In short: Ammonia is unique among petrochemicals – its molecule contains no carbon, yet more than 99% of ammonia is produced using fossil fuels. It is the foundation of industrial agriculture but also generates enormous greenhouse gas emissions and locks food production into fossil fuel supply chains. Instead of decreasing our reliance on ammonia, the industry is seeking new markets by promoting ammonia as a "green" fuel for shipping and power generation. This article explores how ammonia...

Between 24 and 29 April, 57 countries participated in a historic conference on the Transition Away from Fossil Fuels, hosted in Santa Marta (Colombia), Participants discussed how to speed up the phaseout of fossil fuels, focusing on coordinated action rather than passive debate. This stands in opposition to the yearly UN climate conferences (COPs), which have discussed the transition but have not yet produced an action plan. While conferences and reports organised by the UN and focused on...

While clothes made of recycled plastic may sound like a good idea, they can cause environmental harm at multiple levels. First, recycled polyester used to produce textiles comes mostly from plastic bottles rather than from textile waste. This means that recyclable plastic bottles get downcycled into clothes, which cannot be further recycled and instead end in landfill or incinerators. The second problem is the greenwashing of plastic-made garments by the fashion industry. Currently, polyester...