Produce Less – Exploring Degrowth

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.

Across the United States, opposition to data centers is growing as communities confront rising electricity costs, ecological damage, and the expanding power of Big Tech. Vincent Emanuele examines how local resistance movements are emerging outside traditional political structures, bringing together rural residents, students, workers, environmentalists, and disillusioned voters across ideological divides. The article argues that these struggles are not only about infrastructure projects, but also about democracy, public participation, and the social consequences of AI-driven expansion. It explores how organizing around data centers could help build broader coalitions, democratize technical knowledge, and create lasting forms of collective politicalengagement.

The main opposition to the International Fossil Fuel Lobby comes from nations that are the least responsible for the devastation caused by a warming planet. These nations for the most part are powerless to oppose the insanity of that Lobby. What is notable about the cooperative Manifesto is that it comes from Brazil, a country that the World Bank lists as the 10th-largest economy in the world. And not surprisingly, according to 2024 data, Brazil ranks 9th in daily oil production.

Ashish Kothari examines how economic globalization has intensified inequality, ecological breakdown, and geopolitical conflict, leaving societies deeply vulnerable to external shocks. He argues that these crises are not accidental but rooted in dominant models of growth, state power, and corporate control. Drawing on examples of community resilience, the article explores “radical localization” as a pathway toward self-reliance, ecological balance, and democratic decision-making. It also considers forms of alternative globalization based on solidarity and mutual aid. Part of Countercurrents’ Counter solution series, this essay outlines grounded, systemic alternatives in a time of deepening global instability.

A recent review published in The Millbank QuarterlyTrusted Source suggested that ultraprocessed foods may be as addictive as tobacco products. Research from 2023Trusted Source estimates that over 73% of the foods in the United States are ultraprocessed. “Cigarettes and UPFs [ultraprocessed foods] are not simply natural products but highly engineered delivery systems designed specifically to maximize biological and psychological reinforcement and habitual overuse.”

The article examines warnings by Colombian President Gustavo Petro that Latin America could face widespread unrest if the United States continues policies rooted in the Monroe Doctrine. Drawing on recent interviews, Petro describes sanctions, political pressure, and interventions as forms of coercion that risk provoking resistance across the region. The piece situates his remarks alongside statements from regional leaders, highlighting a broader shift toward asserting sovereignty and resisting external influence. It argues that changing political conditions, mass mobilization, and regional cooperation are reshaping Latin America’s response, raising the possibility of significant geopolitical consequences if current approaches persist over time ahead.