Noam Chomsky and Robert Pollin on the Climate Crisis, Capitalism, Trump, and the Green New Deal

Professors Noam Chomsky (MIT) and Robert Pollin (UMass) in conversation with Dr. Donna Lyons at the School of Law, Trinity College Dublin, on their new book, ‘Climate Crisis and the Global Green New Deal’. ------------------------- About 'Climate Crisis and the Global Green New Deal': In this compelling new book, Noam Chomsky, the world’s leading public intellectual, and Robert Pollin, a renowned progressive economist, map out the catastrophic consequences of unchecked climate change—and present a realistic blueprint for change: the Green New Deal. Together, Chomsky and Pollin show how the forecasts for a hotter planet strain the imagination: vast stretches of the Earth will become uninhabitable, plagued by extreme weather, drought, rising seas, and crop failure. Arguing against the misplaced fear of economic disaster and unemployment arising from the transition to a green economy, they show how this bogus concern encourages climate denialism. Humanity must stop burning fossil fuels within the next thirty years and do so in a way that improves living standards and opportunities for working people. This is the goal of the Green New Deal and, as the authors make clear, it is entirely feasible. Climate change is an emergency that cannot be ignored. This book shows how it can be overcome both politically and economically. --------------------- Dr. Donna Lyons is an academic with the Trinity College Dublin Law School. Her research focuses primarily on public international law and international human rights law. I was delighted to welcome three colleagues to join with questions. Many thanks to Jason, Constantine, and Peter, who agreed to do this. Dr. Jason Rudall is Assistant Professor of International Law at Leiden University, having a particular interest in international environmental law and has recently published a book entitled Compensation for Environmental Damage Under International Law (Routledge 2020). Dr. Constantine Boussalis is Assistant Professor of Environmental Politics and Quantitative Methods in the Political Science department at Trinity College Dublin. His research focuses on the application of computational methods to study political communication, including climate change denial and misinformation. Prof. Peter Stone is an associate professor of political science at Trinity College Dublin and the author of the book The Luck of the Draw: The Role of Lotteries in Decision Making (2011). Thanks everyone for your interest and I look forward to seeing you all at future discussions! Donna https://www.drdonnalyons.com/