Planet: Critical Folgen

Geoengineering is often accused of falling prey to techno-optimism—that technology will get us out of this anthropocenic mess. A lot of proposals seem to have walked off the pages of a dystopian novel, existing only to prop up a destructive and unequal society. But do we need to diversify our strategy and accept these compromises just to buy time over the coming decades? This week, physicist and engineer Ye Tao introduces Meer, the mirror rays project which he says could halt global warming, buying humanity the necessary time to combat the climate crisis. He explains how Meer could cool the planet while decreasing energy demands, and improving water retention and food resources.But Ye is far from a techno-optimist. Whilst he thinks geoengineering could win us some battles, he believes dismantling power structures and our capitalist economy is key to winning the long-term war. He explains we’re locked onto a heating trajectory of at least 2 degrees Celcius, meaning we must deploy technologies to cool the planet. Once we’ve figured that out, he says we then must turn our attention to improving society for everyone—and offers a fascinating proposal to metric human progress. This episode involves some serious science and I hope you all enjoy it. Listen to the full interview here, catch it on on Apple or Spotify, or watch on Youtube. You’ll find the bonus episode on Youtube over the weekend, and paid subscribers have access to the interview transcript.© Rachel Donald Get full access to Planet: Critical at www.planetcritical.com/subscribe

Imagine if we could support 10 billion people on our planet using just 60% of our current energy demands. Sound too good to be true? Not according to degrowth scholars.Economic anthropologist and author, Jason Hickel, is one of the leading degrowth researchers leading the charge for ecosocialism. He says if we limit the energy demands of the elite and hungry multinational corporations—reimagining economics to support and nurture human dignity—we could stay within our planetary boundaries and lift the entire world out of poverty.Degrowth proves putting people over profit would be good for the planet. Some of the most exciting policies include shortening the work week, providing universal basic services, and redistributing income. As we discuss, it’s a form of environmentalism that could join forces with the labour movement to dictate massive, sweeping global changes that could provide a better quality of life for every living being on earth.This episode is all about hope and vision, and I’m thrilled to present it to you all today. Listen to the full interview here, catch it on on Apple or Spotify, or watch on Youtube. You’ll find the bonus episode on Youtube over the weekend, and paid subscribers have access to the interview transcript.© Rachel Donald Get full access to Planet: Critical at www.planetcritical.com/subscribe

In the fight against climate change, we have some of the key details down: reducing emissions, pollution, consumption. But what about the bigger picture questions: How did we get into this mess? And how do we not only combat the climate crisis, but create a society which doesn’t have to go to war against itself every 400 years? This is what David Orr tackles on this week’s episode: What roles do democracy, education and citizenship play in building a better, safer world for both ourselves, our planet and the living things we share it with? David believes active citizenship is key, and is creating educational programmes around the United States to teach ecological literacy and active participation in democracy. These programmes reframe the concept of society to include the living planet we call home. Planet: Critical is a resource for a world in crisis, supported by people like you. Join the community by becoming a subscriber today.During the episode, David explains the historical relationship between politics and the environmental movement, giving key insight where the environmental movement went wrong in the 70s and 80s, and the politicians who rejected changing the status quo at the moment it mattered most. His work today is built upon decades of research at the forefront of the movement and, undoubtedly, the pillar of any functioning and equitable society begins with education. But, as we discuss in the episode, given the urgency of the crisis—do we have time?David W. Orr is Paul Sears Distinguished Professor of Environmental Studies and Politics Emeritus at Oberlin College. He is a founding editor of the journal Solutions, and founder of the Oberlin Project. He is the author of eight books, including Dangerous Years: Climate Change, the Long Emergency, and the Way Forward (Yale, 2016) and Down to the Wire: Confronting Climate Collapse (Oxford, 2009). David has served as a board member or advisor to eight foundations, including the Rocky Mountain Institute and the Aldo Leopold Foundation. Currently he is a trustee of the Alliance for Sustainable Colorado and the Children and Nature Network. His numerous awards include a Lyndhurst Prize, a National Achievement Award from the National Wildlife Federation, and a Visionary Leadership Award from Second Nature. You can also follow Planet: Critical on Youtube and support the project on Patreon. Read the interview transcript here.© Rachel Donald Get full access to Planet: Critical at www.planetcritical.com/subscribe