George Monbiot on Journalism, Politics and the Climate Crisis

Describing the environmental crisis as the greatest challenge humankind has ever confronted, George Monbiot has been trying to raise the profile of a wide range of desperately neglected environmental issues for the last 37 years. Yet these issues are almost always marginalised and overlooked. Despite it often feeling like banging his head against a wall, he refuses to stop trying, however faint the hope, to alert people to the scale and nature of this emergency. In July, he was awarded the Orwell Prize for Journalism 2022.

Join him at UCL, Bloomsbury, on Thursday 13th October for a conversation with Helen Hawkins, a former arts editor at The Sunday Times and a judge for this year's Orwell Prize, as they discuss his Orwell Prize-winning pieces, from 'Capitalism is Killing the Planet' to the myth of 'Green growth'.

George Monbiot is an author, Guardian columnist and environmental activist. His best-selling books include Feral: Rewilding the land, sea and human life, Heat: how to stop the planet burning, and 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. George’s latest book, Regenesis: Feeding the World without Devouring the Planet, was published in May 2022.

[ralphdoe]

This is a brilliant exposé of our collective predicament ... learn something, listen carefully, watch twice!

[lisawilliamson]

However much you ramble, George, you are so inspiring... I could listen for hours. Thank you 🙏

[NicholBrummer]

Great discussion. I do feel George should expand on the role of larger grazers, rooters, browsers, and carnivores in what is needed for true rewilding. Also think of how these roled are different in different climates. Wetlands are the best but you cannot easily make wetlands in dry climates (except maybe the okavango).

[ssorcnivek]

I worry that Orwell would have recognised George Monniot as Big Brother

[davidhilderman]

Did George get the award for being responsible for the greatest advancement of humanity towards Orwell's 1984?

[artwillvideos]

George hinted towards the beginning about agriculture, but didn’t drive the point home. It’s animal agriculture that’s the problem. It uses 83% of ag land. We could easily rewild, save water, stop ecosystem destruction and habitat loss, species extinction, etc., if we all chose to adopt, to the greatest extent possible, a plant based diet, preferably 100%. Everyone in the audience, if they are serious about wanting to do something, could do that today, right now. Everything else is just inspiring babble and possibility pontification.

[henrietta]

Is the New Forest in danger of deforestation.

[Pixelbeau]

We need a left movement made by left economists.

[ComUnSas]

Not sure Orwell himself would approve of this choice, not sure at all

[koerttijdens]

We need more leftish activism to make journalism great again.

[ssorcnivek]

Has George Mobiot ever made a profit (he seems to dislike profit )? What houses has he bought (seems to dislike big houses that the rich buy) . How many mafia crimes in Freeport's has he reported to police or.customs (must be numerous?).

[sibutterworth]

Orwells prize for journalism then promotes Huxley's Brave new world a dystopian society where evevrything you think feel or do is in a pill they give to you. 😂😂😂