Category: Less of What We Don’t Need

Raoul Peck’s ‘Lumumba’ offers a restrained and politically significant remembrance of Patrice Lumumba, the first Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Vidyarthy Chatterjee examines Lumumba’s assassination in the context of the struggle over Congo’s mineral wealth, sovereignty and political future. The article discusses the role of Western powers, Belgian colonial interests and Congolese…

India’s constitutional democracy recognizes Adivasi or tribal communities as distinct social formations having special rights over land and forests. Ironically, some of the country’s richest tribal landscapes continue to be viewed as repositories of mineral wealth. Whenever coal, bauxite, iron ore, or other natural resources are discovered beneath forests inhabited by Scheduled Tribes, the language…

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal’s target of 10 million medical tourists a year won’t create new capacity in Indian healthcare, it will pull capacity out of a public system that’s already short on it

As wars, extreme weather, fuel shortages and rising electricity demand strain aging power systems, decentralized energy is gaining importance. Solar panels, batteries, smaller generators and microgrids can reduce dependence on vulnerable centralized grids and help maintain essential services during disruptions. In Ukraine, distributed systems are supporting hospitals and water infrastructure amid attacks. Puerto Rico is…

In the mountains of Eswatini, Warren has built a garden around indigenous plants, permaculture and local ecological knowledge. But the landscape he has carefully cultivated is facing a changing climate. He has witnessed heavier and less predictable rains, flooding, soil erosion, crop failures and the spread of invasive species. His response combines practical adaptation with…

Javier Milei’s government has faced setbacks both in the streets and in Congress over its plans to liberalize foreign ownership of land and weaken environmental protections. Mass protests against the proposed land law were met with police repression, while the government failed to secure enough parliamentary support to pass key provisions as presented. The article…

Climate communication has often emphasized hope, success and the possibility of staying within the 1.5°C threshold. Theresa Leisgang and Gerriet Schwen argue that this approach can obscure the severity of the climate crisis. Drawing on climate science, research and conversations with scientists, journalists and activists, they examine the growing evidence of ecological and social breakdown…

Berry didn’t exempt himself from this critique of the destructive habits that draw down the ecological capital of the planet: “I am … still in bondage to the automobile industry and the energy companies, which have nothing to recommend them except our dependence on them. I still fly on airplanes, which have nothing to recommend…

Transcript of my interview with Kohei Saito on 1 st September, 2023 on the occasion of the 9th International Degrowth Conference in Zagreb. This interview was originally published in Czech in Alarm, a Czech left-wing online magazine, on 28 September 2023. This is the first English publication of the full transcript, approved by Kohei Saito.

Japan offers a distinctive perspective on degrowth, shaped less by deliberate economic contraction than by depopulation, ageing, and shrinking rural economies. Junko Edahiro examines how communities are adapting by placing wellbeing, resilience, sufficiency, and local participation ahead of conventional growth. From Transition Town Fujino’s local energy initiatives to the “Half Farmer, Half X” lifestyle model…