Planet: Critical

FROM THE ARCHIVES:

Professor Steve Keen was one of the few economists to realise that a serious economic crisis was imminent in 2005. He publicly warned the world, and helped his native Australia navigate the 2008 crash without the major repercussions that crippled markets everywhere else.

He is now working on a new model of economics for a post-crash world. He joined me today to discuss why and how capitalism needs to be constrained, the economics of climate change and what mainstream economists and academics are getting wrong—to the detriment of us all.

🌎 Subscribe to support Planet: Critical

Non-native species management has very little to do with ecology and everything to do with economics. That's what activist and writer, Clare Follmann, uncovered in her book Scapegoat: What the Invasive Species Story Gets Wrong (UK version, US version). She joins me to explain how "invasive" species have been blamed for creating the conditions of environmental degradation — conditions that have actually been caused by capitalism, extraction and colonialism.

In this fascinating episode, she reveals the linguistic tricks at play which colour the doctrine of invasive species management, and the insidious links between these protocols and racism and xenophobia. She gives illuminating examples of how extractive industries have blamed species for the problems caused by their pillaging of Earth, and emphasises that the very idea of non-native species forgets the diverse history of the planet which has seen species spread out all across the globe for millions of years. 

🌎 Subscribe to support Planet: Critical

Can violence be cured?

According to physician and epidemiologist, Gary Slutkin, it can. Gary worked for decades treating some of the most virulent disease outbreaks around the world. Then he took that model and applied it to his hometown of Chicago to treat what he believed was an outbreak of violence. His results were shocking: by implementing similar strategies to disease containment and treatment, violent crime could be dramatically reduced.

He joins me to discuss exactly that, explaining the research revealed in his book, The End of Violence (UK version, US version), which argues that violence is a pathogen, a contagion, which we can eradicate through tried and tested methods. Gary walks us through the exact methods he and his team at Cure Violence Global has used around the world to inhibit violence, and we discuss the particularities of sexual violence, state violence, and the absolute necessity of understanding that the epidemic is truly a crisis of male violence. 

🌎 Subscribe to support Planet: Critical

In an age of bad news, it is so important to remember that everything we need to remake the world is already with us. From how we produce food to how we organise our political systems, the solutions we need have long been developed and tested. What we need now is political will and community vision—and to hold onto the fact that everything is still worth fighting for.

Acclaimed author and integrator Jeremy Lent has spent the past years researching a vital book which explores how we can reform and revolutionise our most critical sectors, from finance to agriculture, in order to build a true ecocivilisation. Ecocivilization: Making a World that Works for All (US version, UK version) is a hopeful testament to both our past and our future, illustrated with real-world examples throughout the ages which show time and time again just what we are capable of when we put our minds and hearts together. On this episode, Jeremy walks us through his research, emphasising that such reforms would transform our relationships with each other and the wider world. This is a beautiful conversation which explores how we create the conditions for live to thrive—today, tomorrow, and for the rest of time.

🌎 Subscribe to support Planet: Critical

What is the role of art in any crisis? To understand what is and to imagine what could be; to transcend and birth and promise.

This is the message of today's guest, David Farrier.  David is a professor in literature and the environment at Edinburgh University, and the author of Nature's Genius: Evolutions Lessons for a Changing Planet (UK version, US version). He joins me to discuss poetry, literature, relationality, language and intelligence. In this wide-ranging and meditative conversation, we discuss how space and time are made between species, how the entire world is evolving with and through the crisis, and what we can learn from Nature herself to meet this moment exactly where we are.

From the Enlightenment to whale song, this conversation explores just how critical art is in a moment of breakdown to be a vehicle for transformation, for transmutation, and, perhaps most importantly, daring—mirroring Nature's very own life force.

🌎 Subscribe to support Planet: Critical