The Rift

A radio show about climate change, ecology, politics, and power. Aired live every first and third Sunday of the month at 3pm CT on WEFT Champaign, 90.1 FM. Recordings here.

Episode 23: Caste, Labor, and Climate Politics with Malini Ranganathan

12/7/2025: I speak with Dr. Malini Ranganathan, Associate Professor at the American University School of International Service, about the intersection of caste and labor and how it's manifesting in climate politics in India and across the world.

12-07
47:04

Episode 22: Class Struggle and Climate Change in the Rail Industry with Railroad Workers United

11/16/2025: I speak with Ron Kaminkow and Nick Wurst of Railroad Workers United about cross-union organizing, the fight against mega-mergers in rail, and what a worker-lead rail industry might mean for the fight against climate change.

11-16
55:32

Episode 21: Conservation and Violence in Kenya's Maasai Mara with Bilal Butt

10/19/2025: I speak with Dr. Bilal Butt, Professor at the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability, about his research on conservation and pastoralism in Kenya's Maasai Mara, and his perspectives on a future of conservation without violence.

10-20
50:59

Episode 20: Solar Energy in Illinois Coal Country with Randa Watts

10/5/2025: I speak with Randa Watts, environmental organizer with Prairie Rivers Network, about her work engaging rural communities in central and southern Illinois about solar energy.

10-06
36:13

Episode 19: Public Lands from the Left with Jamie Tommins

09/21/2025: I speak with writer and former trail worker Jamie Tommins about trail work, the state of our public lands, and what a just land management regime might look like.

09-21
49:18

Episode 18: The Environmental Impact of the Cloud with Steven Gonzalez Monserrate

9/7/2025: I speak with Steven Gonzalez Monserrate, anthropologist and postdoctoral fellow at Goethe University, about the ecology of the Internet and how data centers are impacting the environment.

09-07
52:52

Episode 17: Zohran Mamdani's Green Economic Populism with Batul Hassan

8/3/2025: I speak with Batul Hassan, Labor Director at the Climate and Community Project and Steering Committee member with the New York City Democratic Socialists of America, about Zohran Mamdani's campaign for mayor of New York City and what it could mean for working-class climate politics.

08-04
48:51

Episode 16: Oceans, Lands, and Art with Maya Weeks

7/20/2025: I speak with researcher and artist Maya Weeks about ocean pollution, native land rights, Marxist feminism, and how she makes art from her research.

07-21
46:20

Episode 15: The Republican Assault on the EPA with Ellie Hagen

6/15/2025: I speak with former Environmental Protection Agency scientist Ellie Hagen about the Trump administration's funding cuts and firings at the EPA and their effects on environmental regulation.

06-15
47:43

Episode 14: Imperialism and Ecological Breakdown with Leon Sealey-Huggins

6/1/2025: I speak with Dr. Leon Sealey-Huggins, Senior Campaigner on Just Transition with War on Want, about his study of the effects of imperialism and colonialism on climate response among Global South nations, and the struggle for global ecological justice.

06-01
52:43

Episode 13: Debt, Ecology, and Reparative Climate Finance with Patrick Bigger

5/18/2025: I speak with Patrick Bigger, Research Director at the Climate and Community Institute, about the looming debt crisis among Global South nations, what it means for global climate justice, and how we can move toward a more just financial system.

05-18
50:29

Episode 12: Fracking From the Permian Basin to Colombia with Sharon Wilson and Andres Gomez

5/4/2025: I speak with Sharon Wilson of Oilfield Witness about the impacts of fracking in the Permian Basin, and hear from Andres Gomez of the Fossil Fuel Nonproliferation Treaty Initiative about Colombia's involvement in Permian fracking.

05-05
52:06

Episode 11: What's Left with Malcolm Harris

4/20/2025: I speak with author and Marxist intellectual Malcolm Harris about his new book, What's Left: Three Paths Through the Planetary Crisis.

04-20
53:39

Episode 10: Greenpeace on Trial with Deepa Padmanabha

4/6/2025: I speak with Deepa Padmanabha, Senior Legal Advisor with Greenpeace USA, about Energy Transfers' lawsuit against Greenpeace for their advocacy around the Dakota Access Pipeline, and what it could mean for left-wing activism moving forward.

04-06
45:30

Episode 9: The Fight Against Privatizing South Africa's Grid with Brian Kamanzi

3/16/2025: I speak with Brian Kamanzi, Researcher with Trade Unions for Energy Democracy, about South Africa's state-owned energy utility, Eskom, the struggle that unions and civil society are waging against its privatization, and the political landscape around energy and utilities in South Africa.

03-16
52:03

Episode 8: Climate Risk in Public Pensions with Allie Lindstrom

3/2/2025: I speak with Allie Lindstrom, Senior Strategist with the Sierra Club's Sustainable Finance program, about how climate risk is affecting public pensions in the US and what workers can do about it.

03-02
39:14

Episode 7: Utility Justice in Detroit with Liz Jacob

2/16/2025: I speak with Liz Jacob, staff attorney at the Sugar Law Center for Economic and Social Justice in Detroit, Michigan, about the fight for affordable, reliable and clean electricity in Detroit.

02-17
44:59

Episode 6: Wildfires and Economic Justice in East LA with Elba Serrano

2/2/2025: I speak with Elba Serrano, Associate Vice President at East Los Angeles Community Corporation, about how the recent wildfires have affected members of her community, fighting for economic justice in LA, and how climate change is affecting other struggles for social justice.

02-02
42:34

Episode 5: A History of Big Oil's Climate Denialism with Rebecca John

1/5/2025: I speak with investigative journalist and researcher Rebecca John about her latest reporting on the deceptive climate denialist practices of the Western States Petroleum Association.

01-06
45:22

Episode 4: Public Power and the Build Public Renewables Act with Alex Patterson

12/15/2024: I speak with Alex Patterson, Campaign Coordinator for the Public Power New York coalition, about the movement for public power and the fight to pass the Build Public Renewables Act in New York State.

12-15
57:34

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