Holocene Diaries

  Single-use plastics are one of the most visible environmental problems of our time. We have been recycling, pledging, and promising for decades, and yet the amount of plastic waste keeps climbing. Sustainability goals keep running into the same wall: plastic is just so cheap and so convenient that nothing else can compete. In this article we will look at who actually produces the most single-use plastic, why the material took over the world, why recycling has not saved us, where good alternatives already exist, what would happen if we banned plastic in those areas, and finally, what a realistic plan to reach net-zero single-use plastic might look like. At a Glance: Key Points in This Article Topic Key Takeaway Top sectors Food and drink packaging alone is about 42% of single-use plastic; the top three sectors are roughly three-quarters Why plastic dominates It is cheap, light, and does almost everything ...

Every time oil prices spike, food prices follow. That link is not a coincidence; it is a design flaw baked into our agricultural system over the past 60 years. Sustainability in agriculture is not just a feel-good idea; it is a structural necessity. In this article, I want to explain how we got here, why the status quo is fragile, and what a realistic path toward sustainable farming actually looks like. At a Glance: Key Points in This Article Topic Key Takeaway The food-oil link Half of global food production depends on fossil-fuel-derived fertilizers How we got here The Green Revolution (1960s–70s) traded long-term soil health for short-term yield Why this matters now The 2026 Hormuz crisis pushed fertilizer prices up ~46% in a single month Long-term benefits Organic soils sequester more carbon and restore natural fertility cycles The roadmap ...

The world is choking, not metaphorically, but economically. Since late February 2026, the Strait of Hormuz has been effectively shut down following the US-Israeli military strikes on Iran, triggering what the International Energy Agency has described as the "greatest global energy security challenge in history." The ripple effects are landing everywhere: fuel prices, food costs, factory output, and financial markets. For those of us who follow sustainability and sustainable development goals, this crisis is neither a surprise nor a distraction, it is the argument we have been making for years, made visible. At a Glance, Key Points in This Article: Topic Key Takeaway The Hormuz Crisis ~20% of global oil supply blocked; oil prices surging Why Oil Still Dominates Transport, plastics, fertilizers, and global supply chains all depend on it The Renewable Opportunity Renewables now c...