In Southeast Asia, farmers plant shrubs, harvest metals
Today is Wednesday. Welcome to Equilibrium, a newsletter that tracks the growing global battle over the future of sustainability. Subscribe here: thehill.com/newsletter-signup. Farming has never been much of a gold mine. But that could change for farmers on the Southeast Asian island of Borneo, according to Grist. There, a local plant serves as a “hyperaccumulator” for metals in the soil. As it grows, the plant pulls “nickel, zinc, cobalt, and even gold” up into its stalk and leaves. Every six months or so, villagers shave off the top foot of growth, burn it and pull valuable metals from the ash. This process is called phytomining or agromining. And at current commodity rates, Grist noted, it could let farmers “net a cool $3,800 per acre of nickel” — which is both a very respectable return for a cash crop and spares the landscape and water from the impacts of open pit mining. Today we’ll look at how costs are rising for another sector: insurance companies, which critics say are now at risk from climate change that they have helped incentivize. Then we’ll check on how penguins are doing in Antarctica and whether U.S. endangered species protections can reach all the way at the poles. For Equilibrium, we are Saul Elbein and Sharon Udasin. Please send tips or comments to Saul at selbein@thehill.com or Sharon at sudasin@thehill.com. Follow us on Twitter: @saul_elbein and @sharonudasin. Let’s get to it. | 
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