Big Green Politics Podcast

Honduran indigenous land rights defender Berta Cáceres was murdered in March 2016 following her involvement in a grassroots campaign against a hydroelectic damn on the Gualcarque river. Her death caused international outrage, but has much changed? In this episode, we talked to Nina Lakhani, Guardian environmental justice reporter formerly reporting from Central America, on her new book: "Who Killed Berta Cáceres? Dams, Death Squads, and an Indigenous Defender’s Battle for the Planet". We talked to Nina about why she wrote the book and why Cáceres became such a global figure, indigenous rights around the world, 'sacrifice zones' and environmental racism, the history of Honduras and Central America, and how we can't understand migration without understanding US imperialism and the culture of impunity and corruption. We loved the book. You can buy it on the Verso website here: www.versobooks.com/books/3180-who-…d-berta-caceres Follow Nina Lakhani on twitter @NinaLakhani. Follow us on twitter and Facebook @BigGreenPolPod.

We hope you and your loved ones are well in these difficult times. We’ve been gone a while (and we explain why!) and we’re back with a chat about COVID19 - what it’s exposing about globalisation, inequality and nationalism, and how it interacts with race, gender and disability. We explore why women leaders around the world are dealing with it better and discuss Arundhati Roy’s idea that the pandemic is a portal - how can we make it a doorway to a greener, more just world? We also share a couple of tips, some more serious than others, for dealing with the lockdown and some books, articles and podcasts to sink your teeth into. Enjoy and stay safe. The International Disability Alliance posts weekly briefings about the impacts of COVID19 on disabled people worldwide: https://www.facebook.com/InternationalDisabilityAllianceIDA/ The Coronavirus is a Disaser for Feminism, by Helen Lewis: https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2020/03/feminism-womens-rights-coronavirus-covid19/608302/ Our reading suggestions: ‘The pandemic is a Portal’, by Arundhati Roy : https://www.ft.com/content/10d8f5e8-74eb-11ea-95fe-fcd274e920ca ‘Half of a Yellow Sun’ by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. ‘Bigger than Bernie’ by Meagan Day and Micah Uetricht. ‘Girl, Woman, Other’ by Bernadine Evaristo. ‘The Poetry Pharmacy’ by William Sieghart. Poetry Foundation daily emails ‘A World Alive: Green Politics in Europe and Beyond’. Green European Journal: https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/edition/a-world-alive-green-politics-in-europe-and-beyond/ Treats for your ears: The New Yorker fiction podcast. Hot Take podcast. Follow us on twitter and Facebook @BigGreenPolPod.

What difference does an electoral system make? We look at recent Green gains in Portugal, Switzerland and Canada - and ask why the Green result varied so much and what that means for that country’s politics. We draw some parallels but also acknowledge the key differences and take a deep dive into what kind of a challenge the First Past the Post system presents to the Green Party of England and Wales. Enjoy the episode and as always, show us some love and follow us here: twitter.com/biggreenpolpod. Big Green Politics Podcast is presented and produced by Seden Anlar (@SedenAnlar) and Julia Lagoutte (@julialagoutte).

Our first live event! Ahead of the UK General Election, we were invited by the Podcast Social Club to talk to - renowned Councillor and Energy Spokesperson of the Green Party of England and Wales - Andrew Cooper about the climate emergency, the green new deal, housing, and renewable energy. From his childhood to all of his achievements in his 20-year career in politics, Andrew talked everything about his personal and humorous story, and gave incredible insights into how and why to be active on all levels of politics and come up with creative policies to make real change to not only save the world but also to create a better world. Follow Andrew Cooper: https://twitter.com/clrandrewcooper Follow Podcast Club: https://twitter.com/PodcastSocials Visit their Website: https://www.podcastsocialclub.com/ Enjoy the episode and as always, show us some love and follow us here: twitter.com/biggreenpolpod. Big Green Politics Podcast is presented and produced by Seden Anlar (@SedenAnlar) and Julia Lagoutte (@julialagoutte).

It’s been a while since we last dissected the latest news - but so much has happened in the green and political world. In this episode, we talk about Green Politics in Colombia, Bogota’s new Green Mayor who was portrayed and cast out as the diversity candidate, what this development tells us about the political conjuncture of Latin America, and modern-era colonialism, the indigenous resistance & protests in Hawaii against the potential construction of the world’s largest telescope, the TMT. More about Claudia López: edition.cnn.com/2019/11/02/world/…r-intl/index.html More about the TMT protests: edition.cnn.com/2019/07/21/us/haw…otests/index.html Protect Mauna Kea website: www.protectmaunakea.net More about Keahola Pisciotta: kahea.org/blog/mk-vignette-kealoha-pisciotta

The lead-up to Canada's federal elections on the 21st October has been less predictable than expected - with scandals from Trudeau and Green leader Elizabeth May most popular with Canadians in the polls. With unprecedented interest in the climate and the Green Party having recently doubled their single representation in a recent by-election, there is all to play for Canadian Greens. We spoke to Abhijeet Manay, Deputy Leader of the Ontario Greens, about recent scandals and what they say about racism and corruption, the biggest challenges for the Greens, the potential for electoral reform and a new kind of politics, and what to expect from the upcoming federal elections in October.

Green councillor Carla Denyer wrote Europe’s first climate emergency motion that passed in Bristol, UK, in November 2018 and kick-started this European wave of cries for change. We made her our Green politician of 2018 - and eight months after her motion, we caught up with her to ask her what inspired her, how should climate emergency declarations be followed up, and how can others around the world follow suit… Carla and the other Green councillors’ response to the Mayor’s climate emergency report: bristolgreenparty.org.uk/news/greens-…nd-emergency The ‘Change Starts Now’ report featuring ideas on how to achieve the 2030 carbon-neutral target: www.bristolgreenparty.org.uk/news/actio…al-by-2030 You can follow Carla here: twitter.com/carla_denyer Enjoy the episode and as always, show us some love and follow us here: twitter.com/biggreenpolpod. Big Green Politics Podcast is presented and produced by Seden Anlar (@SedenAnlar) and Julia Lagoutte (@julialagoutte).

In this episode, we explore what the deal consists of and its potential impact on the Brazilian rainforest, on indigenous peoples living under Bolsonaro’s rule, and on Europe’s farming sector. We look at how the deal has been framed in Europe in relation to Trump, and the resistance by actors such as the Greens/EFA and the agricultural sectors of countries such as France and Ireland. What now? We start with a rapid fire round of the latest international news - find out where climate change featured in the first primaries of the US’s 2020 presidential elections, who will lead the EU for the next 5 years, and how the British and Canadian governments are faring in applying the sense of emergency in their recent climate emergency declarations. Enjoy the episode and as always, show us some love and follow us here: twitter.com/biggreenpolpod. Big Green Politics Podcast is presented and produced by Seden Anlar (@SedenAnlar) and Julia Lagoutte (@julialagoutte).

Not everything went smoothly during the European Elections. At a time when democracy is being hollowed out in European Union countries - all was not well during the election period. Huge numbers of EU citizens in the UK arrived at polling booths unable to vote, and in a separate case, Romanians around Europe staged protests at their embassies. Is European democracy not as shiny and perfect as we’re told? If you’re a EU citizen who couldn’t vote in the UK - you can find more information here, via the 3 million organisation (with link to the court case crowdfunder): https://www.the3million.org.uk/deniedmyvote Change.org Petition: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/260346 Don't forget to check our episode about the election results: EU Election Special - The Green Wave. Follow us on twitter @BigGreenPolPod

European Parliament greener than ever. Find out about the results of the European Elections on the 23rd to 26th May. Did recent Green gains around Europe hold up, and why do some parts of Europe stay resistant to Green parties? We also outline what the European Parliament will look like now, and how the far-right did. Enjoy the episode and as always, follow us here: twitter.com/biggreenpolpod and you can tweet us your feedback or email us at biggreenpoliticspodcast@gmail.com. Big Green Politics Podcast is presented and produced by Seden Anlar (@SedenAnlar) and Julia Lagoutte (@julialagoutte).

The Green wave continues to sweep across the world, showing us that last October’s incredible results in Luxembourg, Belgium and Germany weren’t just a blip. We take a look at recent elections in the Netherlands, Canada, the UK and Finland and at why Green parties are flourishing now. We dive in a bit deeper in Finland to see why this year’s elections were especially nail biting… And hear from our Green of the week - Dutch MEP Bas Eickhout who has been representing the Greens in the EU level debates. Follow us at @biggreenpolpod

Right-wing populists are on the rise across America and Europe, and Germany is not an exception. One region, though, is bucking the trend. In Baden-Württemberg, the land of Mercedes and one of Germany’s richest states, has been ruled by the Green Minister President, Winfried Kretschmann, since 2011. In this episode, we explore why and how. Seden talked to Roderick Kefferputz, who works for the State Ministry of Baden-Württemberg, about coalitions, echo chambers, and local green governance. Take a listen - and enjoy. You can follow Roderick on twitter @RKefferputz You can follow us on twitter at @biggreenpolpod.

With the European elections coming up on the 23rd May - we talked to Jamila Schäfer, the International Co-ordinator of Europe’s biggest Green Party - Die Grunen, the German Greens. Seden asked Jamila about the German Greens’ EU campaign, how they manage being a party whose policies differ from state to state, what their strategy is to deal with the threat of the far-right and what legacy has Merkel left on German politics. Take a listen - and enjoy. You can follow Jamila on twitter here: @jamila_anna You can follow us on twitter at @biggreenpolpod.

The increasing role of facebook in the political process and our democracies is more clear every day. British MEP Molly Scott Cato and academic Tom Scott launched a report that brought together what we know so far, especially in relation to the EU referendum in the UK, and that suggests where to go from here. The London launch took place on the 4th March with a stellar panel of journalist Carole Cadwalladr, VoteLeave whistleblower Shahmir Sanni, Damien Collins MP, writer of the report Tom Scott, and Molly herself. Molly Scott Cato kindly let us share an edited version of the launch event on the podcast. You can find the report here: https://mollymep.org.uk/2019/02/21/facebook-report/ And you can follow Molly on twitter @mollymep. You can follow us on twitter at @biggreenpolpod. Enjoy!

In honor of Women's History Month, we're celebrating leading ecologist and democracy advocate: Wangari Maathai. In this episode, we're exploring her inspiring story and her devotion to the preservation of the environment.

In this episode we’re talking to Chris Lang about conservation in light of two recent news stories about mass evictions in India and human rights abuses. Chris Lang is from Conservation Watch and REDD monitor to and we asked him about these stories, and to elaborate on the current model of conservation and where it’s going wrong. This episode will contain some description of violence and sexual violence. Here are some links from our conversation below: 1. The Karen are facing violent evictions in Thailand: http://www.conservation-watch.org/2016/09/14/court-in-thailand-rules-that-national-park-officers-can-burn-indigenous-peoples-homes-with-impunity/ 2. Deforestation is significantly lower in community-managed forests than in strictly protected forests: http://www.conservation-watch.org/2017/04/04/giving-land-rights-to-communities-stops-deforestation-heres-the-evidence/ 3. Grazia Borrini-Feyerabend on the ICCA consortium on Conservation-Watch: http://www.conservation-watch.org/2016/08/30/guest-post-grazia-borrini-feyerabend-of-the-icca-consortium-seeds-of-nature-and-culture-at-the-grassroots/ 4. More about the Rainforest Foundation UK's community mapping project in Central Africa: http://www.conservation-watch.org/2016/10/05/rainforest-foundation-uks-community-mapping-project-wins-prestigious-un-award/ 5. More about the Messok Dja story: https://redd-monitor.org/2019/03/13/exposed-by-buzzfeed-news-wwfs-lies-about-indigenous-people-being-supportive-of-its-proposed-messok-dja-national-park-in-the-republic-of-congo/ 6. Buzzfeed News: https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/tomwarren/wwf-world-wide-fund-nature-parks-torture-death https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/katiejmbaker/wwf-report-human-rights-abuses-rangers https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/katiejmbaker/wwf-eu-messok-dja-fears-repression-ecoguards 7. Survival International covering WWF scandal in Cameroon back in 2014: https://www.survivalinternational.org/news/10456

Ahead of International Women's Day on the 8th March, we're celebrating women environmental activists and politicians. In this episode, we are celebrating indigenous activist and Green politician Cheryle Chagnon-Greyeyes, the first indigenous woman to lead a provincial political party in Canada. Follow us on twitter @biggreenpolpod Clips used in this episode: 1- The Ryan Jerpersen Show - Sept 26 - Jespersen - 11 - Meet the new leader of the Green Party of Alberta: castbox.fm/episode/Sept-26-Jes…93781523?country=us 2- Native Calgarian - 34: Cheryle Chagnon-Greyeyes castbox.fm/episode/34%3A-Chery…02590938?country=us 3- Peer Review Podcast - #117: Cheryle Chagnon-Greyeyes castbox.fm/episode/117%3A-Cher…73902619?country=us

In this episode, we talk climate marches all around the world, and the new Red-Green government in Sweden. What do the climate marches and strikes tell us about effective climate messaging? And Greens in government in Sweden - what happened? And find out more about our Green of the episode: Isabella Lövin We’ve been interviewed by the Green World about why we had started this podcast: greenworld.org.uk/article/talking-…politics-podcast Enjoy the episode and as always, follow us here: twitter.com/biggreenpolpod and you can tweet us your feedback or email us at biggreenpoliticspodcast@gmail.com. Big Green Politics Podcast is presented and produced by Seden Anlar (@SedenAnlar) and Julia Lagoutte (@julialagoutte). Swedish Green MEP Jakop Dalunde explains more about red-green government in Sweden: greenworld.org.uk/article/new-swed…green-objectives More on Sweden’s feminist foreign policy: foreignpolicy.com/2019/01/30/swede…t-foreignpolicy/ Interview with our Green of the episode Isabella Lovin: www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/forbidding-…-in-europe/

In this episode, we talk whistleblower protection, and Venezuela. What will new EU laws about whistleblowing mean for political ecology, and what is the Greens’ position on this? Why is Maduro’s legitimacy in question and how should Greens react? Here's the interview we mention: https://greenworld.org.uk/article/talking-green-big-green-politics-podcast Enjoy the episode and as always, follow us here: twitter.com/biggreenpolpod and you can tweet us your feedback or email us at biggreenpoliticspodcast@gmail.com. Big Green Politics Podcast is presented and produced by Seden Anlar (@SedenAnlar) and Julia Lagoutte (@julialagoutte).

A look back to better look ahead understand what 2019 holds. We talk about Bolsonaro's first few days in office, the rise of 'Strongmen', the influence of social media in 2018, and the wave of Green resistance we also saw. We also pick our politician of 2018: Carla Denyer Enjoy the episode and as always, follow us here: twitter.com/biggreenpolpod and you can tweet us your feedback or email us at biggreenpoliticspodcast@gmail.com. Big Green Politics Podcast is presented and produced by Seden Anlar (@SedenAnlar) and Julia Lagoutte (@julialagoutte).