Invisibility. Dematerialization. Outsourcing of harm. The chips are hiding in plain sight. In our toys, in our clothes, in our shoes, in every aspect of our lives. Invisible. And after ultra-short lives, the e-waste becomes even more invisible to the Global North consumer as it is dumped in the Global South to poison the poor…… read more| Gerry McGovern
Invisibility. Dematerialization. Outsourcing of harm. The chips are hiding in plain sight. In our toys, in our clothes, in our shoes, in every aspect of our lives. Invisible. And after ultra-short lives, the e-waste becomes even more invisible to the Global North consumer as it is dumped in the Global South to poison the poor… Read More »| Gerry McGovern
“Green” and “clean” energy is built on a vast dump of super-toxic batteries. “Renewable” energy is about as renewable as a rechargeable battery is renewable. The energy that the battery uses is renewable and may even come from a solar panel or wind turbine. The battery itself is non-renewable. It contains lots of non-renewable polluting… Read More »| Gerry McGovern
Like all new tech innovations, the initial design focus for wind turbines was not on reuse or recyclability. “Made from fibreglass-reinforced polymer and coated with epoxy resins, turbine blades are designed to maximise aerodynamicism whilst remaining light enough to minimise structural stress and stiff enough to achieve efficient wind capture,” Eve Thomas wrote for Power… Read More »| Gerry McGovern
3rd August 2025 -- Gerry McGovern| Gerry McGovern
To maximize profit, solar panels prefer very large, flat open spaces with lots of sun. Deserts seem perfect. “It might look like a barren wilderness, but this stretch of the Mojave is a rich and fragile habitat for endangered species and home to thousand-year-old carbon-capturing woodlands and ancient Indigenous cultural sites,” Oliver Wainwright wrote for… Read More »| Gerry McGovern
“Solar-powered water pumps can provide a sustainable solution to the global water crisis by tapping into vast groundwater resources,” Felicity Bradstock excitedly wrote for OilPrice.com. What could possibly go wrong? The desert state of Rajasthan is an Indian pioneer and innovator in solar water pumps that work 24 hours a day, seven days a week,… Read More »| Gerry McGovern
Wichimi is a village of some forty families deep in the Ecuadorian Amazon. Solar technology transformed it. According to a report by Isabel Alarcon for the Washington Post, villagers used to pay $10 for a noisy and polluting petrol-fueled boat trip to the nearest town. Now, they glide silently through the forest for ‘free’ on… Read More »| Gerry McGovern
18th May 2025 -- Gerry McGovern| gerrymcgovern.com
