Resurgence & Ecologist magazine Issue 335 • November/December 2022
Positive energy

issue cover 335

In this special issue of Resurgence & Ecologist we explore the theme of energy, how it shapes the world we live in and forms the very fabric of our existence. Energy is at the heart of the crises facing us today, from the rising cost of living to global heating. As efforts to achieve environmental and social justice converge, we need to understand just how energy connects us and all living things.

Setting the path is our Feature Story by The Ecologist editor Brendan Montague, who unpicks the meaning of ‘energy’ from a prism of physics, biology and economics, “We are all stardust bound together with sunlight,” he writes.

In the Ecologist pages Russell Warfield challenges Dieter Helm’s solutions to the energy and climate crises; whilst in Connected Life Felipe Viveros introduces the next generation of Indigenous Earth defenders. We also highlight Positive Action stories from community energy projects

In Wisdom and Wellbeing youth activist Katie Hodgetts speaks to Chris Johnstone on the publication of a revised edition of seminal text Active Hope and Nicky Scott introduces the method of Bokashi composting. Within Art & Culture Sandra Sawatzky presents her 70-metre tapestry on the story of oil.

We hope you enjoy our selection of free articles from this issue of Resurgence & Ecologist magazine.

Featured articles

Watershed Moment

Water is an increasingly scarce resource with pressure on supplies resulting in droughts, crop failure, disrupted trade and land degradation. Yet the role of water on the road to net zero is often overlooked. Adam Wentworth highlights the interdependence of water and energy consumption and the need to create stronger policies to address global challenges.
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Amazon Avengers

As deforestation in Brazil's Amazon hits record highs, Indigenous people are joining forces and forming a movement of movements that is inspiring people the world over. Felipe Viveros meets the next generation of Indigenous Earth Defenders resisting the forces of extractive capitalism.
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Streets Ahead

Rachel Marsh meets the people behind a "Grassroots Green New Deal in action". A project that aims to build a solar power station along the rooftops of a Victorian terraced street. Film-maker Dan Edelstyn declares, "The streets will be an example of what the government could and should be doing right now across the UK."
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Empowering Local Politics

The Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT) has produced new guidance for councils on ways to tackle the climate emergency. The recommendations have emerged from the Zero Carbon Britain Innovation Lab and CAT is already working with 150 local councils. Catherine Early reports.
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The Great Turning

Youth activist Katie Hodgetts speaks with Chris Johnstone about the publication of a revised edition of seminal text Active Hope. They explore the 'Great Unravelling' and the 'Great Turning' in the context of activism today and the inner work needed for change to happen.
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The Electrical Language of Fungi

"Do mushrooms talk to each other?" Yasmin Dahnoun reports on new research into the hidden world of the mycelium network. Scientists are learning more about the use of electrical signals to communicate and how those signals react to changes in the environment.
Read more...

Picture Credits

Cover image: People Power: Inesperado (2018) by Juan Genovés © DACS 2022 www.juangenoves.com; Watershed Moment: Illustrations © Mitch Blunt/Ikon Images; Amazon Avengers: Célia Xacriabá, photo by Alice Aedy; Streets Ahead: Hilary Powell and Dan Edelstyn outside the Power Station, Walthamstow Photo: Alistair Gentry; Empowering Local Politics: Illustration © Valero Doval/Ikon Images; The Great Turning: Illustration by Graham Franciose @grahambunctious; The Electrical Language of Fungi: Mycelium Network II by Spencer Sass, @spencer.sass

Images from Resurgence and Ecologist Magazine issue 335

Inside this issue

Article is free for all to view

Welcome

People Power •

Empowering local communities

Feature article

We are Stardust •

Knowing how energy determines our lives could shape how we use it

Ecologist

Ecologist Editor's Picks •

Top stories from The Ecologist environmental news website

Nuclear Weakness •

Russia's invasion of Ukraine is putting nuclear power under pressure

The Price of Net Zero •

Dieter Helm on energy and the climate crisis

A Creative Hub for Climate Justice •

A new resource for the climate justice movement

Watershed Moment •

Water demand is a major blind spot on the road to net zero

Climate Colonialism •

Voicing the unique challenges that the African continent faces

Connected life

Amazon Avengers •

Meeting the next generation of Indigenous Earth Defenders

The Rush for 'white gold' •

Communities in the Lithium Triangle are being left behind

Positive Action

Community Energy •

We need to put power into local hands

Streets Ahead •

Reporting on an innovative new solar project

Power in a Union •

Protecting jobs and the planet can be part of the same fight

The Human Transition •

A focus on people building our post-carbon future

Empowering Local Politics •

New guidance helps councils plan for a net zero future

Wisdom and wellbeing

The Great Turning •

An interview with Chris Johnstone on the revised edition of Active Hope

Peace in Ukraine •

A Swiss solution

Celebrating Gaia •

A tribute to the life of James Lovelock (1919-2022)

The Electrical Language of Fungi •

Reporting on a new study on mycelial networks

Break it down •

By using special microbes in compost nothing goes to waste

Art and culture

Artists Put Energy in a New Light •

A new movement questioning our use of fossil fuels

Oil in a Material World •

The story behind the 70-metre Black Gold Tapestry

Regulars

Community - News from our Community •

Actions and projects from the Resurgence community

Letters to the Editors - Letters to the Editor

A selection of letters to the Editor

Archive - Energy in Our Hands •

Celebrating the collective power of a community

Reviews

A Golden Thread of Community •

Review of Thunderstone: A True Story of Losing One Home and Discovering Another and Riding Out: A Journey of Love, Loss and New Beginnings

Helping Ourselves •

Review of Citizens: Why the Key to Fixing Everything Is All of Us

The Road Ahead •

Review of Movement: How to Take Back Our Streets and Transform Our Lives

Lost Frequencies •

Review of Sounds Wild and Broken

How Oil Took Over Our Lives •

Review of The Oil Machine

Pilgrimage of the Heart •

Review of The Restorative Spirit: Illuminating the Soul in a Time of Global Awakening

Extinction and Rebirth •

Review of Otherlands: A World in the Making