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 31: UN Climate Week Special: Interview with Barry Parkin Chief Sustainability Officer at Mars, Inc.
Episode 30: UN Climate Week Special: Professor Michael Mann
Episode 29: Interview with Dr Richard Norgaard, Professor Emeritus of Ecological Economics
Episode 28: The future of the sustainability agenda: interview with Tony Juniper, CBE.
Episode 27: interview with Lynelle Cameron, President & CEO of the Autodesk Foundation and Senior Director of Sustainability at Autodesk, Inc.
Episode 26: Innovative ideas on how to survive on a fast changing planet. Interview with David Biello, author “The Unnatural World: The Race to Remake Civilization in Earth’s Newest Age.”
Episode 25: Sustainable procurement: how are companies doing? Interview with Pierre-Francois Thaler, co-founder and co-CEO of EcoVadis.
Episode 24: Keeping track of corporate sustainability commitments: interview with Toby Heap, the CEO and co-founder of Corporate Knights Inc. a media company
Episode 23: Interview with Jean Bennington Sweeney, Chief Sustainability Officer for 3M Company: 3M’s sustainability journey.
Episode 22: Professor Giorgos Kallis: Degrowth and the dangers of excessive economic growth
Episode 21: Michael Kobori, Vice-President, Sustainability, at Levi Strauss & Co. Levi’s Sustainability Journey
Episode 20: Martin Wolf: How economic policy can help deal with growing environmental challenges and climate change
Episode 19: Andreea Strachinescu | developments in new energy technologies and innovation in the EU
Episode 18: Katherine Collins| How to connect investing with the real world and how finance can learn from nature
Episode 17: Professor Kevin Anderson| Climate Change Warning
Episode 16: Interview with Ericsson’s Elaine Weidman-Grunewald: Ericsson’s sustainability journey
Episode 15: John Elkington| Exponential technologies, climate change, and sustainable development.
Episode 14: Hunter Lovins| New thinking that will drive Regenerative Capitalism, the next wave beyond sustainability
Episode 13: Professor Paul Ekins| Smart regulation, new technologies and carbon taxation
Episode 12: Tessa Tennant | The future of green finance
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