Planet: Critical

In 2015, independent journalist Clare Rewcastle Brown and Sarawak Report uncovered the beginnings of what is now considered the world’s biggest money-laundering scandal. The crime resulted in billions stolen from the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) fund.

While former prime minister Najib Razak is now facing a 12-year prison sentence for his role in the crime, Rewcastle Brown herself has also faced legal actions against her, including an arrest warrant and an attempt to place her on Interpol’s Red Notice list of wanted fugitives.

Mongabay podcast co-host Rachel Donald speaks with Rewcastle Brown, the founder of the Sarawak Report, about what led her to investigate this scandal, as well as environmental destruction in Borneo. 

Related reading:

Amid corruption scandal, Malaysia switches track on future of rail network

INTERPOL rejects Malaysia’s request to place journalist on Red Notice list

One week ago I emailed my subscribers and asked them to submit any burning question they may have about me or Planet: Critical. I expected most questions to be personal, about me and my journey. Instead, most were asking for advice or my opinion on the state of the world. I guess I never thought about the moment when I would become more than the interviewer, but three years of Planet: Critical have furnished me with more knowledge, ideas and dare I say wisdom than I ever imagined possible.

Thank you to everyone who submitted to the form, there were many questions to choose from, and many of them touching on similar themes. Here are the 13 I chose:

* You've had many answers to your opening question, all of which go some way to approaching a single dimension of the meta-crisis. Is there a picture building in your head which brings together and synthesises these threads, or could start a conversation to do just that?

* What political ideology would you say you closest identify with?

* How can we quickly change the way everyone on the planet understands and engages with the causes and effects of climate change, so that we can have more concerted and faster progress to prepare for it's effects and stop it from becoming worse?

* Truly deeply madly, what do you, (you personally) - based on all the knowledge and inspiration you have acquired through your interviews - think this world will look like in 2100?

* What role do you see for religious innovation/improvisation in our civilisations ongoing & unavoidable decline?

* Rachel: people talk of the gut/brain axis, and the heart/brain axis. When you were moving towards Planet: Critical, what was your road between your gut, your heart, and your mind?

* How has what you have learned from Planet Critical changed you? Your mindset, priorities and how you live?

* How important is the United States government to the health of the planet? Can climate action happen without the government?

* Do you think mainstream centrist politics will ever come round to the idea of degrowth or the steady-state economy?

* Can women save the world?

* What helps you stay steadfast and optimistic in the face of so much knowledge of how deeply tragic our situation is?

* Members of Novara Media say it is very important to them that they work in a team with editors. You seem to be all alone. How do you manage?

* I listened to your episode with George Monbiot, and you both mentioned the "machine" ratcheting up. This is despite the well-meaning people shouting from the rooftops in protest for decades, if not centuries (if we reach all the way back to, say, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau and John Muir). Do you feel that your podcast and similar endeavours from other people (such as George Monbiot, Nate Hagens, Jem Bendell, James Hansen, Resilience.org etc.) make any difference or are you bound to "bark as the caravan moves on"? If the latter is the case, are you at peace with it? Is it enough for you that "you tried", as Louise Harris sings in her song that you've shared? Do you think humanity will have a change of heart at the 11th hour or do you think that the "machine" will run until it hits the hard physical, biological and climatic boundaries?

Planet: Critical investigates why the world is in crisis—and what to do about it. Support the project with a paid subscription.

© Rachel Donald

Carbon Colonialism won’t solve the crisis.

State response to the interlocking climate, biodiversity, water, inequality, and health crises has mostly been to unleash the free market to promote solutions which perpetuate the global system of pillaging and exploitation. This only protects the status quo whilst sacrificing current and future generations. We have a name for this terrible violence: greenwashing.

I’m joined today by Laurie Parsons, a senior lecturer in Human Geography, to discuss the tensions between a global political economy, national legal jurisdictions, and a populace that is drowning in information. Taking examples from his book, Carbon Colonialism, Laurie explains how the people footing the climate bill are local and indigenous people around the world who are suffering under the extractive actions of corporations and the reticence of national governments to act. He also reveals the history of greenwashing as it began in the 1960s as “Eco-Pornography”, before giving an excellent analysis of the deliberate divide and conquer tactic separating land, labour and capital has long driven wealth into the world’s most powerful nations.

Planet: Critical investigates why the world is in crisis—and what to do about it. Support the project with a paid subscription.

Laurie researches at Royal Holloway, the University of London, and is the principal investigator of the projects, The Disaster Trade, The Hidden Footprint of UK Imports and Investment Overseas, and also Hot Trends, How the Global Garment Industry Shapes Climate Vulnerability in Cambodia.

© Rachel Donald

We need to stop pretending we live in a democracy.

The essence of a democratic state is rule by the people, for the people. This has only ever been an illusion to mask oligarchic power. Upheld by the media, this illusion serves to sequester resources, power and divide a population who should be united in the face of their exploitation.

We are a society of altruists governed by psychopaths. This is the message of George Monbiot, distinguished writer and activist, on today’s episode. George’s Guardian columns are read all over the world, lauded for their big picture scope on issues of climate, justice and politics. A fervent anti-capitalist and environmental campaigner, George joins me to discuss political, economic and legal corruption, the link between colonialism and strong welfare states, social tipping points, and movement-building. This is a wide-ranging and thorough discussion covering violence, sabotage, language and system dynamics: You cannot control a complex system from the centre—we are fighting against those who want to do just that at the expense of everything else.

Planet: Critical investigates why the world is in crisis—and what to do about it. Support the project with a paid subscription.

The episode also features the deeply moving song We Tried by climate activist Louise Harris. This is the anthem we’ve been waiting for, a rallying cry in the dark to take action before all is lost. Let’s get it to Christmas Number 1 in the UK charts to pierce the mainstream. Get the song here and support Louise’s climate album fund.

© Rachel Donald

The idea that nature is something outside of society hampers practical solutions to restoring it, says Laura Martin, associate professor of environmental studies at Williams College.

On this episode of the Mongabay Newscast, co-host Rachel Donald speaks with Martin about the restoration vs. preservation debate, and why Martin says a focus on the former is the way to address the biodiversity crisis. Martin defines restoration as “an attempt to design nature with non-human collaborators,” which she details in her book Wild by Design: The Rise of Ecological Restoration.

See related content:

Podcast: Is ecosystem restoration our last/best hope for a sustainable future?

Japanese butterfly conservation takes flight when integrated with human communities

Please invite your friends to subscribe to the Mongabay Newscast wherever they get podcasts, from Apple to Spotify, or download our free app in the Apple App Store or in the Google Store to get access to our latest episodes at your fingertips.

If you enjoy the Newscast, please visit www.patreon.com/mongabay to pledge a dollar or more to keep the show growing, Mongabay is a nonprofit media outlet and all support helps!

See all our latest news from nature's frontline at Mongabay's homepage: news.mongabay.com or find and follow Mongabay on all the social media platforms.

Image Caption: Project participants planting native species seedlings in the Itapu Restoration Trail, as part of Brazil’s effort to help meet the world’s ambitious restoration commitments made under the Bonn Challenge. The ongoing management of such projects requires long-term financing. Image by Raquel Maia Arvelos/CIFOR via Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0).

Public Service Announcement!

I’m now collaborating with Mongabay on their weekly Newscast podcast, bringing you conservation news from all around the world. To celebrate—and to encourage you all to subscribe!—I’m sharing my inaugural episode as cohost with you today.

On this episode, I interview Brandon Wu of ActionAid USA about the Loss and Damages negotiations that took place ahead of COP28—and how the USA used its political weight to bully developing nations into accepting a deal unrecognisable from the premise of L&D. 

Loss and Damages is, in effect, climate reparations—a fund paid into by developed nations, who are historically responsible for the emissions causing global warming, which developing nations can then use to respond to the chaos caused by climate change: floods, storms, crop failures, displaced populations. However, it was the vulnerable nations who were forced to concede at the negotiating table, walking away with a deal which serves the interests of the world’s most powerful.

Brandon gives an excellent overview and analysis of the situation, revealing how the USA used its muscle to twist the arms of developing nations at the final hour. I then discuss these details with my wonderful cohost, Mike DiGirolamo.

Mike and I have collaborated over the years on a couple of projects and I was truly delighted when he suggested we join forces on this project! Please join us as we uncover the most important stories in conservation and environmental journalism from around the world.

Subscribe to the Mongabay Newscast:

* Apple 

* Spotify

* Mongabay website

* Download the free app on Apple or Android to access all episodes

Conservationist Paul Rosolie co-leads a non-profit deep in the Madre de Dios region of the Peruvian Amazon. Conserving forests beyond where law enforcement is willing to travel can be dangerous work, but his team successfully recruits former loggers to use their forest knowledge to become conservation rangers: this provides alternative income streams for communities and has attracted millions of dollars in funding.

Today, this Indigenous-co-led nonprofit is responsible for protecting 55,000 acres of rainforest.

In this episode, Rosolie shares his recipe for conservation success and what he thinks other conservation organizations can focus on to boost their effectiveness.

Related reading:

Mother of God: meet the 26 year old Indiana Jones of the Amazon, Paul Rosolie

Please invite your friends to subscribe to the Mongabay Newscast wherever they get podcasts, from Apple to Spotify, or download our free app in the Apple App Store or in the Google Store to get access to our latest episodes at your fingertips.

If you enjoy the Newscast, please visit www.patreon.com/mongabay to pledge a dollar or more to keep the show growing, Mongabay is a nonprofit media outlet and all support helps!

See all our latest news from nature's frontline at Mongabay's homepage: news.mongabay.com or find and follow Mongabay on all the social media platforms.

Image Caption: Image of Paul Rosolie. Courtesy of Paul Rosolie.

What maniac would suggest a hothouse earth would be economically positive?

The financial services—and their incorrect models is costing us time to implement effective policies to mitigate climate change as much as possible. This is the warning from a report published by the Institute of Actuaries. The Emperor’s New Climate Scenarios warns that the world of finance is massively underestimating the destruction climate change will cause on our economy after 1.5 degrees of warming.

Actuary and lead author, Sandy Trust, joins me to explain how such thinking got baked into the financial services by way of one man’s dodgy calculations, how to better interpret climate modelling, and the difference between risk assessment and scientific assessment. This is a truly fascinating conversation with Sandy expertly guiding us through technical terms to reveal a stark image: The people in charge are totally unaware of what’s coming.

The text of the climate loss and damage fund is heading to the COP 28 climate summit in Dubai this December without a mandate that wealthy, industrialized nations pay into it, says Brandon Wu, director of policy and campaigns at ActionAid USA.

Frequent Mongabay contributor and journalist Rachel Donald joins the Mongabay Newscast as co-host to speak with Wu about why he says this global climate fund “requires almost nothing of developed countries."

Related reading:

COP27: Climate Loss & Damage talks now on agenda, but U.S. resistance feared

Please invite your friends to subscribe to the Mongabay Newscast wherever they get podcasts, from Apple to Spotify, or download our free app in the Apple App Store or in the Google Store to get access to our latest episodes at your fingertips.

If you enjoy the Newscast, please visit www.patreon.com/mongabay to pledge a dollar or more to keep the show growing, Mongabay is a nonprofit media outlet and all support helps!

See all our latest news from nature's frontline at Mongabay's homepage: news.mongabay.com or find and follow Mongabay on all the social media platforms.

Image Caption: The most recent negotiations from the UN Transitional Committee on the climate loss & damage fund completed the fifth and final round in Abu Dhabi. Image by Daniel Moqvist via Unsplash (Public domain).

All the money and power in the world—but still the ruling class is failing.

James Schneider, Communications Director for Progressive International, explains how crisis is a permanent feature of fossil capitalism, which is currently cannibilising itself. He reveals a strategy for progressive movements around the world to unite around energy rights, before explaining how we need revolution over reform, including an anti-regime campaign to overthrow the ruling class. This is an acute and scathing analysis of the ruling class—and why hope lies with a green democratic revolution.

James Schneider is the cofounder of People’s Momentum, author of Our Bloc: How We Win, and Labour’s Head of Strategic Communications under Jeremy Corbyn.

© Rachel Donald

Planet: Critical investigates why the world is in crisis—and what to do about it. Support the project with a paid subscription.