Planet: Critical

So much of the hope we put in solutions for climate change falls away under a microscope. Did you know wind turbines aren’t recyclable, for example? Guess where they’re buried. Are enough people thinking about what happens when globalisation fails and post-industrial states like Europe and the US are left to mine their own materials? How can we mitigate climate change, truly, without plunging billions into poverty?Simon Michaux is working to find solutions to all these questions. As an associate professor in the circular economy solution unit at the Geological Survey of Finland, Simon models the mining and energy industries to figure out what we can do sustainably—and what is nothing more than greenwashing. He drops more than a few bombshells throughout this episode concerning energy use and politics, but also reveals a new energy paradigm he’s working on that could provide genuine zero emission energy. Prepare to take notes—I did throughout. Listen here or catch it on Apple or Spotify. You can also follow Planet: Critical on Youtube and support the project on Patreon where I upload a bonus video every Saturday.© 2022 Rachel Donald Get full access to Planet: Critical at www.planetcritical.com/subscribe

Maya Moumne is a Lebanese designer and activist who has devoted her professional life to understanding the mechanisms of propaganda in order to drive progression both in the Middle East and abroad through graphic design.Maya co-runs Safar Studio, a graphic design studio who works closely with clients whose mission they believe in. Alongside this, for the past year she has been creating Al Hayya Magazine which launches in December. Al Hayya is a women’s magazine which does not, she says, celebrate women, but reveals the struggles and fight ongoing in the Middle East.Listen to the episode here or catch it on Apple or Spotify. Enjoy!Work with Maya, or subscribe to Al Hayya now. Platform is for people who are pissed off with capitalism. Subscribe to get episodes like this delivered to your inbox every week. Get full access to Planet: Critical at www.planetcritical.com/subscribe

Professor Steve Keen was one of the few economists to realise that a serious economic crisis was imminent in 2005. He publicly warned the world, and helped his native Australia navigate the 2008 crash without the major repercussions that crippled markets everywhere else. He is now working on a new model of economics for a post-crash world. He joined me today to discuss why and how capitalism needs to be constrained, the economics of climate change and what mainstream economists and academics are getting wrong—to the detriment of us all.Listen here or catch it on Apple or Spotify. Enjoy!Support Steve’s work here.You can also follow Planet: Critical on Youtube and support the project on Patreon where I upload a bonus video every Saturday.© 2022 Rachel Donald Get full access to Planet: Critical at www.planetcritical.com/subscribe

Bruno Skvorc is a blockchain expert committed to save Web 3.0 from privatisation. He joins me to discuss how the blockchain can liberate individuals from reliance on private and state-owned systems, why the NFT space is currently going mad, how we can expect to be advertised to in the future, and the alternatives he and his community are building on to save this phenomenal technology from the grips of the market. He also reveals which states pose the most threat to revolutionary tech—the answer may surprise you. Listen here or catch it on Apple or Spotify. Enjoy!Follow Bruno on Twitter.Planet: Critical is a resource for a world in crisis. Subscribe to get interviews like this delivered to your inbox every week. Get full access to Planet: Critical at www.planetcritical.com/subscribe

Reverend Billy is the world-famous secular preacher singing out against climate change, corporate greed and consumerism. Billy has been pounding the streets of New York for decades, preaching against Disney, against mindless consumption, and against the corporations putting our planet in danger. Together with his choir, The Church of Stop Shopping, Reverend Billy uses song and arrest as a form of protest, trespassing into banks, labs and private land to sing about the dangers of the sixth extinction event—and what we can do to stop it.Billy joins me to discuss his journey to secular preaching and the faith in humanity that drives the particular and beautiful protests of The Church of Stop Shopping. This is preaching like you’ve never heard it before. Listen here or catch it on Apple or Spotify. Enjoy!Planet: Critical is a resource for a world in crisis. Subscribe to get interviews like this delivered to your inbox every week. Get full access to Planet: Critical at www.planetcritical.com/subscribe

Platform is for people who are pissed off with capitalism. Subscribe to get episodes like this delivered to your inbox every week.On this week’s episode is Dan Leibsohn, a long-time problem solver in the alternative economy space. Dan set up an alternative community cash checking which provides loans and cash at a much lower rate than the predatorial financial schemes who exist purely to scam those in poverty out of even more money.Dan explains how the banking system traps people in poverty, and explains how some counter-intuitive approaches—like providing pay-day loans—have really helped members of his community lift themselves out of poverty.Dan is a real proactive expert in this field with a wealth of knowledge to learn from. Listen to the episode here or find it on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.Discover Community Check Cashing here! Get full access to Planet: Critical at www.planetcritical.com/subscribe

This week I’m joined by James Dyke, a senior lecturer in Global Systems at the University of Exeter. James reveals why net-zero targets for carbon emissions do nothing but provide an excuse to continue business as usual, posing an existential threat to humanity. He goes into great detail about the interplay of politics, economies, culture and the industrialisation connecting us all, explaining that while there is no one quick fix to the climate crisis, decarbonisation is possible—if we get rid of fossil fuels.There’s a lot to learn in what James has to say. Listen here or catch it on Apple or Spotify.Follow James on Twitter and get a copy of his book, Fire, Storm & Flood.Planet: Critical is a resource for a world in crisis. Subscribe to get interviews like this delivered to your inbox every week. Get full access to Planet: Critical at www.planetcritical.com/subscribe

This week I’m joined by David Anderson, a “helper of helpers” who works in the non-profit/alternative currency space. David joined me to discuss one of his main projects, Simbi, an online marketplace which promotes “volunteership, mutual aid, education and community development.”The idea is people can seek or offer aid to other users but, importantly, earn and pay in simbi credits, the non-profit’s own cryptocurrency. The aim is to relieve the pressure of having to use fiat money ($,€,£) for everything because, as David brilliantly articulates, that kind of money is becoming increasingly scarce for many people. I thoroughly enjoyed this discussion. David points out that, contrary to a lot of crypto theory out there, alternative currencies can play a very important role within existing economies. David doesn’t think simbi credits should ever replace the dollar—rather, giving people more options to earn credits for the things they need, in markets built around community, provides immediate relief and resources to populations experiencing increasing precarity. I’m sure you’ll love it. Listen directly here or catch it on Apple or Spotify.Learn more about Simbi and sign up to be a user!Platform is for people who are pissed off with capitalism. Subscribe to get episodes like this delivered to your inbox every week. Get full access to Planet: Critical at www.planetcritical.com/subscribe

You know when you have one of those conversations that manages to crystallise feelings into thoughts and direction?This is one of those.I am so thrilled to present Linda Havenstein as this week’s guest, a phenomenal artist who explores and tests both capitalism and language through her incredible work. We delve deep into the irony of the art market, the profound terror of creating within a capitalism regime, and dispel the long-told myth of the suffering artist.It was a gift to speak with Linda, and I’m honestly humbled to share it with you all today. Listen here or catch it on either Apple or Spotify.Treat yourself to Linda’s work here. She also has an ongoing exhibition at Kiz Windows in Berlin, and simultaneous shows September 17th to 19th at Berlin’s Unblock Fair Art Fair; Stockholm’s Market Art Fair; and Amsterdam’s Unseen Art Fair. Keep your eyes peeled for her solo show at Dorothee Nilsson Gallery in Berlin January 21 to March 5 next year.Platform is for people who are pissed off with capitalism. Subscribe to get episodes like this delivered to your inbox every week. Get full access to Planet: Critical at www.planetcritical.com/subscribe

On this week’s show is Will Evans, co-creator of Ignition Brewery, the UK’s first brewery and taproom bar staffed exclusively by people with learning disabilities. Will explains that his colleagues were typically offered jobs that kept them hidden in back rooms or storage centres—but Ignition Brewery has successfully shown that his colleagues exceed in everything, from public facing roles, to managing the bar and making the beer. This is a wonderful story of community, be sure to check it out. You can also listen on Apple or Spotify.Visit Ignition Brewery in Lewisham or online.Platform is for people who are pissed off with capitalism. Subscribe to get episodes like this delivered to your inbox every week. Get full access to Planet: Critical at www.planetcritical.com/subscribe