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 171: Interview with Dr Jeffrey Kiehl, climate scientist and Jungian analyst.
Episode 170: Interview with renowned climate scientist Will Steffen, first aired in June 2020, on the dangers of “tipping cascades” that could post an existential threat to civilization.
Episode 169: Interview with environmental anthropologist Peter Sutoris on new models for schooling and environmental activism.
Episode 168: Veteran activist Stephen Corry, former CEO of Survival International, provides a coruscating analysis of the outcome of COP15
Episode 167: Interview with Professor Daniela Gabor on funding the transition to a low carbon economy, first aired June 2021
Episode 166. Pascoe Sabido from Corporate Europe Observatory reflects on the outcome of COP27
Episode 165 Interview with pioneering American political activist, urban theorist and Marxist environmentalist Mike Davis, first aired in January 2022
Episode 164 Harjeet Singh, head of Global Political Strategy at Climate Action Network International on his expectations for COP27
Episode 163: Interview with David Loy, professor, writer, and Zen teacher of Japanese Zen Buddhism
Episode 162: Groundbreaking nuclear scholar Professor Elaine Scarry shares her views on today’s growing nuclear threats – and discusses how citizens and communities can prepare for emergency situa
Episode 161 Interview with Indian Marxist historian Vijay Prashad –looking at today’s environmental problems through a Marxist lens.shad
Episode 160 Author Ned Beauman talks about his satirical extinction novel, Venemous Lumpsucker
Episode 159: Deep dive on the destruction of the blue commons, with economist Guy Standing
Episode 158: interview with McKinsey partner Peter Spiller on how to deal with Scope 3 emissions
Episode 157: Interview with American theologian, philosopher, and environmentalist John B. Cobb
Episode 156: interview with Dasha Karma Ura, President of the Center for Bhutan studies, and Gross National Happiness Research
Episode 155: Art curator and critic Hans Ulrich Obrist discusses the role of art in climate communications and activism
Episode 154: Interview with Professor Helen Thompson on her new book Disorder: Hard Times in the 21st century.
Episode 153: Lord Adair Turner on the role of Carbon Dioxide Removals (CDR) in meeting global climate objectives
Episode 152: Interview with Timothée Parrique: why we need to degrow the economy. Now.
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