The Argument for Half-Earth Socialism

Paris Marx is joined by Drew Pendergrass and Troy Vettese to discuss the environmental crises of climate change and mass extinction we face, and why taking them seriously while providing for everyone requires a radical change to how we structure society.

Drew Pendergrass is a PhD candidate in environmental engineering at Harvard University and Troy Vettese is an environmental historian and a Max Weber fellow at the European University Institute. They are the co-authors of Half-Earth Socialism: A Plan to Save the Future from Extinction, Climate Change and Pandemics. Follow them on Twitter at @pendergrassdrew and @TroyVettese.

• Earth is currently undergoing its sixth major extinction, due to the actions of humans on the planet.
• The most recent IPCC report looked at demand-side solutions to the climate crisis.
• The meat industry is responsible for double the emissions of plant-based foods, as well as for an enormous amount of water and 80% of all agricultural land.
• Aaron Benanav is the author of Automation and the Future of Work.
• There is also a Half-Earth Socialism videogame on half.earth.

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• SpaceX’s Regulatory Evasion Has Consequences w/ Eric Roesch
• Don’t Fall for the Longtermism Sales Pitch w/ Émile P. Torres
• Why Green Capitalism Won’t Fix Climate Change w/ Adrienne Buller