“While campaigners and progressive politicians have been playing patience, power has been playing poker. The radical right’s insurgency has swept all before it…while we persuaded ourselves that there was no time for system change, they proved us wrong by changing everything.” – George Monbiot and Peter Hutchison, The Invisible Doctrine

It is clear that neoliberal thinking has failed Australians, and that privatisation of essential services has overwhelmingly benefitted shareholders not the public.

Yet with extinctions increasing and the climate and biodiversity crisis escalating, Australian governments continue to promote economic pragmatism and markets as the only policy solution to protect and restore the environment despite its failure to fix our biggest problems elsewhere.

Join George Monbiot, renowned journalist and author, in conversation with Director of the Australia Institute’s Climate and Energy program, Polly Hemming, on how incrementalism and neoliberal thinking is the cause, not the cure for, global ecosystem collapse.

Speakers

George Monbiot | journalist, author and activist

George Monbiot is an author, Guardian columnist and environmental campaigner.

His best-selling books include Feral: Rewilding the Land, Sea and Human Life and Heat: How We Can Stop the Planet Burning; his latest is Out of the Wreckage: A New Politics for an Age of Crisis.

George co-wrote the concept album Breaking the Spell of Loneliness with musician Ewan McLennan, and has made a number of viral videos. One of them, adapted from his 2013 TED talk, How Wolves Change Rivers, has been viewed on YouTube over 40 million times. Another, on Natural Climate Solutions, which he co-presented with Greta Thunberg, has been watched over 60 million times.

Polly Hemming | Director, Climate & Energy program, the Australia Institute

Polly Hemming is Director of the Australia Institute’s Climate & Energy program.

She has extensive experience working in policy, marketing and engagement roles in both not-for-profit and public sectors. Her current work focuses on carbon and environmental markets, climate integrity and greenwashing.

Having previously led the development of a government eco-label recognising voluntary climate action by the private sector, she maintains a strong interest in non-state climate ambition and the policies and regulation that interact with this.

Polly’s previous roles have included academic publishing, remote Indigenous education, refugee advocacy and science communication, bringing a range of perspectives and experiences to her work.