The U.S. technology and e-commerce company said it now returns more water to communities than it consumes across its Indian operations, including data centers, warehouses and corporate offices. Amazon said the milestone was achieved a year earlier than planned through reductions in water consumption and investments in projects such as watershed restoration and efficient irrigation systems.

The announcement comes as major technology firms, including Amazon, Microsoft and Google’s parent company Alphabet, face increasing pressure from shareholders, environmental groups and local communities over the resource demands associated with large-scale data center developments.

Amazon has pledged to become water positive across its global data center operations by 2030. The company said its data centers in India do not use water-based cooling systems, a notable distinction in a country where water availability remains a persistent challenge.

India accounts for roughly 18% of the world’s population but possesses only about 4% of global freshwater resources, making water management a critical issue for policymakers and businesses alike.

Water shortages typically intensify during the summer months, and conditions have been exacerbated this year by weak monsoon rainfall linked to a strong El Niño weather pattern.

Among the regions facing the greatest pressure are Karnataka, home to the technology hub of Bengaluru, and Maharashtra, which includes Mumbai, India’s financial capital. Authorities in Mumbai said this week the city, with a population of about 13 million, had water reserves sufficient for only around 40 more days under current conditions.

The water conservation announcement coincides with Amazon’s broader expansion plans in India, one of its fastest-growing markets. The company has said it intends to invest more than $35 billion in the country by 2030 to strengthen artificial intelligence capabilities and support export growth.

Amazon Web Services, the company’s cloud computing division, plans to invest approximately $8.2 billion in Maharashtra, according to information previously disclosed by India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.

Microsoft and Google have also unveiled significant investments in India’s data center sector over the past year, reflecting growing demand for cloud services and AI-related computing infrastructure in the country.

As technology companies accelerate investments in digital infrastructure, environmental concerns surrounding electricity consumption, land use and water resources are increasingly becoming a focus for regulators, investors and local communities.

Energy experts have criticised former British prime minister Tony Blair’s call for greater oil and gas extraction, arguing that moving away from the country’s net zero targets would increase long-term economic and climate risks.

The criticism followed an essay by Blair in which he argued that the United Kingdom should use its remaining oil and gas reserves and reconsider its target of achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

Blair’s position has renewed debate over the future of the UK’s energy policy, particularly as the country faces rising concerns over energy security, extreme weather and the cost of living.Energy specialists said expanding fossil fuel production would not provide a reliable solution to energy challenges and could expose households and businesses to continued volatility in international fuel markets.

Ed Matthew, UK programme director at the climate thinktank E3G, described Blair’s intervention as out of step with current energy and environmental pressures.Matthew said recent heat records and international energy disruptions demonstrated the risks associated with continued dependence on fossil fuels.

He argued that renewable energy offered a more stable alternative because operating costs were low once infrastructure was built.Blair’s comments came as the UK recorded periods of unusually high temperatures and increased solar power generation. Scientists have linked rising temperatures and more frequent heat extremes to climate change driven largely by greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels.

Medical professionals warned that extreme heat could increase health risks, particularly for older people and young children. Farmers also reported pressure on livestock and crops, with economic losses expected to exceed hundreds of millions of pounds.The debate has centred on whether the UK should prioritise domestic fossil fuel extraction or accelerate investment in renewable energy and low-carbon technologies.

Supporters of increased oil and gas production argue that domestic resources could improve energy independence and reduce reliance on imported fuels. Critics say fossil fuel markets remain globally connected and that new extraction would not shield consumers from international price changes.

The UK has committed to reaching net zero emissions by 2050, a target that requires substantial reductions in greenhouse gas emissions across electricity generation, transport, industry and buildings.Experts opposing Blair’s proposal said abandoning the target could weaken investment certainty for clean energy industries and slow the development of technologies needed for the transition.

Renewable energy capacity has expanded in recent years, with falling costs making technologies such as solar and wind increasingly competitive. However, the transition also requires improvements in energy storage, grid infrastructure and industrial adaptation.

Blair has previously questioned aspects of current climate policy and argued that energy strategies should focus more heavily on technological development and economic competitiveness.His latest comments have drawn attention because they come during a period of heightened global energy uncertainty.

International conflicts and supply disruptions have contributed to fluctuations in oil and gas prices, reinforcing arguments on both sides of the energy debate.Climate policy experts said the central challenge for governments was balancing energy reliability, affordability and emissions reduction.

They argued that investment decisions made now would influence the UK’s energy system for decades, with consequences for both economic resilience and climate risks.

The World Meteorological Organization said there is an 86 percent chance that at least one year between 2026 and 2030 will surpass 2024 as the warmest year ever recorded. The agency also projected a 75 percent probability that average global temperatures over the five-year period will exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

The warning comes as parts of Europe experience unusually early heatwaves, with temperature records broken in Britain and France during May.

Scientists linked the rising temperatures partly to the expected return of the El Nino climate pattern by late 2026, which historically boosts global warming. WMO climate expert Leon Hermanson said the phenomenon could make 2027 a potential record-breaking year.

The agency stressed that temporary breaches of the 1.5C threshold do not automatically mean the Paris climate target has permanently failed, as the agreement measures long-term warming trends over decades rather than individual years.

The report also warned of accelerated warming in the Arctic, where winter temperatures are forecast to rise at more than three times the global average. Wetter conditions are expected across northern Europe, the Sahel, Alaska and Siberia, while drought risks may intensify in the Amazon region.

Researchers in the United States have developed a new aluminium-based chemical recycling process that converts plastic waste into fuel-range hydrocarbons at significantly lower temperatures than conventional recycling methods, potentially offering a more energy-efficient approach to managing global plastic pollution.

The technology, developed by scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, uses a molten salt solution containing aluminium chloride to break down polyethylene, one of the world’s most widely used plastics, into liquid hydrocarbons suitable for fuel applications.

The research represents part of a broader global effort to improve chemical recycling technologies as governments and industries face increasing pressure to reduce plastic waste entering landfills, incinerators and natural ecosystems.

According to details released by the research team, the molten aluminium salt serves both as the reaction medium and as the active chemical agent, removing the need for additional catalysts, hydrogen inputs or organic solvents commonly used in other plastic-to-fuel conversion systems.

The process operates at temperatures below 200 degrees Celsius, substantially lower than traditional pyrolysis-based recycling technologies that typically require temperatures between 450 and 500 degrees Celsius. Researchers said the lower operating temperature could reduce energy consumption and improve the economic feasibility of large-scale deployment.

Approximately 60% of the resulting output consists of hydrocarbons within the gasoline fuel range, according to the study. These products could potentially be used in transportation fuels or industrial chemical applications following further processing and refinement.

Polyethylene, the target material used in the experiment, is among the most common plastics globally and is widely used in packaging films, shopping bags, containers and consumer products. Its widespread use has made it a major contributor to global plastic waste streams.

Chemical recycling technologies such as the molten-salt approach differ from conventional mechanical recycling systems, which typically involve sorting, cleaning and remelting plastics for reuse. Mechanical recycling often faces limitations because repeated processing can degrade material quality and because many mixed or contaminated plastics cannot be efficiently recycled through conventional systems.

The Oak Ridge process instead breaks polymer chains into smaller hydrocarbon molecules, transforming waste plastics into chemical feedstocks or fuel products rather than reproducing new plastic material directly.Researchers used neutron scattering and spectroscopy techniques to observe how polymer chains decomposed during the reaction process.

According to the study, these analytical methods helped scientists better understand the chemical mechanisms involved and optimise the breakdown process.The aluminium chloride molten salt system also avoids dependence on expensive catalysts frequently used in advanced chemical recycling systems.

Many competing technologies rely on rare or precious metals to accelerate polymer decomposition, increasing operational costs and creating additional supply-chain constraints.Industry analysts say reducing catalyst requirements could improve scalability if the process proves commercially viable at industrial scale.However, researchers acknowledged that several technical challenges remain before the technology can move toward widespread commercial adoption.

One of the principal obstacles involves the moisture sensitivity of the molten salt mixture. Exposure to water can interfere with reaction efficiency and alter the behaviour of the chemical system, creating operational difficulties for industrial facilities.

The report noted that further work is needed to improve long-term system durability, process stability and industrial safety before large-scale commercialisation becomes practical.Plastic waste remains one of the fastest-growing environmental challenges worldwide.

According to estimates from international environmental agencies, hundreds of millions of tonnes of plastic waste are generated annually, while recycling rates remain comparatively low across many regions.Most plastic recycling today relies on mechanical systems that can only process limited categories of plastic waste efficiently.

Complex, contaminated or multi-layered plastics often remain difficult to recycle economically and frequently end up in landfills or are incinerated.Advanced recycling technologies, including pyrolysis, solvent-based recovery and catalytic depolymerisation, have gained increased investment attention in recent years as policymakers and manufacturers seek alternatives capable of handling mixed plastic waste streams.

Supporters of chemical recycling argue that these technologies could contribute to a more circular plastics economy by treating plastic waste as an industrial feedstock rather than disposable refuse. Critics, however, have questioned whether some plastic-to-fuel systems merely shift environmental impacts from waste management to fuel combustion emissions.

The Oak Ridge aluminium-salt process enters this broader debate at a time when industries are facing mounting regulatory pressure to improve waste recovery rates and reduce environmental pollution associated with plastics.The findings also highlight the growing intersection between the aluminium sector and sustainability-focused industrial technologies.

Aluminium compounds such as aluminium chloride are increasingly being studied for roles in catalysis, energy storage and chemical processing because of their thermal and reactive properties.

Researchers involved in the project said continued development will focus on improving efficiency, reducing operational sensitivities and evaluating the economic viability of scaling the process for industrial use.

Brazilian Indigenous leader, writer and environmental thinker Ailton Krenak has spent decades challenging dominant political and economic assumptions in Brazil, arguing that modern consumer-driven society has severed humanity’s relationship with nature while deepening social inequality and ecological destruction.

Nearly four decades after a landmark appearance before Brazil’s constitutional assembly helped secure Indigenous rights protections in the country’s democratic constitution, Krenak has emerged as one of the country’s most influential public intellectuals, combining environmental criticism, Indigenous cosmology and political activism in lectures and bestselling books translated into more than 13 languages.

Krenak, 72, first gained national prominence in 1987 during the drafting of Brazil’s post-dictatorship constitution. Addressing lawmakers in Brasília while wearing a suit and tie, he slowly covered his face with black jenipapo dye, traditionally used in Indigenous body painting, as he condemned centuries of violence against Indigenous communities.“Indigenous blood has been spilt over every hectare of Brazil’s 8m square kilometres,” he told legislators at the time.

The gesture became one of the defining images of Brazil’s democratic transition and contributed to the inclusion of constitutional protections recognising Indigenous peoples’ rights to their traditional lands, social organisation and cultural identity under the 1988 constitution.Reflecting on the speech nearly 40 years later, Krenak described congress as a place where political power was concentrated through language and public speech.

“There, the young Ailton understood the meaning of parliament,” he said. “The place to speak, the power of the word.”In 2024, Krenak entered another historically exclusive institution when he became the first Indigenous Brazilian elected to the Brazilian Academy of Letters, an organisation founded in the 19th century and traditionally dominated by white intellectual elites.

At his inauguration ceremony, Krenak used the occasion to highlight Brazil’s Indigenous diversity, invoking dozens of Indigenous peoples while wearing the academy’s formal embroidered uniform alongside Indigenous adornments.“I am only one, but I can invoke 305 peoples,” he said.Krenak’s growing international influence has been driven largely by a series of books focused on environmental degradation, capitalism and the relationship between humanity and the natural world.

His 2020 book Ideas to Postpone the End of the World became a major commercial and intellectual success in Brazil and abroad, later followed by Life Is Not Useful and Ancestral Future.Across his writing and public lectures, Krenak argues that modern societies have normalised environmental destruction through economic systems centered on consumption and extraction.

“We are treading heavily on the Earth,” he said during a recent lecture in Rio de Janeiro. “Modernity is very active in making us consumers but leaves little time and space to coexist.”Krenak frequently frames environmental collapse not only as a scientific or political issue but also as a cultural and spiritual crisis. He criticises what he describes as a model of development that treats nature exclusively as a resource for economic growth.

“Development is not an innocent word,” he said. “It fires a shot at someone.”Despite the severity of his message, Krenak often delivers lectures with humour and conversational ease. During one recent appearance, he abruptly interrupted his own discussion of social exclusion and environmental decline by joking that the audience had “fallen into a trap” after expecting a more uplifting talk about dreams and creativity.

Friends and observers frequently describe his public speaking style as calm and accessible despite the radical nature of many of his arguments.Born in 1953 in Minas Gerais state, Krenak belongs to the Krenak people, whose ancestral territory lies along the Doce River in southeastern Brazil.

He recalls spending his childhood surrounded by forests, rivers and open land before military-era land seizures displaced his community.During Brazil’s military dictatorship, authorities fragmented Krenak territory and redistributed land titles to farmers, forcing Indigenous families to flee repeatedly.“It’s a bodily experience of being in a world with no risks,” Krenak said of his early childhood.

“Then suddenly you are warned by adults that you must run away.”His family eventually fled through several regions of Brazil, at times living along highways while searching for safety.“I remember the feeling of being on the run, of not knowing if we’d find a safe place to sleep,” he said.

Krenak has often linked those experiences of displacement to broader historical patterns affecting Indigenous communities and diasporic populations. He argues that Brazilian society lacks a shared historical memory because different groups experienced the country’s development through profoundly unequal realities.

“We are not equal,” he said. “We don’t have a shared memory of history in Brazil.”After relocating to São Paulo and Paraná, Krenak became involved in organising Indigenous political movements and media initiatives. He helped establish an Indigenous newspaper at São Paulo’s Pontifical Catholic University, later transforming it into audio bulletins distributed to Indigenous villages on cassette tapes and eventually into a radio programme.

In 1980, he co-founded the Union of Indigenous Nations, which became a major voice in Brazil’s Indigenous rights movement during the democratic transition.Krenak’s environmental advocacy was further shaped by the 2015 Mariana mining disaster, one of Brazil’s worst environmental catastrophes.

The collapse of a tailings dam owned by mining companies Vale and BHP Billiton destroyed villages and released toxic waste across hundreds of miles of the Doce River basin.For the Krenak people, the river is regarded as a sacred ancestor known as Watu.Ten years after the disaster, Krenak said the river remains deeply damaged.“To declare it dead would be giving up,” he said, describing the river instead as being “in a coma”.

Krenak continues to argue that Indigenous knowledge systems offer alternatives to economic models based solely on extraction and consumption.

He says modern societies must reconsider assumptions about progress, ownership and humanity’s place within nature.“If I can imagine a utopia,” he said, “it is for humans to recover the experience of a simple life.”

In the densely populated informal settlements of Mumbai, a local waste-for-food initiative led by 27-year-old social entrepreneur Shakti Yadav is combining environmental cleanup efforts with food distribution in communities affected by poor sanitation and limited access to nutrition.

Yadav, founder of the “Buy Food with Plastic” initiative, operates a system in which residents exchange discarded plastic bottles for prepared meals. According to the programme’s operating model, 20 plastic bottles are accepted in return for one hot meal.The initiative, launched in 2020, has so far distributed more than 42,000 meals, supported approximately 4,500 people and conducted sustainability awareness activities involving over 1,000 students, according to figures cited in the report.

Yadav said the project was shaped by his own experience growing up in a Mumbai slum, where seasonal flooding and poor waste management created recurring public health risks.“During the monsoons, sewage water would flood the streets,” he said. “People had to wade through it because discarded plastic choked the drains.”

According to Yadav, blocked drainage systems contributed to repeated outbreaks of mosquito-borne diseases, including dengue and malaria, in vulnerable neighbourhoods. His initiative was designed to address what he described as two interconnected urban challenges: unmanaged plastic waste and food insecurity.The programme operates through a circular collection and redistribution model.

Plastic bottles collected from participating residents are transferred to recycling facilities, where some workers are recruited from the same communities supplying the waste. The recycled material is then repurposed into products including flowerpots and tea coasters, which are later sold to companies, including international corporations.

Mumbai, India’s financial capital and one of the country’s most densely populated cities, generates thousands of tonnes of municipal solid waste daily. Plastic waste management has remained a major challenge for urban authorities, particularly during monsoon periods when clogged drainage infrastructure increases flood risks in low-income settlements.

Yadav said the project was inspired by a similar initiative operating in the United States. He contacted the founder of that programme and developed his own local adaptation focused on conditions in Mumbai’s informal settlements.An MBA graduate and the first member of his family to pursue higher education, Yadav initially managed the project while working in a corporate job.

He later left full-time employment to focus entirely on expanding the initiative.The transition initially faced resistance within his family. According to the report, Yadav’s mother questioned the sustainability of non-profit work and believed such efforts were generally undertaken by financially secure individuals or organizations.Yadav said he eventually persuaded her by demonstrating how the programme could simultaneously reduce waste accumulation and improve food access in underserved communities.

The meals distributed through the initiative are intended to support residents in slum areas where access to affordable and nutritious food remains inconsistent. By linking food distribution with waste collection, the programme also attempts to incentivize recycling participation among residents who may otherwise lack formal waste disposal options.

Environmental awareness has become another component of the initiative’s outreach strategy. Yadav and his team regularly visit schools and residential communities to conduct educational sessions focused on sustainability and waste disposal practices.“Previously, nobody told me that throwing plastic away was harmful,” Yadav said, describing the lack of environmental education during his childhood.

The awareness campaigns target younger audiences in particular, with organizers seeking to promote behavioural changes related to littering, recycling and environmental responsibility.The initiative’s visibility has expanded beyond Mumbai in recent years. According to the report, Yadav represented India in Germany during a programme focused on sustainability and climate change research.

He was also awarded the 2023 Cross-Cultural Program Fellowship.The project currently operates in selected slum clusters across Mumbai, although Yadav said he intends to expand its reach across additional parts of the city.Urban policy experts have increasingly emphasized the relationship between waste management, flooding and public health risks in Indian metropolitan regions.

During annual monsoon periods, low-income settlements often experience disproportionate exposure to waterlogging and sanitation failures due to inadequate drainage systems and high concentrations of unmanaged waste.

Plastic waste has become a central issue in municipal governance discussions across India, particularly after several state governments introduced restrictions on single-use plastics and expanded recycling regulations in recent years. Enforcement and waste segregation, however, remain inconsistent across many urban districts.

Programmes such as “Buy Food with Plastic” operate outside formal municipal systems but increasingly form part of localized efforts aimed at combining environmental management with social welfare objectives.The initiative also reflects a growing trend among younger social entrepreneurs in India seeking hybrid solutions that combine recycling, employment generation and food distribution.

By connecting waste collection with direct community incentives, such models attempt to address both environmental and economic pressures simultaneously.Yadav said his long-term objective remains focused on improving conditions within communities similar to the one where he was raised.

“My goal is to eradicate both plastic waste and hunger,” he said.

Australia’s long-standing do-it-yourself culture is increasingly being reshaped by concerns over waste, emissions and the rising cost of replacing household equipment, prompting greater interest in electric tools, repair cafes and community-run tool libraries.For many Australians, weekend trips to hardware stores remain a routine part of home and garden maintenance.

Survey data shows about 57% of Australians consider themselves willing to undertake repairs and improvements around the house and garden. But environmental advocates and repair networks say the traditional DIY model, particularly one reliant on petrol-powered equipment and infrequently used new tools, carries significant environmental and financial costs.

Australia imports more than one million outdoor power tools annually, including lawnmowers, leaf blowers, hedge trimmers, chainsaws, chippers and pressure washers. Many of these are powered by two-stroke or four-stroke petrol engines, which generate noise, greenhouse gas emissions and exhaust pollutants including carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds and fine particulate matter.

According to the California Air Resources Board, operating a commercial leaf blower for one hour produces a similar level of air pollutants as driving a car for about 1,700 kilometres, roughly the distance between Melbourne and Brisbane.

One hour of lawn mowing produces emissions comparable to driving about 480 kilometres.Research has also shown that on summer weekends in Australia, small non-road engines, largely from lawn mowing and recreational boating, contribute up to 20% of certain forms of air pollution, including carbon monoxide and volatile organic compounds.

In California, these engines overtook passenger vehicles as the largest source of smog-forming pollution in 2020.Harry Barber, a transport consultant and volunteer with Electrify Yarra, said battery-electric alternatives are now available for nearly all common household garden tools, reducing the need for petrol-powered equipment.“Whether it’s a mower, or a blower, or a whipper-snipper, or a chainsaw. Whatever you need, it can all be electric,” Barber said.

He said transitioning to electric tools is significantly more affordable for most households than replacing a petrol vehicle with an electric car. Many manufacturers also design batteries that work across multiple tools, reducing both cost and material use.Barber said electric tools offer additional benefits beyond emissions reduction.

They are quieter, require less maintenance and eliminate the burnt oil smell associated with two-stroke engines. Although Australia banned the sale of two-stroke tools in 2020 due to pollution concerns, many households continue to use older equipment already in circulation.

In the United States, dozens of cities have banned the sale of petrol-powered leaf blowers or introduced financial incentives to encourage households and landscaping businesses to adopt electric alternatives.Alongside the shift toward electric equipment, another movement is growing across Australian cities: borrowing instead of buying.

Tool libraries, where residents pay a membership fee to borrow tools rather than purchase them, are expanding as communities seek to reduce overconsumption and make expensive equipment more accessible.

The “Heroes of Tomorrow: UN SDG Action Awards” is a global initiative recognizing efforts aligned with the UN SDG Action Campaign and the broader Sustainable Development Goals agenda.

The awards, launched as part of the SDG Global Festival of Action, highlight work across areas including climate action, gender equality, education and peacebuilding.

Marina Ponti, global director of the campaign, said the program aims to amplify voices from underserved communities leading transformative change. She described awardees as individuals who act decisively despite constraints and demonstrate commitment to building a more equitable and sustainable world.

Ponti said the 2026 edition will feature three categories: Changemaker, recognizing leadership in justice and peace; Creativity, focusing on initiatives using art and innovation; and Resilience, highlighting efforts addressing conflict, inequality and climate pressures.

Past awardees include Syrian refugee Jin Dawod, whose mental health platform supports displaced communities across 26 countries, and Julienne Lusenge, known for her work supporting survivors of gender-based violence and advancing peacebuilding in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

According to Ponti, the program has received around 5,500 applications from 190 countries in recent years, with entries assessed on impact, scalability and innovation, alongside what she described as a distinguishing “wow factor.”

She noted disparities in application volumes due to barriers such as language and access, with a higher share of submissions coming from English-speaking countries. The campaign is exploring measures to improve inclusivity through expanded outreach, language support and partnerships.

Ponti added that governments can strengthen participation by investing in local initiatives through funding, training and capacity-building programs to help scale grassroots solutions.

Finalists will be invited to an awards ceremony scheduled for later in the year.

A group of writers gathered on weathered couches in a sparse, plywood structure in the California desert recently, reading poetry and exchanging critiques in a setting that, at first glance, resembled a typical university workshop.

Laptops rested on knees, tea was poured into cups, and participants offered encouragement after each reading. But beyond the circle, the surroundings told a different story: a windswept, isolated landscape with no permanent infrastructure, far removed from any conventional campus.

The gathering took place at what participants call Mars College, an experimental learning community located near Bombay Beach, roughly 200 miles from Los Angeles and about 40 miles from the nearest grocery store. The site sits beside the Salton Sea, a shrinking and environmentally stressed body of water, and consists of temporary structures assembled from plywood and metal frames.

Co-founder Gene Kogan, a programmer and artist, said the name “Mars College” emerged informally, reflecting the stark terrain. “It kind of looks like Mars out here,” he said, describing the barren surroundings.The initiative operates outside the framework of traditional higher education.

There are no degrees, formal admissions, or accreditation systems. Tuition is not charged in the conventional sense, though participants contribute a few hundred dollars to cover shared costs such as internet access, food, and sanitation facilities. There are no permanent utilities; electricity is largely generated through solar panels, while water and waste management require transportation to and from the site.

Classes are organized daily and led by participants themselves, covering topics ranging from creative writing to solar panel installation and mathematical concepts. The structures hosting these activities are erected at the start of the program in January and dismantled by April, when the seasonal “semester” ends and participants leave.

Kogan said the project is not intended to replicate a university. “I’m not attached to the word college,” he said. “I’m not trying to convince anyone we’re a university of sorts.” He described it instead as an alternative model that responds to concerns about rising education costs and changing labor market conditions.

The concept emerged partly from experiences at large-scale gatherings such as Burning Man in Nevada, where temporary communities and structures are built and later dismantled. One of the project’s co-founders, who goes by Freeman, began constructing modular living spaces from industrial pallet racks at the festival. After acquiring a 20-acre plot of desert land in 2019 for approximately $20,000, he established a more setting for the experiment near Bombay Beach.

Kogan, who holds a mathematics degree from Columbia University and later received a Fulbright scholarship to study art and technology spaces in India, contributed to building a network of participants. He issued an open call in 2019 inviting people interested in collaborative learning and off-grid living.

The initial group consisted largely of acquaintances, he said, with participation expanding over time.Despite its unconventional structure, Mars College reflects some of the broader pressures facing traditional higher education systems. Kogan pointed to the availability of online educational content and questioned the sustainability of high tuition fees.

He noted that during the pandemic, universities such as Columbia continued charging students substantial fees even as instruction moved online.“At the age of the internet, you can get educational content for free,” he said. “But the thing that you can’t get for free is a place for young people to go through this learning phase together.”Participants at Mars College come from varied backgrounds.

Some hold advanced degrees, while others have not completed formal schooling. Current attendees include a former English major interested in off-grid living, a microbiologist with a doctorate who produces a camp journal, and individuals from nearby communities such as Slab City.

Others travel internationally and participate intermittently.Daily life at the site is shaped by environmental constraints. Strong desert winds frequently generate sandstorms, coating surfaces in dust and requiring protective measures such as goggles. Water must be transported in tanks, and waste must be removed manually.

Temperatures rise significantly during spring, often reaching triple digits.“Here, you can’t take anything for granted,” Kogan said, referring to the logistical challenges of sustaining the community.The curriculum reflects the skills required to operate in such an environment, including practical instruction in energy systems and construction.

At the same time, creative and technical subjects are integrated into the program, with participants exploring a range of projects and collaborative work.The influence of emerging technologies is also evident in the community’s activities. Workshops on coding and digital tools are common, and some systems within the camp, including lighting and organizational functions, are automated.

Participants debate how such technologies should be incorporated into creative and academic work, reflecting wider discussions taking place in educational and professional settings.Environmental concerns have also surfaced in relation to the broader region. Proposals for large-scale data infrastructure near the area have raised questions about resource use, particularly electricity and water consumption.

Kogan acknowledged encountering such discussions but said they are not central to the project’s focus, which remains on community-based learning and experimentation.Freeman described the environment as conducive to exploration and collaboration.

“It’s nice being around other people using it extensively to see what it’s capable of,” he said, referring to the range of tools and projects developed at the site.For some participants, the blending of human and automated contributions to creative work has prompted reflection.

The microbiologist who compiles the camp’s journal wrote in an editor’s note about balancing different forms of authorship and experimentation, describing it as an evolving process.The temporary nature of Mars College is a defining feature. Each year, the structures are dismantled at the end of the program, and the land returns to its unoccupied state.

Participants disperse, often returning to conventional careers or other pursuits, before reconvening the following year.The model raises questions about scalability and long-term viability, particularly in comparison with established institutions.

However, its founders emphasize that the project is not designed as a replacement for universities but as a parallel experiment.As the current session approaches its conclusion, the site is already preparing for disassembly.

The plywood classrooms, communal spaces, and solar installations will be taken down, leaving behind only the desert landscape.

Wearing a helmet fitted with a headlamp and a protective mask, molecular biologist Raúl da Silva Armando Chomela moves through the confined, low-light interiors of cave systems in central Mozambique, examining bat populations and their byproducts as part of a broader scientific effort to understand subterranean ecosystems.

Chomela, originally from the port city of Beira, has spent two years conducting research inside caves located in and around Gorongosa National Park, a 4,000 square kilometre conservation area recognized for its biodiversity.

His work focuses on bats and guano, a substance formed from accumulated bird and bat excrement that serves as a complex biological environment.“Guano is far more than just bat droppings,” Chomela said in an interview, describing it as a dynamic ecosystem.

According to his observations, guano supports a wide range of cave-dwelling organisms, including beetles, amphibians and microorganisms that have adapted to life in conditions without sunlight.

The caves in Gorongosa represent highly specialized environments. Organisms found within them have evolved to survive in stable, low-light conditions with distinct microbiomes that differ significantly from surface ecosystems.

These systems are characterized by limited external input and reliance on internal nutrient cycles, often driven by organic deposits such as guano.Chomela’s research involves entering narrow passages and descending into enclosed spaces using ropes and ladders, often without full knowledge of the terrain or species present.

According to the park’s science department, the cave networks in the region extend across approximately 183 square kilometres, forming interconnected underground systems.

More than 100 bat species have been identified in Gorongosa, although there is no precise data on how many inhabit these caves. One site, known as Tombo Aphale 5, has been extensively studied and hosts an estimated population of over 10,000 bats.

The cave is also the site of an active archaeological excavation, indicating its broader scientific relevance beyond ecological research.Gorongosa National Park was established in 1960 during Portuguese colonial administration.

Following Mozambique’s independence in 1975, conservation was not prioritized under the ruling Frelimo party. Two years later, the park became a strategic location during the country’s civil war, which involved government forces and the insurgent group Renamo.

Renamo, initially formed with support from the Rhodesian government under Ian Smith and later backed by apartheid-era South Africa, operated within the park’s terrain. During the conflict, armed groups relied on wildlife for sustenance, leading to widespread depletion of animal populations.

By the end of the war, which lasted more than 15 years, approximately 95% of the park’s wildlife had been lost, including nearly all of its estimated 5,500 hippos.The effects of the conflict extended beyond environmental damage.

Local communities experienced forced recruitment and other human rights abuses during the war, contributing to long-term social and economic challenges in the region.

In the decades since the conflict ended, Gorongosa has become the focus of sustained conservation and restoration efforts. These initiatives have involved partnerships between international institutions and Mozambican researchers, aiming to rebuild ecosystems and support local development.

One such initiative is the Paleo-Primate Project, established in 2018 as a collaboration between the University of Oxford and Gorongosa National Park. The project is led by Susana Carvalho and integrates research in archaeology, ecology and geology.

It also provides training and employment opportunities for local researchers and students.Carvalho said the broader Gorongosa Restoration Project has become a significant employer in the region, contributing to economic stability.

The project supports scientific research while also engaging local communities in conservation efforts.Chomela joined Gorongosa’s biodiversity laboratory in 2022 before becoming part of the Paleo-Primate Project in 2025.

His research spans multiple disciplines, including the use of environmental DNA to reconstruct historical ecosystems and metabarcoding techniques to analyze genetic material from bats and primates.

He is currently a first-year doctoral student at the University of Porto in Portugal, with his research based at the EO Wilson Laboratory in Chitengo, located within the park. In addition to his academic work, he leads the genetics laboratory at the facility, contributing to ongoing studies of biodiversity and ecosystem dynamics.

Chomela has also raised concerns about the potential overexploitation of guano resources. While the material is valued for its agricultural and economic uses, he noted that excessive harvesting could alter the composition of cave ecosystems.

“When they see the guano, they see money,” he said, adding that unsustainable extraction could disrupt the balance of species that depend on it.He emphasized the importance of building a scientific foundation to inform conservation practices and community engagement.

“We want a scientific base to convince the community,” he said, referring to efforts to align local economic interests with environmental sustainability.

The integration of scientific research, conservation policy and community involvement remains central to ongoing work in Gorongosa, as researchers continue to document and restore one of Africa’s most ecologically significant regions.