Sustainability

This series traces how human activities have altered the planet's systems, and whether we can still choose to become its steward.

The geography of the periodic table is the new geography of power. In the 20th century, geopolitics was governed by the distribution of hydrocarbons; in the 21st, it is governed by the concentration of critical elements.

The extraction of lithium from the 'Lithium Triangle' in South America represents one of the most significant interventions in the Earth's hydrological cycle.

A series exploring the lithium scarcity paradox, from extraction challenges to circular economy solutions and geopolitical implications.

The history of human progress is a record of material dependence where the era of dominance is named after the enabling substance: stone, bronze, and iron.

A synthesis and vision for how we can transition to sustainable urbanism that centers environmental protection, community rights, and global equity in the materials we use to build our cities.

Examining emerging alternatives to sand extraction including engineered alternatives, circular construction practices, and community-led resistance movements challenging the sand extraction paradigm.

Exploring how sand extraction follows patterns of colonial resource extraction, concentrating wealth in Global North while externalizing environmental costs to Global South.

Analyzing how large corporations dominate sand extraction industries while governments fail to regulate, creating systemic inequality and environmental injustice.

Examining how sand extraction creates environmental degradation, threatens food security, and forces communities to migrate to urban centers in search of economic alternatives.