Nature in Crisis

About Nature in Crisis

In a time of climate breakdown and mass extinction there is a new urgency to environmental writing, both as literature and as science. So In their series, Meehan Crist and Peter Godfrey-Smith consider some of the most significant books published in the last few years, along with classic texts by Rachel Carson, James Lovelock and Robin Wall Kimmerer – tracing a loose arc from biology to society via questions of plant intelligence, biodiversity loss, the rights of nature, ecofascism and green capitalism. Meehan Crist is writer in residence in biological sciences at Columbia University. Peter Godfrey-Smith is a professor in the School of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Sydney Non-subscribers will only hear an extracts from the episodes. To listen in full, and to all our other Close Readings series, sign up: Directly in Apple Podcasts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://lrb.me/applecrna⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ture In other podcast apps: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://lrb.me/closereadingsna⁠⁠⁠ture Books featured in the series: Rachel Carson, Silent Spring Zoë Schlanger, The Light Eaters Helen Czerski, The Blue Machine Sunil Amrith, The Burning Earth James Lovelock, Gaia Robert Macfarlane, Is a River Alive? Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass Emily Raboteau, Lessons for Survival Roy Scranton, Impasse Alex Moore and Sam Roberts, The Rise of Ecofascism Thea Riofrancos, Extraction: The Frontiers of Green Capitalism Venomous Lumspcuker by Ned Beauman and Helm by Sarah Hall

Publisher

London Review of Books

Category

arts · science

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

1 Jan 2026

Latest episode

23 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

6 of 11 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   23 Sept 2026TRANSCRIPT

   ‘The Rise of Ecofascism: Climate Change and the Far Right’ by Alex Roberts and Sam Moore

   Hosts Meehan and Peter interview anti-fascist researchers Alex Roberts and Sam Moore about the rise of ecofascism and its connections to climate change and the far right.

2. 

   24 Aug 2026TRANSCRIPT

   ‘Lessons for Survival’ by Emily Raboteau

   Meehan Crist and Peter Campbell interview author Emily Raboteau about her project exploring survival through art, urban nature, and societal challenges.

3. 

   26 Jul 2026TRANSCRIPT

   ‘Impasse’ by Roy Scranton

   Host Meehan Crist and Peter explore Roy Scranton's analysis of societal collapse and his concept of 'ethical pessimism' for navigating an uncertain future.

4. 

   28 Jun 2026

   ‘Braiding Sweetgrass’ by Robin Wall Kimmerer

   Through folktales, memoir and hard science, Robin Wall Kimmerer’s 'Braiding Sweetgrass' argues for the intertwining of Indigenous knowledge systems and empirical science, to support ‘mutual flourishing’ between humans and the environment. 'Braiding Sweetgrass' was an enormous success for a small press publication, becoming a bestseller and a touchstone for readers searching for alternatives to extractivist realpolitik. In this episode, Meehan and Peter look at the most compelling features of Kimmerer’s technique – reminiscent of Darwin at his best – and where her book risks scientific overreach. Non-subscribers will only hear an extract from this episode. To listen in full, and to all our other Close Readings series, sign up: Directly in Apple Podcasts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://lrb.me/applecrna⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ture⁠⁠ In other podcast apps: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://lrb.me/closereadingsna⁠⁠⁠ture Get in touch: podcasts@lrb.co.uk

5. 

   3 Jun 2026TRANSCRIPT

   ‘Is a River Alive?’ by Robert Macfarlane

   Host Meehan and Peter interview author Robert Macfarlane about his quest to redefine rivers as living beings, exploring legal and imaginative consequences.

6. 

   4 May 2026TRANSCRIPT

   'Gaia: A New Look at Life on Earth' by James Lovelock

   Meehan Crist and Peter Godfrey-Smith explore James Lovelock's Gaia hypothesis, examining its origins and influence on understanding Earth as a living system.

7. 

   6 Apr 2026TRANSCRIPT

   ‘The Burning Earth’ by Sunil Amrith

   Meehan Crist and Peter Campbell interview Sunil Amrith about his historical analysis of the origins of environmental crisis and its connection to human activity.

8. 

   9 Mar 2026

   ‘Blue Machine’ by Helen Czerski

   Meehan Crist and Peter Godfrey-Smith explore Helen Czerski's "Blue Machine," reframing the ocean as a vital planetary engine and discussing if new perspectives can drive policy change.

9. 

   9 Feb 2026

   ‘The Light Eaters’ by Zoë Schlanger

   Meehan Crist and Peter Godfrey-Smith interview author Zoë Schlanger about her book, exploring groundbreaking plant research that challenges our understanding of plant intelligence and consciousness.

10. 

    12 Jan 2026

    ‘Silent Spring’ by Rachel Carson

    Meehan Crist and Peter Godfrey-Smith interview each other about Rachel Carson's groundbreaking book 'Silent Spring' and its lasting impact on environmental science.

11. 

    1 Jan 2026

    Introducing ‘Nature in Crisis’

    Meehan Crist and Peter Godfrey-Smith explore urgent environmental writing, examining books on biodiversity, plant intelligence, and ecofascism to understand our planet's crisis.

Inside a recent episode

‘The Rise of Ecofascism: Climate Change and the Far Right’ by Alex Roberts and Sam Moore

Published 23 Sept 2026 · Transcript excerpt

[…] Yeah and I think it's important to note also that they are trying very hard to tease apart the ways in which eco-fascism can be both sort of self-contradictory and also sometimes more coherent, that it really isn't one thing. There are all these different actors that are engaging on the far right with environmental politics in various ways. Some of those being, you know, sort of far right parties and part of what we might call green nationalism or environmental authoritarianism. And then there are these younger, generally younger, far right fascist movements that are a bit more chaotic and have politics and ideologies that are often a bit more contradictory. […]

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

2 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

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Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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