The myth of human dominion and exceptionalism is as old as the Bible and as unquestioned as gravity, at least in "modern" society. Rob, Asher, and Jason explore the ways that humanocentrism has come to dominate the planet and our minds, while pointing to ancient and newly emerging ways that the more-than-human world is respected and protected, even the dung beetle.

Warning: This podcast occasionally uses spicy language.

Sources/Links/Notes:

• Eileen Crist defines (and critiques) anthropocentrism.
• Global biomass of wild mammals
• Global human-made mass exceeds all living biomass.
• Decline of pollinators
• Decline of flying insect biomass
• Daniel Quinn’s book Ishmael
• Human Nature Odyssey podcast with Alex Leff
• Tom Murphy’s journey of understanding the pitfalls of human exceptionalism
• Two-thirds of the world’s longest rivers have been dammed.
• Declining wild bird populations in North America
• Ed Yong’s book An Immense World
• Yellowstone to Yukon conservation initiative
• Restor
• Douglas Tallamy’s book Nature’s Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation That Starts in Your Yard
• Story of mining permit revocation in Panama
• Timeline of expansion of the rights of nature that was compiled by the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund
• Center for Democratic and Environmental Rights
• Stop Ecocide International
• Crazy Town episode with Danielle Celermajer on multispecies justice
• Robin Wall-Kimmerer’s book Braiding Sweetgrass
• Prominence of nature in the Tuvan language
• Holding the Fire episode with Anne Poelina
• Quote by Kenneth Brink of the Karuk Tribe
• Quote by Sammy Gensaw III of the Yurok Tribe

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The epidemic of loneliness isn't just a product of technology or even capitalism -- it has its roots in the same fertile ground as the founding of the United States. And it may just be the most important "ism" of all to escape as we enter the Great Unraveling of social and environmental systems.

Warning: This podcast occasionally uses spicy language.

Sources/Links/Notes:

• Definition of individualism from the American Psychological Association
• Article in Opumo magazine - "Super singles: 10 coolest one seater cars"
• U.S. Surgeon General's 2023 report: Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation
• BBC Loneliness Experiment
• Robert Putnam's classic book - Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community
• Country comparison tool for exploring Hofstede's Individualism Index
• Part 1 of Post Carbon Institute's webinar on mutual aid; Part 2
• Donna M. Butts and Shannon E. Jarrott, "The Power of Proximity: Co-Locating Childcare and Eldercare Programs," Stanford Social Innovation Review, April 2021
• Pets for the Elderly
• Dean Spade's book - Mutual Aid: Building Solidarity During This Crisis (and the Next)
• History of the free breakfast movement of the Black Panther Party
• Teju Ravilochan, "The Blackfoot Wisdom that Inspired Maslow's Hierarchy"
• City of Knoxville program guide: Neighborhood Emergency Preparedness Plan

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Perhaps no community has undergone more versions of imperialism than the tiny island nation of Nauru, which has morphed from being "Pleasant Island" to the mined-out home of offshore banks, discarded refugees, and deep sea mining interests. Jason, Rob, and Asher take a bad trip to wrap their heads around Nauru, the topic of "psychedelic imperialism," and imperialism's new frontier - the clean energy transition.

Warning: This podcast occasionally uses spicy language.

Sources/Links/Notes:

• "A Dark History of the World's Smallest Island Nation" tells the tale of Nauru.
• S.J. Gale, "Lies and misdemeanours: Nauru, phosphate and global geopolitics," The Extractive Industries and Society, vol 6, July 2019.
• FAQs of the Metals Company
• Eric Lipton's New York Times article about imperialistic mining of the Pacific Ocean floor.
• Mining Watch Canada questions the claims of the Metals Company.
• Elham Shabahat's article in Hakai Magazine, "Why Nauru Is Pushing the World Toward Deep-Sea Mining"
• Definition of imperialism from the Cornell Law School
• J.A. Hobson's book Imperialism: A Study
• Jason Hickel et al., "Imperialist appropriation in the world economy: Drain from the global South through unequal exchange, 1990-2015," Global Environmental Change, vol 73, March 2022.
• Critique of lithium extraction in the Atacama Desert
• Indigenous people's response to lithium mining in Nevada
• How the Sami people are protesting Sweden's "green transformation"
• Episode 3 of the Holding the Fire podcast, featuring Sami leader Aslak Holmberg
• Cobus van Staden on "Green Energy's Dirty Secret: Its Hunger for African Resources"
• Jim Robbins in Yale Environment 360 on "How Returning Lands to Native Tribes Is Helping Protect Nature"
• "Indigenous Land Return Announcement by Sogorea Te’ Land Trust and Movement Generation!" -- article by Ines Ixierda
• "New Zealands's Maori fought for reparations -- and won

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