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

Listen to this episode from Better Future with Michael Mezz on Spotify. 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 :)