In pictures: #SouthAmerica's 'LithiumFields' reveal the dark side of our electric future

By Maeve Campbell
Published on 01/02/2022

"Lithium extraction fields in South America have been captured by an aerial photographer in stunning high definition.

"But while the images may be breathtaking to look at, they represent the dark side of our swiftly electrifying world.

"Lithium represents a route out of our reliance on #FossilFuel production. As the lightest known metal on the planet, it is now widely used in electric devices from mobile phones and laptops, to cars and aircraft.

"#LithiumIon batteries are most famous for powering electric vehicles, which are set to account for up to 60 per cent of new car sales by 2030. The battery of a #Tesla Model S, for example, uses around 12 kg of lithium.

"These batteries are the key to lightweight, rechargeable power. As it stands, demand for lithium is unprecedented and many say it is crucial in order to transition to #renewables.

"However, this doesn't come without a cost - mining the chemical element can be harmful to the environment.

"German aerial photographer Tom Hegen specialises in documenting the traces we leave on the earth's surface. His work provides an overview of places where we extract, refine and consume resources with his latest series exposing the '#LithiumTriangle.'

"This region rich with natural deposits can be found where the borders of Chile, Argentina and Bolivia meet. And roughly a quarter is stored in the Salar de Atacama salt flats in northern Chile."

https://www.euronews.com/green/2022/02/01/south-america-s-lithium-fields-reveal-the-dark-side-of-our-electric-future

“Oil companies are no longer growth plays.”
That’s not alarmism. It’s the new market reality.

Mark Campanale of Carbon Tracker, shares blunt evidence #FossilFuel giants are shrinking quietly. Not because they want to. Because the future is moving on without them.

“They're not replacing reserves. They're paying out cash. And they're not valued for growth” Clean energy is simpler, cheaper, & faster. You no longer need to move fuel halfway around the world. Just plug in https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bBjfK6ehOg

A repeat but a good one

Rough road to “energy dominance” after GOP kneecaps wind and solar
“#Congress has taken decisive action to advance President Trump’s energy dominance agenda,” said American #Petroleum Institute Pres & CEO Mike Sommers
Despite claims from Republican officials and #fossilfuel industry that megabill will help secure energy dominance, some experts worry legislation’s cuts to #wind & #solar actually undermine those goals when #electricity demand is rising.
https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/07/rough-to-energy-dominance-after-gop-kneecaps-wind-and-solar-power/
#OneBigBeautifulBill

" US President Donald Trump's administration is revising past editions of the nation's premier climate report -- its latest move to undermine the scientific consensus on human-caused global warming."

https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20250807-us-to-rewrite-its-past-national-climate-reports

UN #PlasticsTreaty: “More than 180 countries are…at the #UN in Geneva…to thrash out a landmark agreement…[to tackle] #PlasticPollution — looking at the full life-cycle of plastic… The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) said it had counted 234…#fossilfuel & #chemical industry lobbyists registered to attend the…negotiations. …CIEL's Rachel Radvany told AFP…[the companies] have "direct conflicts of interest with the goal of the #treaty."| France24 https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20250808-oil-industry-presence-surges-at-un-plastic-talks-ngos #INC52

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2025/aug/07/health-experts-urge-ban-on-school-materials-backed-by-food-drink-and-gambling-firms. And how about "educational" materials supplied by the #fossilfuel #industry, too, @GeraldKutney - on the same grounds? It's still #brainwashing #propaganda disguised as #education.

#TheFutureIsClean #CleanEnergyNow -- “In reaching this milestone, we are on the path to securing our energy system so families and businesses are no longer exposed to #fossilfuel markets we can’t control.”

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/evans-more-greenpeace-north-sea-b2799508.html

"Tell your U.S. representative: Don’t sell off the USPS’s electric fleet.

They have already been paid for, and are unlikely to make money at auction, as they were built specifically for the USPS.

It would also cost the USPS additional money to replace them and remove the charging infrastructure already in place."

https://environmentamerica.org/take-action/tell-your-u-s-representative-dont-sell-off-the-uspss-electric-fleet-2/

This is all about corporate window dressing and not about global responsibility. Sickening.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2xg84yj6jo
#BP #fossilfuel

Links for 8/3/25

Thomas Neuburger: Rethinking Collapse

Brian Wilson Obituary

New research shows surfers, swimmers and runners face higher risk of melanoma

Carbon-offset schemes aren't prepared for forests to burn

Vinyl Minded With the Legends of Surf Guitar

The antidote to the Jaws effect: These photos show a softer

https://www.kawentzmann.de/exotic-blog/asides/links-for-8-3-25/

#Impeachment is already a political imperative, let alone the need to start saving the #planet from #fossilfuel #fascism
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/jul/31/trump-epa-endangerment-finding?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other #trump

Ummmm...

"Thayer said she is regularly using ChatGPT to come up with ideas about planning what to eat, while also having it calculate the nutritional value of the pumpkin-banana-oat bread she’s been baking for years."

But conversely,

"Perhaps defying emerging media consumption trends, 28-year-old Sanaa Wilson usually skips right past those AI-generated summaries.

“It has to be a basic question like, ‘What day does Christmas land on in 2025?’” said the Los Angeles-area resident. “I’ll be like, ‘That makes sense. I trust it.’ But when it gets to specific news, related to what’s happening in California or what’s happening to the education system and stuff like that, I will scroll down a little bit further.”

Wilson, a freelance data scientist, does use AI heavily at work to help with coding, which she said has saved her hundreds of dollars she would have had to pay for training. She also occasionally uses it to come up with work-related ideas, an attempt to bring back a little of the collaborative brainstorming experience she remembers from college life but doesn’t have now.

When it first came out, Wilson said she also used ChatGPT to help write emails, until she learned more about its environmental impact and the possibility it would erode her own writing and thinking skills over time.

“It’s just an email. I can work it out,” she said. “However many minutes it takes, or seconds it takes, I can still type it myself.”"

https://apnews.com/article/ai-artificial-intelligence-poll-229b665d10d057441a69f56648b973e1

#AISucks #BIgGas #MethanePollution
#FossilFuel #ClimateChange
#BigOilAndGas #CorporatePolluters

Sounds like #Wyoming needs a new governor!

#AI in Wyoming may soon use more electricity than state’s human residents

By Benj Edwards, July 29, 2025

"Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon praised the project's potential benefits for the state's natural gas industry in a company statement. 'This is exciting news for Wyoming and for Wyoming natural gas producers,' Gordon said."

https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2025/07/ai-in-wyoming-may-soon-use-more-electricity-than-states-human-residents/

#gas #fossilfuel #pollution #texas #usa #america #frackoff #fracking #tamboranresources #tamboran #australia #ausgov #politas

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07-29/joel-riddle-steps-aside-as-ceo-of-gas-fracking-company-tamboran/105587174