Defining overshoot—and under-reported news from the technosphere

gathered by Katie Singer

Do you know overshoot?

Overshoot means extracting raw materials from the Earth faster than it can replenish and wasting faster than the Earth can absorb. Manufactured goods (computers, smartphones, wind turbines, solar PVs, e-vehicles, batteries, air conditioners, refrigerators….) require overshoot.

Increasing human population contributes to overshoot.

            Once people have clean water, food, toilets and a livable indoor temperature, antidotes to overshoot include Extracting Less, Smelting Less, Building Less, Buying Less, Consuming Less, Less Videos, Less Social Media, Generating Less Data. Let’s go for Strengthening Libraries, Locally-Grown Food—and Making Do with What We’ve Got.

            When geologists find mineral deposits (“necessary” for e-vehicle batteries, solar PVs, computers, etcetera), we’ve got to choose between keeping them in the ground—or ravaging the Earth and nearby human communities. Mining to manufacture more industrially-produced goods gives the idea that highly-consumptive living can continue. Alas. Geologists have found very large lithium deposits at the Nevada-Oregon border, not far from Thacker Pass. How would wildlife habitats be impacted by mining this part of the caldera? How much water would it require, and where would it come from? For an overview about lithium mining at Thacker Pass, read my June Substack, “When Land I Love Holds Lithium.” Read Max Wilbert’s comments to the Bureau of Land Management about mining Thacker Pass. 

            Here are other under-reported, under-discussed issues regarding the technosphere.

Surveillance Capitalism

Tech libertarians consider government intrusion online an outrage—but what about corporate surveillance? When companies gather data about consumers, is that simply an inevitable precursor to online advertising and internet corporations’ soaring profits?  

Last March, Zoom users agreed that "Zoom may redistribute, publish, import, access, use, store, transmit, review, disclose, preserve, extract, modify, reproduce, share, use, display, copy, distribute, translate, transcribe, create derivative works, and process Customer Content." Users also give Zoom "a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, sublicensable, and transferable license and all other rights required or necessary to redistribute, publish, import, access, use, store, transmit, review, disclose, preserve, extract, modify, reproduce, share, use, display, copy, distribute, translate, transcribe, create derivative works, and process Customer Content and to perform all acts with respect to the Customer Content: (i) as may be necessary for Zoom to provide the Services to you, including to support the Services; (ii) for the purpose of product and service development, marketing, analytics, quality assurance, machine learning, artificial intelligence, training, testing, improvement of the Services, Software, or Zoom's other products, services, and software."

Yikes!

Read Steven Vaughan-Nicholas’ analysis about Zoom’s AI privacy mess and Dave Karpf on corporate surveillance. 

Wind and solar power

Jonah Markowitz’s documentary, “Thrown to the Wind,” reports hundreds of whale deaths likely caused by offshore wind turbines. Conservationists funded by an industrial wind corporation claim the deaths are caused by rising ocean temperatures. See also:

https://green-oceans.org/

            In May, 2023, the Sierra Club began restructuring away from reducing extraction, disposability or racism; toward strengthening an “extractive economy;” toward the goal of “electrifying everything.” Hop Hopkins and Michelle Mascarenhas, laid-off Sierra Club organizers, share their analysis.  

Telecommunications

Because of their radiation emissions, France has temporarily halted sales of the iPhone 12. Germany, Belgium and Spain have signaled that they may do the same. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is “reviewing the available information.”

Before you buy an e-vehicle

Last July, NYC Fire Department Commissioner Laura Kavanaugh testified about the fire hazards of e-bikes’ lithium-ion batteries. Only 13 companies have safety certification. Does your e-bike have safety certification? You can’t know.

            Before you buy an e-vehicle (EV) (or any vehicle), investigate the ecological ravaging involved in manufacturing, operating and discarding it. Investigate the vehicle’s fire hazards and the impacts to transformers near EV chargers. Research non-hazardous ways to dispose of your battery when the EV needs a new one. Then, in case you’re considering a Tesla, read the Customer Privacy Notice: “If you no longer wish for (Tesla) to collect vehicle data or any other data from your Tesla vehicle, please contact us to deactivate connectivity. Please note, certain advanced features such as over-the-air updates, remote services, and interactivity with mobile applications and in-car features such as location search, Internet radio, voice commands, and web browser functionality rely on such connectivity. If you choose to opt out of vehicle data collection (with the exception of in-car Data Sharing preferences), we will not be able to know or notify you of issues applicable to your vehicle in real time. This may result in your vehicle suffering from reduced functionality, serious damage, or inoperability." Read Jen Caltrider et al.’s Sept. 6, 2023 report, “It’s Official: Cars are the Worst Product Category We Have Ever Reviewed for Privacy.”

ChatGPT’s water consumption 

Chat GPT can generate realistic human language text—for marketing, poetry or whatever you want. To activate an AI processor like ChatGPT, you’ll need LOTS of water: from 2021-2022, water consumption at Microsoft’s Iowa data center rose 34%–to nearly 1.7. billion gallons—likely because of the introduction of ChatGPT. For every five to 50 ChatGPT queries, the data center uses two cups (half a liter) of water. Note, too, the water consumed in manufacturing semiconductors, the building blocks of every computer (and data center).

Bank account-holders beware

A friend’s bank account recently got hacked. She’s learned that hackers’ tricks develop faster than banks or account-holders can safeguard. Consider safeguarding your bank account another area needing ongoing education.

Good news: Retailer Report Card

Since 2016, Toxic-Free Future’s report cards have moved retailers away from toxic chemicals and plastics toward safer solutions. Could this serve as a model for reducing radiation emissions and/or extractions…from products’ cradles-to-graves?

Can you help?

Can you help Mapping Our Technosphere, the book I’ve worked on since 2018, get published? It starts with a photo essay about the extractions, energy use, water use, toxic waste and fire hazards involved in manufacturing, operating and discarding the Internet’s computers and infrastructure. Introduced by the late Jerry Mander, it includes Miguel Coma’s reports about why 5G is great for private-factory networks—and unnecessary, harmful and energy-guzzling for public networks. It’s packed with ideas for producing less, consuming less and strengthening respectful relationship with nature.

            The book needs funds to purchase copyright permits for rare mining and smelting photos; for editing, design, website expenses…and to keep its author fed and sheltered.

Ecological Options Network, my 501c3 fiscal sponsor, can take donations of $500 or more. Address your check to Ecological Options Network. In the memo area, write “Katie Singer book project.” Address your envelope to Mary Beth Brangan, Co-Director, EON, POB 1047, Bolinas, CA 94924.

Smaller (still much appreciated!) donations can go through PayPal or directly to me, at PO Box 6574 Santa Fe, NM 87502 USA.

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