Office of Mines and Minerals

The Chicago and Big Muddy Mine. Photos from the Williamson County Historical Society, data from 1905 Souvenir History, WCHS

Articles, Coal, Sustainability October 1, 2020

The big Muddy River’s long, turbulent relationship with coal

Southern Illinois has been coal country for quite some time. Men first mined coal there in 1810, when they took the black rock from outcroppings…

Articles Climate Change Policy & Strategy

KlimaSeniorinnen

Climate change is increasingly a battleground. In the past, we had scientists versus negationists and corporations. From now on, it will be citizens against governments. In 2016, 40 brave women in their sixties voiced their concerns about the Swiss government’s…

Articles Last Exit

Argentiera

The Argentiera mining village is an almost wholly abandoned mining village about 35 miles from Sassari (Sardinia, Italy). In its heyday, it had more than 2,000 inhabitants. Mining concessions for the extraction of argentiferous lead and zinc had been granted…

Articles Fossil Fuels Policy & Strategy

Iran’s gas resources in the Caspian Sea

The Caspian Sea is in northwest Asia between Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, it has been of interest to Tehran with its potential oil and natural gas reserves. The southern…

Articles Nature & Environment

A few more roads to nowhere

Burning fossil fuels to generate energy produces greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change. Unfortunately, burning fossil fuels also leads to other forms of ecological damage. For instance, the transportation industry is responsible for harming the environment, and roadways, in…

Articles Renewables Solar

Solar as an asset class in a high-interest rate environment

Patrick Donati is a renowned renewable energy expert and the founder of Terrawatt. In this interview with Only Natural Energy, Patrick shares insights on solar as an investment vehicle. Terrawatt is one of the many spinoffs in the renewable energy…

Articles Nature & Environment

Locals at the mouth of the Amazon River get a salty taste of climate change

From the balcony of his two-story wooden house, Aurélio Marques gazes out over the Amazon River, flowing like a mere thread. The middle-aged boat pilot calculates how long it will take for the tide from the Atlantic Ocean to reach…

Articles Nature & Environment

Apathy Threatens the Planet. How Do We Get People to Care?

New research backs up conventional wisdom that getting people outdoors inspires them to conserve nature. The natural world faces many threats, but to many environmentalists, none are so baffling and heartbreaking as public apathy toward those threats. How do we…

Articles Policy & Strategy

Ecocide: What is it and should it be considered an international crime?

Campaigners and legal experts say the concept of ecocide should be recognised by the International Criminal Court to punish environmental offences Addressing the International Criminal Court (ICC) in 2019, John Licht, Vanuatu’s ambassador to the European Union, recommended making environmental…

Articles Smart cities

One Small Town Plans for Climate Change

Among rural communities, Grants Pass, Oregon, has notched an unlikely win. But limited resources threaten their sustainability plan’s success. One of the most iconic landmarks in downtown Grants Pass, Oregon, is a 100-year-old sign that arcs over the main street…

Articles Renewables

Community Opposition Adds Roadblocks to Large Renewables Projects

A survey of renewable energy developers in the United States—and instances of community opposition to large solar and wind projects in Canada and abroad—indicate that improved engagement with locals could spur renewables growth and help counter misinformation campaigns inflamed by…