In this revealing interview, journalist Vincent Bevins discussed his newly released book If We Burn: The Mass Protest Decade and the Missing Revolution, based on his research of a wide range of social movements between 2010 and 2020. Beginning with an analysis of the "Yellow Vest" protests in France, the discussion focusses on the challenges, nuances, and lessons of building broad social movements—with particular lessons for the climate movement. Vincent highlights the transformative power of social media but also its limitations in fostering genuine, long-lasting change. He underscores the drawbacks of decentralized movements and ambiguous goals identifying potential pitfalls. Drawing from his on-the-ground experiences in Brazil, Vincent emphasizes the significance of recognizing the worldwide repercussions of local endeavors. He also stresses the need for activists to work with governments and state institutions rather than rejecting them, emphasizing that radical change does not necessarily always mean being anti-government.
Vincent Bevins is an award-winning journalist and correspondent. He covered Southeast Asia for the Washington Post, reporting from across the entire region and also served as the Brazil correspondent for the Los Angeles Times, also covering nearby parts of South America. He has written for are the New York Times, The Atlantic, The Economist, The Guardian, Foreign Policy, the New York Review of Books, the New Republic, and more. His previous book is the Jakarta Method: Washington’s Anticommunist Crusade And The Mass Murder Program That Shaped Our World.
Episode 152: Interview with Timothée Parrique: why we need to degrow the economy. Now.
Episode 151: Professor Robert Eccles discusses ESG trends, and the importance of sustainability ratings
Episode 150: Sunrise co-founder William Lawrence shares some lessons and insights from the growth and development of the Sunrise movement
Episode 149 Professor Kevin Gallagher and Richard Kozul-Wright discuss their ideas for a new Bretton Woods to deal with inequality and climate breakdown
Episode 148: Interview with Ann Pettifor on finance and climate and stranded assets
Episode 147: Professor Ruth DeFries on lessons from the natural world on how to deal with environmental crises.
Episode 146: Interview with Mark Campanale, Founder of the Carbon Tracker Initiative
Episode 145 Interview with MSCI’s Global Head of ESG and Climate Research Linda-Eling Lee
Episode 144: Interview with Kenyan conservationist Dr Mordecai Ogada on conservation trends in Kenya.
Episode 143 Interview with pioneering American political activist, urban theorist and Marxist environmentalist Mike Davis
Episode 142: Sir Ronald Cohen, "the father of social investment," discusses his new book, Impact, Reshaping capitalism to drive real change.
Episode 141 Interview with Professor Katharina Pistor on How the Law Creates Wealth and Inequality
Episode 140 COP26 SPECIAL Deep dive on the outcome of COP26, the structure and future of the COPs with professor Stefan Aykut
Episode 139 COP26 SPECIAL: Candid interview with former XR spokesperson Rupert Read on the outcomes of COP26
Episode 138 Interview with James Thornton, CEO of legal powerhouse ClientEarth, on using the law to deal with nature loss and climate change
Episode 137 COP26 SPECIAL: Interview with youth activists Sohanur Rahman, Lucy Jordan and John Paul Jose about COP26 –expectations and reality
Episode 136 COP26 SPECIAL Frédéric Hache from Green Finance Observatory: a critical analysis of carbon offsets and related market mechanisms
Episode 135 COP26 SPECIAL: Professor Mike Hulme talks about his expectations for COP26
Episode 134: Interview with Dr Genevieve Guenther on how fossil-fuel interests have manipulated language and the media to suppress support for climate action
Episode 133: Interview with Professor Daniel Aldrich on resilience and the importance of social capital in post-disaster recovery
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