DeepSummary
In this episode, Brian Hamilton interviews Jennifer Thompson, author of 'The Wild and the Toxic: American Environmentalism and the Politics of Health'. They discuss how Thompson's book provides a fresh perspective on the environmental movement by examining the concept of health throughout various events and figures. The first chapter explores how major national environmental groups like Friends of the Earth initially viewed health as safeguarding humans and nature as a 'life support system', but later shifted towards a more individualistic, consumerist approach.
The conversation then turns to the Love Canal case, analyzing how the residents' experiences shaped their environmental activism and how their politics were influenced by factors like xenophobia and the erosion of social rights. Thompson also delves into the biocentric environmental activists, known as bioregionalists and Earth First!, who used health metaphors to deepen human-nature connections, although these metaphors ultimately revealed limitations in decentering humans.
Finally, they discuss the concept of 'planetary health', tracing its origins to James Lovelock's Gaia hypothesis and the involvement of oil corporations in shaping this idea. Thompson offers advice for young activists, emphasizing the need for dismantling oppressive systems and envisioning a liberated society that incorporates non-human voices.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- Thompson's book analyzes the concept of health within the American environmental movement, providing fresh insights into key events and figures.
- She examines how major environmental groups shifted from viewing health as safeguarding the environment as a 'life support system' to a more individualistic, consumerist approach.
- Thompson explores how the experiences and politics of Love Canal residents shaped their environmental activism, influenced by factors like xenophobia and the erosion of social rights.
- Biocentric activists like bioregionalists and Earth First! used health metaphors to deepen human-nature connections, but these metaphors ultimately revealed limitations in decentering humans.
- The concept of 'planetary health' originated from James Lovelock's Gaia hypothesis and was shaped by the involvement of oil corporations.
- Thompson situates the environmental movement's activism within broader sociopolitical contexts, offering a nuanced perspective.
- Her advice for young activists emphasizes dismantling oppressive systems and envisioning a liberated society that incorporates non-human voices.
- The book provides a comprehensive and critical examination of how health narratives influenced and limited the environmental movement.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “The ultimate result of any form of pollution is that it has a debilitating and even lethal effect on a life support system and the earth's environment. All of it is our italicized life support system.“ by Friends of the Earth
- “So there's a few examples that I can offer here that I talk about in the book when push to shove, health oftentimes for earth first. And Gary Snyder turned into a way of talking about humans, the cancer on the earth.“ by Jennifer Thompson
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Episode Information
New Books in Environmental Studies
Marshall Poe
1/10/24