How Much Is a Whale Worth? (w/ Adrienne Buller)
Current Affairs19 Aug 2022

How Much Is a Whale Worth? (w/ Adrienne Buller)

In our last episode, we took a break from the depressing facts of the ecological crisis to simply marvel at the immense variety of experiences and sensations in the animal kingdom. Today we return to the tough stuff, although we begin with 30 seconds of whalesong to relax our spirits.

Nathan's guest is Adrienne Buller of the progressive UK think tank Common Wealth, whose book The Value of a Whale: On The Illusions of Green Capitalism (Manchester University Press) is a thorough, devastating critique of market-based approaches to solving the climate crisis. The Value of a Whale is an essential primer for those who want to learn how to see through fraud and fakery in proposed climate policies. Buller shows how bad economic thinking has allowed corporations and governments to embrace pseudo-solutions that appear to address climate change but in fact do almost nothing.

In this interview we discuss the futile (and dangerous) attempt to assign financial values to parts of the natural world (including whales), the harm done by using "cost-benefit analysis" and models of climate change that focus on its impact on GDP, and how we can tell real solutions to climate change from fake ones that are designed to avoid doing anything that would require sacrifices from rich Westerners.

Adrienne's other book, Owning the Future (co-authored with Mat Lawrence), is available from Verso.

Episoder(600)

Current Affairs News Briefing ❧ February 20, 2026

Current Affairs News Briefing ❧ February 20, 2026

A convoy to Cuba, Grok doxxes a sex worker,  Mamdani cuts the library, Pakistan has really fast jets, MGP declares war on sea lions, Andrew is arrested, and bugs are more popular than Trump. 📰 SUBSCR...

21 Feb 7min

Abigail Thorn of Philosophy Tube on Parasocial Relationships

Abigail Thorn of Philosophy Tube on Parasocial Relationships

Abigail Thorn is an actor, writer, and the creator of the widely acclaimed YouTube channel Philosophy Tube, where she explores politics, culture, and philosophy through performance and storytelling. S...

6 Feb 29min

Why Conservatives Hate the Government But Love the Cops

Why Conservatives Hate the Government But Love the Cops

🦩 Use the code "15OFF" for a discount on Current Affairs: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership The core right-wing principle is a belief in hierarchy, not the limitation of state power. 🐍 Read ...

4 Feb 8min

How the Right Abuses Tolkien

How the Right Abuses Tolkien

🦩 Use the code "15OFF" for a discount on Current Affairs: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membershipFor Peter Thiel, JD Vance, and other figures on today’s far right, the works of J.R.R. Tolkien have ...

30 Jan 28min

Current Affairs News Briefing ❧ January 28, 2026

Current Affairs News Briefing ❧ January 28, 2026

EPA to stop animal testing, Palestinians go on general strike, Ye apologizes for his Nazism again, TikTok claims apparent censorship was caused by a power outage, and the government repeals workplace ...

29 Jan 4min

Ro Khanna: “Newsom Doesn’t Want to Offend the Donor Class”

Ro Khanna: “Newsom Doesn’t Want to Offend the Donor Class”

Ro Khanna is the U.S. representative for California’s 17th Congressional district, more commonly known as “Silicon Valley.” He was a co-chair of Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign in 2020, and ther...

24 Jan 40min

How Corporations Convinced America that Litter is Our Fault

How Corporations Convinced America that Litter is Our Fault

The "Keep America Beautiful" campaign urged Americans to pick up their trash—so that companies could keep producing it.🗑️ Read the full article: https://www.currentaffairs.org/news/the-sinister-origi...

23 Jan 12min

Current Affairs News Briefing ❧ January 21, 2026

Current Affairs News Briefing ❧ January 21, 2026

Climate change is sinking posh London homes, pro-Palestine protesters face felony charges, Ugandan president cuts internet during election, Trump’s new Board of Peace, and Nike’s tone-deaf MLK Day bas...

22 Jan 6min

Populært innen Humor

rss-spartsklubben
papaya
enkel-servering
tusvik-tnne
harm-og-hegseth
tore-og-haralds-podkast
storefri-med-mikkel-og-herman
topp-3-med-wold-og-fladseth
folk-flest-med-linn-og-nils
ma-pa-behandling-med-morten-ramm
rss-nesten-hele-uka-med-lepperod
misjonen-med-antonsen-og-golden
wolfgang-wee-uncut
hanna-de-heldige
jan-thomas-og-einar-blir-venner
rss-snorre-med-gaute
verdens-verste
rss-det-alle-snakker-om-med-siri-og-kim
rss-dette-ma-aldri-skje-igjen
mikkels-paskenotter