Was the populist far right a reaction to neoliberal free market fundamentalism? Or, as historian Quinn Slobodian argues, did such rightwing currents come out of the ideas of neoliberalism itself? Slobodian reflects on neoliberal thinkers’ preoccupation with racist and misogynistic ideas of human nature and intelligence, borders and gold — all in service to their … Continued
On today’s show: In 1971, John Francis, known the world over as ‘Planetwalker,’ witnessed an oil tanker collision in the San Francisco Bay. The sight of oiled birds on the shoreline caused him to give up motorized transport and rely solely on his own two feet. Months after that he took a vow of silence … Continued
For over half a century, Big Oil and the plastics industry, through their trade associations and front groups, have sold the public the false idea that plastics are recyclable. Recycling became the mantra of good ecological stewardship, promoted by the likes of city governments, school children, and environmental groups. Davis Allen lays out the mass-marketing … Continued
The idea that we and the world around us vibrate with flows of energy has deep roots in North America. Historian Jackson Lears argues that vitalism or animism has played a crucial but contradictory role in U.S. politics and society. On the one hand, it has been fueled by capitalism and the almost magical function … Continued
In the first of a two-part series, Terra Verde host and Earth Island Journal editor Maureen Nandini Mitra speaks climate activists Josephine Ferorelli and Meghan Kallman about Conceivable Future, their initiative to unravel the complex connections between climate justice and reproductive rights and change the narrative of what construes as climate action.
The Republican Party is gripped by a hatred of immigrants. But geographer Reece Jones argues it has not always been so. Instead, one man, the late John Tanton, was responsible for making nativism appear a central concern of conservatives, by propagating scores of anti-immigrant organizations, some which eventually helped staff the Trump Administration. And, as … Continued
In the United States, few things seem as wholesome as camping, letting us temporarily escape the daily grind and commune with nature and each other. But Phoebe Young argues that camping has a complicated history, which tell us a lot about Americans’ notions of nature and the nation. She discusses the various forms that camping … Continued
The planet is getting hotter and the effects of global warming are compounding. The crisis of all ecological systems are becoming more evident. And yet so are environmental movements, which have become larger and more visible than ever. Scholar Julie Sze reflects on the history of struggles for environmental justice and the movement that we … Continued
The struggle at Standing Rock against the Dakota Access Pipeline brought international attention to the resistance of Native peoples against the destruction of the environment. But that resistance has been going on for centuries. Dina Gilio-Whitaker discusses why ecological struggles have been central to Native struggles — and the complicated relationship between the US environmental … Continued
The Kurds are the ultimate stateless people, living in a region spanning Syria, Turkey, Iran and Iraq. For decades leftwing Kurds struggled to create their own ethnic state. But in recent decades, the leadership of the Kurdish freedom movement embraced a form of anarchism, in which they rejected states altogether, and have been building such … Continued
