In Paris, Activists Challenge COP Inaction and Propose Solutions

Categories alternative economies, borders, climate change, climate justice, false solutions, immigration, social movements, Uncategorized
In Paris, Activists Challenge COP Inaction and Propose Solutions

My second dispatch from Paris at COP21 has been published on The Americas Program. “The Juarés Plaza in Montreuil, a small city to the east of Paris, is thronged with people, dancing, chanting and carrying bulky chairs above their heads. The procession winds out of the square to the applause of the audience. If I’d had time to count, it would have been 196 chair—all ‘requisitioned’ from area banks—to represent the 196 countries at the COP21 negotiations.” Read on to learn what requisitioned chairs, colonial…Continue Reading “In Paris, Activists Challenge COP Inaction and Propose Solutions” →

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Mexican Social Development Secretary’s racist soundbite scolding indigenous women for reproductive choices has a long history

Categories false solutions, mexico, popdev

Yesterday I published an article on the popular feminist blog Feministing on recent comments by the Mexican Social Development Secretary.

Here’s the hook-

“This month, the head of Mexico’s anti-poverty program celebrated the opening of a community kitchen by telling indigenous women that they would be penalized for having children. Justifiably, these statements provoked outrage. But unfortunately, they are nothing new. Mexico has a long history of problematic population policies, often supported by the United States. And today, Mexico, much like its neighbor to the North, punishes the behavior of people while denying them reproductive freedoms and rights.”

Read the full article here.

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New Colors of Capitalism: REDD+ and the Green Economy

Categories chiapas, climate change, climate justice, false solutions, hampshire college, mexico, popdev, REDD+, social movements

The PopDev program, where I am a Political Research Fellow, recently published my DifferenTakes issue paper, “Is This the Future We Want? The Green Economy vs. Climate Justice.”  This blog post announced the publication on the Black Sheep Journal. Negotiators, big NGOs, and companies In U.N. environmental summits are promoting the “Green Economy” as a win-win-win for people, the environment and business interests.  Yet global South social movements denounce the Green Economy for serving the interests of transnational corporations and wealthy nations, and for stomping on…Continue Reading “New Colors of Capitalism: REDD+ and the Green Economy” →

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Land grabs and Green Grabs: New Forms of Capitalist Accumulation

Categories climate justice, false solutions, REDD+, Uncategorized

By Martha Pskowski (originally published on the Hampshire Political Writing Intern blog) Narratives of scarcity and impending crisis, be it climate change, food insecurity or political conflict, are fueling corporations and nation states to “grab” land around the world to secure their economic interests.  Land grabbing isn’t new, it was the basis of colonialism, but it appears to be spiking in recent years and changing in form.  Among these changes are blurring lines between corporations and the state, the role of finance capital and speculation,…Continue Reading “Land grabs and Green Grabs: New Forms of Capitalist Accumulation” →

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Oil and Natural Gas Frontlines: First Nations Lead the Way

Categories borders, climate justice, false solutions, social movements, solidarity, tar sands
Oil and Natural Gas Frontlines: First Nations Lead the Way

This post originally appeared on the blog of the Population and Development Program, based in Amherst, MA, which works at the intersection of reproductive freedom, environmental justice and peace. (However since then it’s made the rounds to Common Dreams, It’s Getting Hot in Here, and WeArePowershift.org. Perhaps my most cross-posted blog yet. I’m gratified to see this under-reported aspect of the tar sands issue getting some attention.) American environmentalists are declaring victory over the announcement that the United States will research alternate routes for the…Continue Reading “Oil and Natural Gas Frontlines: First Nations Lead the Way” →

Resisting the Tar Sands: Bridging Communities and Struggles

Categories climate justice, false solutions, social movements, solidarity, tar sands

This semester at Hampshire College I’m blogging with the Population and Development Program, which works at the intersection of environmental justice and reproductive justice to counter ideas about overpopulation.  This post builds off my September 1st post on the Tar Sands action in Washington, DC to explore the resistance which indigenous communities have mounted against pipelines for many years, and paths forward from the Keystone XL decision. Here’s a peak at the post, and a powerful video, then head over to the PopDev blog to…Continue Reading “Resisting the Tar Sands: Bridging Communities and Struggles” →

El Muro: Independent Film Exposes Environmental Impact of Border Wall

Categories borders, center for new community, false solutions, greening of hate

And another! Director Greg Rainoff had a successful twenty year career as a Hollywood visual effects artist before deciding, “I needed to do something good with myself.” That “something” arrived when he found himself inspired to make a film after reading about the US border wall project. Dismayed that environmental impacts weren’t being discussed, he decided he had to act. “I started a film about birds and it became about human rights.” El Muro, Rainoff’s film, tells the story of the 3.5 miles of border wall…Continue Reading “El Muro: Independent Film Exposes Environmental Impact of Border Wall” →