he did - but Jensen also stumbled across traces of car tire particles in his samples."
"'Seasons have become confused': the people struggling in UK's relentless rain…
"The prolonged wet weather is disrupting livelihoods as well as daily life, particularly in rural areas, where flooded roads, waterlogged ground and repeated storms are making it harder to keep businesses afloat, protect crops and maintain steady work."
"'The only thing I own is gone': Clongriffin residents see vehicles submerged by torrential rain [Ireland]…
""We didn't know where to turn. We're left here. We pay very high rent to live here. I have an ESG [exceptional social grounds] application in with Dublin City Council. I can't afford my rent … it goes up every single year. I've tried absolutely everything."
"Storm Nils caused deaths, major flooding and mass power cuts in France.
"France is grappling with the aftermath of Storm Nils, as several regions remain under threat of flooding. Portugal and Spain have also been affected by a series of storms that have swept across the Iberian peninsula in recent weeks."
"Portugal urged to adapt to climate emergency after series of deadly storms.
"Portugal is under pressure to draw up plans to adapt to the climate emergency as the country continues to be lashed by an unprecedented series of storms that have killed at least 16 people and left tens of thousands without electricity."
"BREAKING: Montejaque 'ghost dam' begins spilling water after reaching capacity for first time in a century [Spain]…
"Residents across the Serrania de Ronda have been on tenterhooks over the past week as torrential storms pushed the century-old dam to breaking point, fuelling fears that millions of litres of rain could gush into the valley below."
"Alicante Records Hottest Winter Day Since Records Began as Temperatures Hit 27C [80.6F].
"What's particularly striking is that four of the five warmest winter days ever recorded in the Valencian Community have all occurred between 2021 and 2026."
"UNBELIEVABLE WARMTH IN SPAIN - 3RD CONSECUTIVE TROPICAL NIGHT; never happened in winter in European history.
"RECORDS HIGH MINIMUMS FOR FEB: 19.5 [67.1F] Castellon; 18.9 Valencia AP; 18.5 Alicante; 14.8 Gijon; 13.0 Zaragoza AP; 12.4 Albacete 12.8 Airbase; 12.6 Granada Airbase; 12.4 Ciudad Real."
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/2021897443374510341
"Eternal City eternally damp as Rome suffers record rainfall…
"Persistent bad weather has dogged the whole of Italy since the start of the year, with storms causing huge damage and disruption. Rome itself has seen near-daily downpours in February after a record amount of rain last month."
"Sardinia is hit by severe weather: the alert remains in effect, and the Civil Protection Department is meeting with mayors and other agencies to address the emergency….
"The wave of severe weather continuing to batter Sardinia continues unabated . The island, still reeling from the damage caused by Cyclone Harry and its "tailwind" faces new challenges…"
"Morocco to spend more than $300 million on flood recovery.
"Morocco plans to spend some $330 million on regions hit hardest by weeks of flooding across the country's north that have battered its key agricultural zones, the government said Thursday."
https://www.africanews.com/amp/2026/02/13/morocco-to-spend-more-than-300-million-on-flood-recovery/
"EXTRAORDINARY - CLIMATIC HISTORY REWRITTEN. Hundreds of records smashed all over North Africa. Summer temperatures up to 37C [98.6F] and tropical nights.
"MOROCCO 29.8 Ouarzarzate 1100m asl; Records of high minimums smashed in pieces everywhere in Morocco. Algeria and Tunisia with Mins 16/20C."
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/2022016594059440593
"Are African 'water wars' on the horizon as African Union puts the issue on its agenda?
"…"Water is life," said Sanusha Naidu, a foreign policy analyst at the South African think tank, the Institute for Global Dialogue. "But it's not just that water is life - water is becoming a commodity of corporatisation and access. It is a humanitarian conflict. It is a climate change conflict.""
"Water shortage alert: multiple Durban suburbs face interruptions as heatwave strains supply system.
"Residents in multiple suburbs including Morningside, Glenwood, and Umlazi face several days of water interruptions as the ongoing heatwave drives exceptionally high demand. The eThekwini Municipality has deployed water tankers to affected areas…"
"Thousands of fish wash up dead at Umhlali River Mouth [South Africa]…
"Barracuda, mullet, flathead and juvenile kingfish, as well as crabs and shrimp, are among the scores of aquatic creatures annihilated overnight, coinciding with a thunderstorm. It is unclear how far upstream the issue started."
"Madagascar cyclone death toll hits 40, 16,000 displaced; Mozambique braces…
"Gezani made landfall on Tuesday at the Indian Ocean island nation's eastern coastal city, Toamasina, bringing winds that reached 250km/h (155mph). Madagascar's new leader, Colonel Michael Randrianirina, has declared a national disaster and called for "international solidarity…"
"EXCEPTIONAL HEAT IN THE INDIAN OCEAN - February Highest Minimum in history in the FRENCH SOUTHERN TERRITORIES Min. 29.5C Juan de Nova Island; 28.9C Europa Island.
Also 25.3 Mbazwana, South Africa. The area has been with continuous record heat for 12 years…"
[Extreme Temps]
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/2022260625288904804
"Sandstorm worsens conditions for displaced Palestinians in Gaza…
"The storm, carrying dust and strong winds from North Africa, has battered makeshift camps where thousands remain sheltering in tents following two years of Israeli military operations that left widespread destruction across the enclave."
https://anewz.tv/region/middle-east/18073/sandstorm-adds-to-hardships-in-war-ravaged-gaza/news
"Killer heatwaves are increasingly likely in the Gulf - but AI can save lives…
"Heatwaves are set to become more common and more intense, a study from Khalifa University in Abu Dhabi found. It investigated the devastating June 2024 heatwave in Makkah, when temperatures soared to 51.8°C and more than 1,300 Hajj pilgrims died."
"Today MINIMUM 17.6C [63.7F] Sekhertabad 600m asl ties the TURKMENISTAN HOTTEST FEBRUARY NIGHT IN HISTORY.
"This is just the appetizer to what's coming. Thousands of records pulverized from the Black Sea to Hokkaido."
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/2021937075311005772
"Climate change is driving rising agricultural water use in Central Asia.
"A new study by IAMO researchers shows that rising temperatures and atmospheric water demand now outweigh land-use changes. As a result, the pressure on already scarce water resources is growing in one of the world's most water-stressed regions."
https://phys.org/news/2026-02-climate-agricultural-central-asia.html
"Iran's Water Crisis: A National Security Imperative…
"As environmental decline accelerates, water scarcity risks transforming from an episodic trigger of unrest into a sustained driver of domestic tension and center-periphery conflict, challenging both local livelihoods and national cohesion."
https://www.geopoliticalmonitor.com/irans-water-crisis-a-national-security-imperative/
"Water scarcity makes new dams impossible: minister [Pakistan].
"Sindh Minister for Irrigation Jam Khan Shoro has said that construction of new water reservoirs is not possible in the prevailing situation of water scarcity, adding that even under the 1991 Water Accord provinces are not receiving their full share of water while the sea is also deprived of its due flow."
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2592459/water-scarcity-makes-new-dams-impossible-minister
"Escalating Forest Fires in Jammu: A Call for Action [India].
"Jammu region has seen over 1,760 forest fire incidents affecting 4,100 hectares from FY 2023-24 to January 2026. The issue has intensified over the years, with preventive measures and response strategies urgently needed. Key divisions severely impacted include East and West Jammu, and Chenab."
"Today, 7 stations in China broke or tied their mid-February warmest records, and 2 stations broke their February Tmin records!
"Temperatures in China are expected to continue rising tomorrow, with dozens of stations breaking mid-February or even full-month records!" [Jim Yang]
https://x.com/yangyubin1998/status/2022321432655802760
"How China became fixated on cloud seeding…
"Snowie's results indicated the output of cloud seeding is ultimately underwhelming… And while cloud seeding has been shown elsewhere to work to some extent, even scientists who have seen the results firsthand are unsure if it works well enough to be worth the effort."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/future/article/20260203-why-china-is-pushing-controversial-cloud-seeding-tech
"Fierce heat wave in THAILAND with days with 37C/39C every day (remember it's the cold season).
"The hill village of Pakchong with 37.0C [98.6F] today broke its record of February hottest day. The heat will get worse."
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/2022288969707507880
"Government deploys aircraft to battle Sakaerat Fire in Nakhon Ratchasima, with 10 water-bombing missions [Thailand].
"The wildfire, which started around 8:40 PM on February 12, 2026, has spread across nearly 4,000 rai of land, primarily in the eucalyptus forest near the Sakaerat station. Despite efforts to contain it, the fire quickly spread…"
https://www.nationthailand.com/news/general/40062516
"Fresh floods devastate Central Tapanuli two months after deadly cyclone [Sumatra, Indonesia].
"The flooding damaged two emergency river levees in Tukka and Barus districts and washed away two temporary bridges in Sibabangun and Tapian Nauli, cutting off access to at least four villages."
"All eyes on rivers after 8 rescued in floodwaters, 200mm+ drenching [Queensland and NT, Australia].
"As of February 14, 2026, severe weather and heavy rainfall, exceeding 200mm [8 inches] in some areas, have triggered flash flooding, road closures, and multiple emergency rescues across parts of Queensland and the Northern Territory in Australia."
https://news.az/news/flash-floods-force-road-closures-in-australia-s-queensland
"Record-breaking temperatures this summer have left some growers without flowers for Valentine's Day [Victoria]…
"Natalie Thomson cannot bring herself to photograph what last month's heatwave did to her micro flower farm in Nyah West… But neither she nor her plants were prepared for the record-breaking temperatures experienced last month."
"Record heat again in PALAU - February hottest night in history tied at Koror with a Minimum temperature of 80F/26.7C.
"Reminder: Palau fully uses Fahr. degrees for every purpose, just like the USA, Marshall Islands and Micronesia."
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/2022283009840525569
"US pressures Vanuatu at UN over ICJ's landmark climate change ruling…
"A US State Department cable seen by Al Jazeera on Saturday says that the Trump administration "strongly objects" to the proposed resolution being circulated by the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu in support of last year's ruling by the ICJ…"
"Fiji Meteorological Service raises coral bleaching alert to highest level…
"The Fiji Met Service warns that extended heat stress may result in fish mortality, disruption of marine food chains, reduced reef growth and recovery, and declining reef fish populations. Coastal communities could also face reduced fish catch…"
"Jellyfish invade Mar del Plata beaches and link the phenomenon to sea warming [Argentina].
"According to recent measurements, the sea is several degrees above the historical average for this time of year. Records exceeded 22 °C [71.6F] compared to usual values of around 19 °C."
"PARAGUAY HEAT WAVE - 41.0C [105.8F] yesterday the final max. at Quyquyho - New record for February.
"Centro Meteorologico Nacional in Asuncion Min 29.2 Max 41.0 Hottest February day and night on record."
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/2022245100370419828
"Sao Paulo Battles Floods and Drought At the Same Time [Brazil]…
"Water in the region's largest reservoir network is hovering at 32%, the lowest since the region endured its worst water crisis in 2014 and 2015, and is due to dip lower as the dry season approaches. Meanwhile, the Brazilian city has been battered in recent weeks by intense storms…"
"Why Indigenous Groups Are Targeting Brazil's Booming Grain Trade…
"In global crop powerhouse Brazil, major farming groups supported new laws that made it easier to fast-track roads and riverways crossing the Amazon rainforest. Now, they are facing the backlash in a crucial shipping route for corn and soybean exports."
"Colombia declares emergency as deadly floods displace thousands.
"Water submerged homes after a dam and rivers overflowed in Cordoba, one of the worst-hit departments, where more than 150,000 residents have been affected… The emergency decree allows President Gustavo Petro to take special measures to address the crisis…"
https://www.trtworld.com/article/93351ff3b550/amp
"Mexican Caribbean Faces Record Sargassum Accumulation in 2026: Growing Environmental and Tourism Crisis…
"Sargassum not only affects the aesthetics of the beaches. Its accumulation and decomposition on the coast cause: Reduction of oxygen in the water, damaging coral reefs and seagrass beds. Release of hydrogen sulfide, a gas that causes respiratory discomfort and unpleasant odors…"
"Insane and unprecedented heat in Mexico:
"35C [95F] at 1600m asl (Cuernavaca), 30C at 2300m asl (Tulacingo). Absolutely unprecedented for this time of the year; temperatures typical of April."
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/2021783268623069435
"The vaquita porpoise population is hovering near extinction.
"…only found in the Gulf of California, Mexico, according to the Marine Mammal Center, they are characterized by their dark gray color and unique dorsal fin. Currently, fewer than 20 vaquita porpoises remain in this world."
https://www.thelamron.com/news/the-vaquita-porpoise-population-is-hovering-near-extinction
"Western US states fail to negotiate crucial Colorado River deal: 'Mother nature isn't going to bail us out'.
"Negotiators disbanded on Friday without a plan for the basin supplying water to 40m people, thrusting the region into uncertainty… In the region where water has long been the source of survival and conflict, the challenges that hindered consensus were as steep as the stakes are high."
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/13/colorado-river-crucial-deadline
"The hidden impact of polluted snow.
"As Canada experiences record snowfall, new research from the University of Waterloo suggests that tiny amounts of industrial pollution trapped in snow can change how sunlight reaches the ground below and significantly alter fragile environments."
https://phys.org/news/2026-02-hidden-impact-polluted.html
"Businesses must take responsibility for biodiversity loss - for their sake as much as ours…
"From healthy rivers to productive forests, the natural world underpins almost all economic activity. But human consumption of the Earth's resources is unsustainable, driving what many scientists believe is the largest loss of life since the dinosaurs."
"Polluting the environment for all eternity—and still sticking our heads in the sand…
"Goal 7 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework states that plastic pollution must be eliminated by 2030 to protect biodiversity. The question is simple: why are we not following up with measures that make a real difference?"
https://phys.org/news/2026-02-polluting-environment-eternity-sand.html
"Scientists warn climate models are missing a key ocean player…
"Tiny marine plankton that build calcium carbonate shells play an outsized role in regulating Earth's climate… New research shows these microscopic engineers are largely missing from the climate models used to forecast our planet's future, meaning scientists may be underestimating how the ocean responds to climate change."
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/02/260208011024.htm
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The post 14th February Today's Round-Up of Climate News appeared first on Climate and Economy.
Race to find source of carcinogenic Pfas in Cumbria and Lancashire waters [ 14-Feb-26 6:00am ]Exclusive: High levels of banned 'forever chemical' have been detected in rivers and groundwater at 25 sites
A string of toxic pollution hotspots has been uncovered across Cumbria and Lancashire, with high levels of the banned cancer-causing "forever chemical" Pfos detected in rivers and groundwater at 25 sites.
The contamination, spread across a large area, was uncovered by Watershed Investigations and the Guardian after a freedom of information request revealed high concentrations of Pfos in Environment Agency samples taken in January 2025.
Continue reading... Country diary: There's a monster looming over our garden | Gwyneth Lewis [ 14-Feb-26 5:30am ]Cardiff: It steals light, it discourages growth at its base, and it blocks what was once a panoramic view. How do I make peace with it?
It goes against the grain for me to hate a plant, but I've been resenting a certain Leyland cypress for a long time. Planted by a neighbour in the 1970s to give the house we overlook privacy, it now blocks part of our panoramic view over Cardiff. When we moved in 12 years ago, I was able to lie down in bed and see only sky. In that time the solitary tree has grown four metres and now looms over my sleep. Crows, robins, pigeons and green woodpeckers use it as a lookout over the city. Magpies have attempted (unsuccessfully) to build a nest in it. Polite requests to the owner have been ignored.
Hesperotropsis leylandii is an accidental hybrid of Cupressus macrocarpa and Callitropsis nootkatensis. First noticed in 1888 in Leighton Hall near Welshpool, it was exploited commercially as a cheap, fast-growing screen. Leylandii hedges are light-stealers, tolerant of pollution and notorious for discouraging growth around their base. They often generate disputes between neighbours (including one murder). One person was convicted of criminal damage for urinating on an offending plant. So far I have resisted this, and another suggestion that I knock copper nails into its trunk.
Continue reading...
'A different set of rules': thermal drone footage shows Musk's AI power plant flouting clean air regulations | Mississippi [ 14-Feb-26 8:01am ]Hot off the press for Friday the 13th, this article in The Guardian intersects directly with some comments from a thread here in the community from yesterday. Specifically in regards to xAI and how, as u/notislant sarcastically put it, "[g]ood thing laws only apply to the poor."
This is collapse related because we see how the gamble on AI in terms of its frantic infrastructure build-out is directly threatening the health of citizens, yet the agencies and institutions that are allegedly in place to protect them are playing a game of obfuscation, misdirection through deflection of responsibility, and plain old negligence.
Yet again we see how industry takes precedence over people even when there are supposed to be protective measures in place to prevent industry from harming the people that live in the wake of its operations. The collapse of civil society is accelerated when the obligation of government to work for its citizens is neglected and the capacity for the hyper-wealthy to shirk the rules is enabled and, it seems, encouraged.
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'Seasons have become confused': the people struggling in UK's relentless rain | UK weather [ 14-Feb-26 7:41am ] Climate change fuels the destruction of world's oldest trees [ 14-Feb-26 7:01am ]World Weather Attribution published this article on Wednesday. Climate change is posing an imminent threat to the world's oldest trees. Collapse related because we are destroying ancient biomes at an incredible rate.
Researchers from Argentina, Chile, Denmark, the Netherlands, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States undertook an attribution study on the fire weather conditions as well as the preceding dryness.
Their findings suggest unprecedented drought conditions and monocultures are fueling this environmental disaster.
The article provides a link to the full study (PDF) for anyone interested.
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eVTOL Certification Is Coming, But Commercial Runway Isn't [ 14-Feb-26 4:58am ]The question around electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aka Jetsons air taxi certification has shifted. It is no longer about whether regulators will create a pathway. Both the FAA and EASA have done that work. The FAA finalized powered lift operational rules in 2024 and published Advisory Circular 21.17-4 ... [continued]
The post eVTOL Certification Is Coming, But Commercial Runway Isn't appeared first on CleanTechnica.
You Can't Buy EVs Directly from Auto Manufacturers in Iowa … But Maybe Soon [ 14-Feb-26 4:57am ]This odd battle has been going on for so long that I had actually forgotten about it. There's a quirk in some US state laws that they require automobiles to be sold through 3rd party auto dealers. That is actually rooted in something, in some potential for consumer abuse identified ... [continued]
The post You Can't Buy EVs Directly from Auto Manufacturers in Iowa … But Maybe Soon appeared first on CleanTechnica.
Rain, rain, go away: the peculiar British stoicism of 'celebrating' awful weather [ 14-Feb-26 6:00am ]Bizarre idioms for downpours are just one facet of how the UK uses dark humour and ritual to brave the wet
May it fall as a blessing, not as a curse. So goes the ancient prayer inviting us to embrace days of rain.
It is a prayer that would not be welcomed by anyone on the floodplains the UK persists in filling with houses. It would be met with outright hostility by any farmers who are now unable to do any of the things they need to do in February because their land has had literally 40 days and nights of rain.
Continue reading... 'Seasons have become confused': the people struggling in UK's relentless rain [ 14-Feb-26 6:00am ]A thatcher, gardener and others on keeping their business afloat in the bad weather - and their fears for the future
With 76 flood warnings still in force across the UK and further downpours forecast this week and next, parts of the country have endured rain almost without pause since the start of the year.
The prolonged wet weather is disrupting livelihoods as well as daily life, particularly in rural areas, where flooded roads, waterlogged ground and repeated storms are making it harder to keep businesses afloat, protect crops and maintain steady work.
Continue reading...
Hyundai Claims To Be "Driving The Future Of Electrified Mobility" [ 14-Feb-26 4:56am ]Hyundai Motor Group claimed in an article today that it is "Driving the Future of Electrified Mobility with Advanced R&D." It sounded positive and exciting, and Hyundai is a company producing some of the better EVs out there. But it is also hard to call Hyundai a leader. Hyundai is ... [continued]
The post Hyundai Claims To Be "Driving The Future Of Electrified Mobility" appeared first on CleanTechnica.
6th Generation Waymo Driver Launches into Life [ 14-Feb-26 4:51am ]It's clear one company entered into 2026 with a big booster in its backpack and pep in its step. Waymo started the year ready to rock and roll, from rapid expansion into new markets, to a new funding round to speed that up further, to a new stage of autonomous ... [continued]
The post 6th Generation Waymo Driver Launches into Life appeared first on CleanTechnica.
Can the Rivian R2 Succeed & Propel Rivian to Prosperity? [ 14-Feb-26 4:05am ]In a period of struggling EV sales in the United States, when the market has been hurt by drastic changes to US policy and extreme tariffs, it's hard to find bright spots or vehicle models that stimulate optimism and excitement. The Rivian R2 has the potential to be one. But ... [continued]
The post Can the Rivian R2 Succeed & Propel Rivian to Prosperity? appeared first on CleanTechnica.
Most Maritime Shipping Battery Propulsion Studies Are Already Obsolete [ 14-Feb-26 2:18am ]Most maritime battery studies are already obsolete. That is not a criticism of the researchers who wrote them. It is a recognition that their assumptions were grounded in the battery costs and energy densities available at the time. Several of the most detailed recent merchant shipping studies modeled battery system ... [continued]
The post Most Maritime Shipping Battery Propulsion Studies Are Already Obsolete appeared first on CleanTechnica.
A grey Christmas [ 13-Feb-26 11:13pm ]As things get warmer, one thing I will miss is a snowy Christmas as much as I hate driving in snow and cold. This was taken in Indiana on Christmas, it was almost 50 degrees that day, and not a lick of snow cover.
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Destroying The World To Make Money. [ 13-Feb-26 10:34pm ]
Swiss "Ethical" AI is Resource and Privacy Friendly [ 13-Feb-26 8:54pm ]
The Manifest [ 13-Feb-26 8:40pm ]
They meet in boardrooms, islands, temples made of glass.
Their laughter oils the hinges that have never known a key.
The mentor's grin, the waiting jet, the children smuggled in last—
The manifest preserves the names that justice will not see.
No creed but appetite, no flag but chartered skies.
They harvest flesh like data, every victim numbered, never mourned.
The law kneels at wealth's altar and sanctifies the lies,
While Congress skims the manifest and asks who climbed aboard.
They dream of outliving empire in a bunker's private sun.
The world below turns feral as the safety nets collapse.
One falls—we call it justice, say our ritual is done.
But new wolves cut their teeth in shadow while their patrons softly clap.
The Walls They're Building Aren't for Our Safety [ 13-Feb-26 8:52pm ]Despite the pathetic lack of accountability, the Epstein files changed the calculus. What used to be dismissed as a niche conspiracy theory turned out to be a global system of trafficking involving people at the top. When a secret that large is proven true, the "mad" theories start to look plausible. What other huge lies are we being told? What else exists behind the curtain?
We see a pattern now. A group of powerful people shape the world to fit their needs. They tell the public to "move on" while they build doomsday bunkers in remote locations, private security forces, and tech replacements for human labor.
The amazing thing is they are building all this right in the open, and we're like, "nah, they cant really be planning for half of us to die, are they?"
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This started about a century ago. When the Great Depression hit in 1929 there were some hard hitting films. In 1930 the Motion Picture Production (Hays) Code was introduced. It was not really followed or enforced until 1934.
I thought old movies were a sign of some creepy puritan way of life, but it a code forced upon the creative folks. It's like history has been unveiled for me after watching a couple of these movies - I quite liked Five Star Final by Mervyn LeRoy. The ending was quite relevant to our current times.
The word czar is being used again. A sad little man wants to make Hollywood great again. There are puritan laws being put in place, or are simmering. I hope I live long enough to see some better parts of history rhyme.
Here are a couple of articles talking about Pre-Code films:
As a result, some films in the late 1920s and early 1930s depicted or implied sexual innuendo, romantic and sexual relationships between white and black people, mild profanity, illegal drug use, promiscuity, prostitution, infidelity, abortion, intense violence, and homosexuality. Nefarious characters were seen to profit from their deeds, in some cases without significant repercussions. For example, gangsters in films such as The Public Enemy, Little Caesar, and Scarface were seen by many as heroic rather than evil. Strong female characters were ubiquitous in such pre-Code films as Female, Baby Face and Red-Headed Woman, among many others, which featured independent, sexually liberated women.[1][2] Many of Hollywood's biggest stars, such as Clark Gable, Bette Davis, James Cagney, Barbara Stanwyck, Joan Blondell, and Edward G. Robinson, got their start in the era.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pre-Code_Hollywood
Once the Code took hold, criminals had to be punished. Sex had to be implied, not shown. Topics like abortion, drug use, and interracial romance were completely removed.
https://filmdaft.com/what-is-pre%E2%80%91code-hollywood-meaning-history-film-examples/
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Once more with feeling, a Metacrisis video [ 13-Feb-26 9:08pm ]Submission Statement: This video presents a novel way of understanding just how bloody complicated the Metacrisis is. Although it is titled with NZ, you can comfortably ignore that detail as most of the content relates to the global predicament. The graphic in this has been designed to try and capture as many of the issues we face, including about 60 topics ranging from "Finite Planet", "Psychological Drivers", "Deforestation", "Ice Melt", "Food Insecurity", "Civil Unrest", "Resource Depletion", "Health Problems", "Pollution", "Insect Decline" and so on. I think the video provides a pretty good introduction to the Metacrisis/Collapse/what-have-you, and then goes on to present a number of horrifying statistics, facts and figures highlighting the state of the planet, and showing how different factors and drivers inter-relate, all while using the graphic to illustrate this. Although it's from 2024, if you just imagine that things have only gotten worse since then, you'll be fine... oh wait you don't have to imagine that! If nothing else it does provide a good baseline for comparison so we can see how bad things are now, vs how bad they were back then. Here's a backup link to the video in the event of other technical issues: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEIm8gfExJ8
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All things bright and beautiful need to be sustainable as well, says Church of England's new flower policy [ 13-Feb-26 5:38pm ]
Millions of flowers are used to decorate England's churches every year. Sandifan/ShutterstockAnyone on the flower rota at England's parish churches will now be reconsidering the way they do their arrangements, after Church of England leaders voted to use more seasonal and local flowers.
A motion to use sustainable flowers brought before the General Synod of the Church of England by the Bishop of Dudley, Martin Gorrick, was passed on February 12. The term "sustainable flowers" means using those that have travelled less distance, use less packaging and have been grown using without chemicals, high energy inputs or an excessive amount of water.
The General Synod, which considered the motion, is made up of all bishops plus representatives from every diocese, and includes the newly appointed Archbishop of Canterbury, Dame Sarah Mullally - who personally thanked those who brought the motion. The bishop said: "It is deeply theological, to honour the God who made the earth."
Parish leaders will now need to be updated about what needs to change in planning the flowers for the front of the church.
For most churches this will mean using seasonal foliage and local flowers in weekly worship, rather than buying those grown thousands of miles away or by using intense heating to grow blooms out of season.
These sustainable flowers may come from churchyards, gardens, donation buckets or offerings from local garden clubs or allotment holders.
The motion encourages all places of worship to source what is local and seasonal to them, wherever possible. It aims to phase out the use of floral foam, which has traditionally been used for flower arranging. And it links the theology of stewardship of creation and the planet to how to treat nature, promoting seasonal and compostable flowers and foliage.
It is likely to mean trying different techniques such as going back to some traditional methods used before floral foam was invented in the 1950s.
I was there to hear the bishop say that the decision to phase out floral foam is about moving away from single-use plastics and manufactured alternatives, towards simpler methods of display, such as vases, sticks and other reusable and compostable materials.
What the church does matters, it uses millions of flowers every year in its displays. Its impact goes far beyond the church doors.
If the around 12,000 Church of England parishes only averaged two bunches a week, that would be over 1.2 million a year and millions of stems. Additionally there are huge numbers used at church events such as weddings and funerals, and brought into churchyards. The church's decision could also drive more Fairtrade sales where local flowers are not available.
With this potential source of business changing, florists might be encouraged to provide plastic-free options, and consumers might be more aware when choosing their flowers - such as for St Valentine's Day and beyond.
What else is needed?Currently, even those who want to buy sustainable flowers will struggle to know what to look for. Details of the place of origin is rarely included on plastic wrapping and any independent verification of flowers meeting particular standards, for example Fairtrade, are rarely available to consumers. Fairtrade flowers do give more information to consumers, including place of origin and farm standards.
The Church of England's decision shows a need for providing consumers with more information on the ecological standards that flowers have been grown to, impact on soil, biodiversity and on the local economy.
Shane Connolly, CC BY
These are issues that the Sustainable Flowers Research Project, an organisation set up by me and David Bek, a professor of sustainability at Coventry University, have been working on for years. We also work with flower suppliers and buyers to create more sustainable policies on farms and in shops.
A current government-funded project with the Flower Growing Collective, a network of regional flower selling hubs, is providing new routes to market for more than 60 growers. It also is creating convenient wholesale access for florists to buy local flowers, without needing to trail around multiple farms.
Farmers who already supply seasonal flowers can be found through organisations such as Flowers from the Farm. Other useful guidance is also available to help people find more environmentally friendly flowers. And a new sustainable church flowers national award scheme will encourage and acknowledge the work being done.
Hopefully church flower arrangers around the country will embrace this new approach, and see it as changing with the times.
Jill Timms receives funding from the UKRI/Defra Farming Innovation programme and the ESRC Impact Acceleration Account. She is also an affiliate of Sustainable Church Flowers (SCF).
Football has a real fossil fuel problem - and it's not sustainable [ 13-Feb-26 5:38pm ]In 1958, Brazil won the men's Fifa World Cup in Sweden. The team, which included a 17-year-old Pelé, stayed in a modest country hotel and travelled by train or bus to small stadiums in cities such as Uddevalla and Göteborg.
Fan attendance was fairly low for that 16-team tournament. And so too was the the ecological impact of the event - especially compared to the 2026 World Cup which will see 48 teams and millions of supporters travel to and across North America.
For while football's global reach is often highlighted as a positive thing that brings the world together, the beautiful game risks having a rather ugly impact on the planet.
This is partly down to ambitious plans to expand almost every aspect of elite football - more money, more matches, more tournaments, more fans - that have accelerated over recent decades. This could be seen as a positive development for anyone who enjoys football, but it also has some problematic consequences.
The expansion of international competitions for example, has led to increasing carbon dioxide emissions from football-related travel as teams, supporters and media representatives fly around the globe following the game.
A recent study estimated that as part of the growing ecological footprint of international sport, global football now has a carbon footprint similar to that of Austria.
So the high number of international matches, as seen in the remodelled Fifa men's Club World Cup, the expanded men's Euros of 2024 and the forthcoming men's World Cup in 2026 challenges both the health of the players and the health of the planet.
These issues all point in the same direction - prioritising profit and growth over people and planet, and developing a dependence on the fossil-fuel economy.
There are plenty of examples. Oil-rich Saudi Arabia for instance, is often accused of sportswashing, but was named as host for the 2034 World Cup and continues to invest in the English Premier League. The 2022 Fifa World Cup in oil-rich Qatar was criticised for the environmental impact of new stadiums, new infrastructure and the use of cooling systems in the extreme heat.
Then there's Fifa's sponsorship deal with Aramco, a company estimated to be responsible for 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions since 1965. All of these are strong signs that fossil-fuelled growth in the economics of football has been normalised.
Some supporters and campaign groups have been criticising this development for a while now. But how is football responding?
Hope and glory?Well, recently Fifa announced the creation of its own "peace prize" to recognise those who "unite people, bringing hope for future generations". But while that ambition may sound admirable, the actions of global football suggest the opposite.
For instead of bringing hope, football is accelerating climate change through its a problematic dependence on fossil-fuel sponsorship. Research suggests that the sport also displays a distinct lack of support for those countries that are most severely affected by climate change.
There are though, some clubs doing their best to take environmental sustainability seriously. FC Porto, Real Betis and Malmö FF are all involved in the "Free Kicks" project, which requires clubs to assess their environmental performance in terms of things like energy savings and use of resources.
Their work shows that it is possible to combine top-level football with sustainable practices and good governance. And if Fifa is serious about bringing hope to future generations, it may want to learn from some of the people who have done precisely that.
The Qatar World Cup was controversial.
Fitria Ramli/Shutterstock
Reducing the size and frequency of large international events would be a good start. So too would organising fixtures in such a way as to minimise their carbon footprint.
If all of this means accepting a deceleration in the expansion of global football in a bid to become more sustainable, would that really be so bad?
After all, those who saw a 17-year-old Pelé in Sweden in 1958 did not know about the coming climate crisis. But the football they followed back then was a lot more compatible with sustainable development than the sport is today.
Daniel Svensson is affiliated with The Sport Ecology Group. He receives funding from The Swedish Research Council for Sport Science.
