Produce Less – Exploring Degrowth

As governments and corporations race to build AI infrastructure, a growing divide is emerging over how data centres should be understood and regulated. This article examines the contrasting approaches of the United Nations and the Indian government: while the UN emphasises the environmental costs of AI, including rising energy, water and mineral consumption, India views data centres as essential to digital sovereignty, economic self-reliance and technological competitiveness. Drawing on recent UN reports and Indian policy documents, the article explores the global environmental, political and economic implications of the expanding AI data centre ecosystem.

The global shift to clean energy depends heavily on minerals such as lithium, cobalt, nickel and rare earth elements. This article by Utkarsh Mishra examines how the extraction of these resources is reshaping economies and geopolitics while imposing significant environmental and social costs on communities in the Global South. Drawing on evidence from Congo, Indonesia and the Lithium Triangle of South America, it highlights issues of child labour, displacement, pollution, deforestation and water depletion. The article argues that a just energy transition requires stronger protections for workers, Indigenous communities and local ecosystems.

The article examines the growing global race for lithium in the Democratic Republic of Congo and its implications for local communities, ecosystems, and international politics. It traces how rising demand for batteries used in electric vehicles and energy storage is intensifying competition among major powers, including the United States, Europe, and China. The authors place the current mineral boom within the broader history of colonialism, conflict, and unequal exchange in the Congo, and argue that the pursuit of a so-called green transition risks deepening environmental destruction and social upheaval without fundamental changes in consumption and development models.

This article by Utkarsh Mishra examines the human cost of India’s vast informal economy, which employs nearly 90% of the workforce. It traces the realities faced by brick kiln workers, construction labourers, and gig workers, highlighting debt bondage, child labour, unsafe conditions, and the absence of social protection. Drawing on research and workers’ testimonies, the article argues that exploitation is embedded in the organisation of work rather than being an accidental by-product of growth. It also highlights ongoing struggles by workers and the need for greater accountability and labour protections.

As governments and corporations accelerate the shift to renewable energy, carbon markets, and critical mineral extraction, Indigenous communities across the Global South are increasingly facing land dispossession, exclusion from decision-making, and violations of their rights. This article examines how climate projects promoted as solutions to the environmental crisis often proceed without Free, Prior and Informed Consent, despite legal protections under international and domestic law. Drawing on recent litigation, documented case studies, and policy developments, it explores the growing tension between climate action and Indigenous land rights, and argues for a transition grounded in justice, participation, and accountability.

Goa’s coastal ecosystems are under growing pressure from erosion, climate change, pollution, and rapid construction. This article examines recent proposals to relax Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) norms and ease sand extraction rules, arguing that such measures could deepen environmental vulnerabilities in an already fragile coastal state. Drawing on scientific evidence and examples from India and abroad, Dr. Ranjan Solomon highlights the ecological risks of unchecked sand mining and weakened safeguards. The article calls for investment in sustainable alternatives, stronger environmental governance, and development policies that protect rivers, coastlines, livelihoods, and future generations.

The disruption of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz highlights how deeply modern societies depend on oil and petrochemicals. Mark H. Burton argues that rising energy costs, supply chain disruptions, and shortages of essential goods reveal vulnerabilities that extend far beyond a regional conflict. Drawing connections between resource depletion, ecological overshoot, and systemic economic risks, he contends that the current crisis offers a glimpse of wider challenges facing industrial societies. The article examines the limits of growth, the constraints on energy transitions, and the need for long-term strategies focused on resilience, sufficiency, and ecological sustainability.

Indigenous and rural organizations in Bolivia forced the repeal of Law 1720 after a 27-day march and 10-day sit-in in La Paz. The law threatened communal landholding systems by encouraging the privatization of Indigenous and peasant lands in ways that favored agribusiness interests. Protesters from Pando and Beni states linked the repeal campaign to broader concerns about land rights, natural resources, democratic participation, and government accountability. The mobilization drew support from unions, teachers, students, and neighborhood groups across the country. The movement has revived debates over collective ownership, constitutional rights, and the future direction of Bolivia’s politicalsystem.

Margarita Mediavilla examines ongoing debates within the degrowth movement and asks why societies remain locked into endless economic expansion despite growing ecological crises. The article compares ecosocialist, pluriversal, and “Simpler Way” perspectives, while arguing that growth is driven not only by profit and employment pressures but also by deeper dynamics of competition between firms, states, and social actors. Using systems analysis and feedback diagrams, Mediavilla explores how capitalism continuously inflates needs and consumption. The essay also reflects on the difficulty of building institutions capable of protecting global commons such as climate stability, oceans, and shared natural resources.