003 - Jason Hickel on Post-Capitalism, Degrowth, and Why Capitalism Can’t Solve Climate Change

My guest today is Jason Hickel, Professor at the Institute for Environmental Science & Technology (ICTA) at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, and author of two books: The Divide and Less is More. We discuss why a growth-based capitalist economy is incompatible with a livable planet, and what a truly democratic, post-capitalist economy could look like. We cover lots of topics – including degrowth, AI, the history of capitalist imperialism, and how to achieve a democratic ecosocialist transition.Thanks to Pompeu Fabra University (UPF) for generously providing us with a space for this interview.Learn more about Jason Hickel and his work: https://www.jasonhickel.org/Check out https://globalinequality.org/ to view Jason’s recent project (created in collaboration with a team of fellow researchers) which visualizes data and research on global inequality. Support the Better Future podcast by subscribing:YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@michaelmezzSubstack: https://substack.com/@michaelmezzatestaSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/16K0dkbk35q0mTslKJJ7z0Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/better-future-with-michael-mezz/id1823942833Follow Jason Hickel on social media:Twitter: https://x.com/jasonhickelInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjasonhickel/Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/jasonhickel.bsky.social00:00 Introduction: the climate crisis myth00:35 Introducing Jason Hickel02:07 The disconnect between GDP and wellbeing04:08 Capitalism's flawed production priorities07:05 The need for economic democracy11:04 Public finance and climate mitigation16:12 AI and capitalism20:52 Building political power for change25:04 The public job guarantee34:06 Taxing the rich for a better future37:00 The benefits of an ecosocialist transition43:42 Imperialism and the military-industrial complex48:54 US foreign policy and imperialism57:31 The hypocrisy of liberalism1:06:42 Some questions from the audience1:08:48 Gramsci & other historical figures1:15:18 ConclusionHost/Creator: Michael MezzatestaGuest: Jason HickelEditor: Nuria SalgadoDesigner: Amea WadsworthThanks for watching episode 003. Lots more on the way :)