Highlights

The idea of a world without war may seem far-fetched and utopian but CLIVE BARRETT is inspired by Scilla Elworthy's blueprint to counter conflict in her latest book, Business Plan for Peace: Building a World Without War

This is an age of hyper-connectivity where being available 24/7 is a given. But this can have serious health and social impacts. PAULA BYRNE and JONATHAN BATE urge us to turn our devices off, slow it down and savour the calming powers of good literature...

Karl Marx was born in Trier 200 years ago today. The legacy of the political economist is fiercely contested. The Ecologist was among the first magazines to examine his ecological thinking - in an essay published in 1971. Here, GARETH DALE, an editor of the book Green Growth, examines Marx's own claims about nature and society - and our original interpretation of them

What shapes our ideas of home and homelessness? Where do we find solace in the face of despair? ELIZABETH WAINWRIGHT speaks to Raynor Winn, author of the recently published and bestselling book The Salt Path about walking, belonging, and the rural hidden homeless. 

Villagers are living in fear of foreign investors exploiting their natural resources as Liberia declares itself 'open for business'. Companies are decimating trees and threatening the livelihoods and culture of these rural communities. GAURAV MADAN documents what life is like for the people of Sinoe County in Liberia.

More than 40 companies including Coca-Cola, Unilever and Tesco have pledged to eliminate single-use packaging items and to ensure 100 per cent of their plastic packaging is reusable, recyclable or compostable. But NATALIE BENNETT, former Green Party leader, argues this voluntary pact doesn't go far enough - a full scale ban is needed

The controversy involving a Sheffield City Council contractor chopping down almost half of the city's street trees shows no sign of abating. PAUL MILES argues it could prove to be a serious vote loser for the sitting councillors in the forthcoming local elections...

Plans for the future of the canalised Los Angeles River have brought both praise and protest. But mostly it is ignored and unloved by the city population. Urban geographer BRADLEY GARRETT walked its length and met the people closest to its banks

The threat to nature is now so severe it is beginning to threaten human existence. Tony Juniper, the author, campaigner and newly appointed campaigns director at WWF UK, talks to OLIVER TICKELL about the vital role nature plays in our very existence and how we abuse it at our peril

Climate laws are being adopted around the world. MOLLY SCOTT CATO and JAKOB DALUNDE, MEPs for the UK and Sweden, consider whether legally binding commitments can save us from a climate crisis and pave the way towards a net zero emissions planet

Every city has its graveyard of nonprofits, cooperatives, social clubs, and community centers. Without a strategic vision, local projects cannot possibly amount to a systemic alternative to capitalism. The latest contribution from the SYMBIOSIS RESEARCH COLLECTIVE

The term ‘natural capital' was cited a number of times in the UK government’s 25-year environment plan. Yet measuring the value of our environmental resources in purely economic terms is both short sighted and dangerous, argues BEN KITE

We recognise nature’s elemental force, putting humanity and our daily concerns into perspective.

PATRICK CARR is a lifelong coal mine protester from the Pont Valley. As campaigners are evicted from the site by police he explains in his own words what inspired him to join the movement.

Public support for policies designed to reduce carbon emissions and prevent catastrophic climate change is vital. Yet people are naturally resistant when such policies mean sacrificing holidays and rewards they have earned through hard work. LEO BARASI argues there is a solution to this world-defining paradox

The Indigenous Women’s Divestment Delegation is travelling to Europe on April 20 to call on banks and financial institutions to withdraw funding from extractive industries that threaten their environment and way of life. The delegation is being facilitated by the Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network. BRENDAN MONTAGUE reports

Acupuncture? An ancient Chinese healing practice where a doctor pokes hair-thin needles into odd places they call “points” on a patient’s body? What does acupuncture have to do with climate change? SPRING CHENG argues the practice holds powerful lessons for how we interact with our natural environment

We can start building new tools for a democratic and ecological society once we understand hierarchy as the central problem, argues the SYMBIOSIS RESEARCH COLLECTIVE

A new report by Transparency International reinforces long-standing concerns that the shipping industry has undue influence over the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), which is meeting in London over the next two weeks to discuss climate change. CLAIRE JAMES reports

The aim of the Resurgence Trust - owner and publisher of The Ecologist - is to change people's worldview so we can live in harmony with each other and with nature. Here NATALIE BENNETT, former Green party leader, explains why this aim is so vital today

The pursuit of economic growth is causing irreparable ecological damage - threatening to undermine human civilisation itself. But 'green growth' is no panacea for the problems we now face. Abandoning Gross Domestic Product and growth as measures for success is the only way to avoid failure, argues MARTIN KIRK

The first Living Architecture prototype – the 'living brick' – was launched during the Venice Architecture Biennale in 2016. Professor RACHEL ARMSTRONG argues that this technology could revolutionise our relationship with the built environment

The campaign for Brexit said leaving the UK would involve taking back control. How can each of us take back control of our lives, and enjoy a more localised and sustainable way of living?

The League Against Cruel Sports argues the conviction of the head gamekeeper of the Buckminster Estate shows that hunts are 'still chasing and killing foxes in the British countryside'. They have asked the public to sign its petition against hunting. BRENDAN MONTAGUE reports