Many on the left say that the growing climate crisis is the inevitable result of unbridled capitalism. And market fundamentalists argue that loosely regulated markets allow for the best economic outcomes. But that view ignores a key reality, according to Naomi Oreskes, professor of the History of Science at Harvard:

“The whole ideology is fundamentally based on a lie. It's based on asking us to trust that these corporations will behave themselves, when in reality we have abundant evidence that they don't.”

Oreskes’s earlier book, “Merchants of Doubt,” detailed how corporate executives and a handful of rogue scientists helped mislead the public about several subjects, including climate change. In her new book, “The Big Myth,” Oreskes and her co-author Erik M. Conway point to a concerted effort from American business groups to push the myth that only unbridled markets can generate prosperity and protect political freedom. 

“The reality is that government has always been involved in the marketplace for better or worse,” she says. “But the idea that business leaders somehow do this all on their own because they're so tough or so smart or so talented is really part of the myth.” 

New York Times reporter David Gelles details the embodiment of this philosophy in one man in particular, General Electric CEO Jack Welch. In his book, “The Man Who Broke Capitalism,” Gelles explores how Welch exploited the myth of the markets and undermined the foundation of what - for most of the twentieth century - had been held up as a model corporate citizen. Welch’s singular focus on increasing profits – at the expense of all else, including the environment – set the tone for decades to follow. 

“It's an extractive mentality that I think so much of American industry inhabits when it comes to their relationship with nature,” Gelles says. For more than 50 years, fossil fuel companies suppressed climate information from their own scientists to serve their short-term financial interests. And they’ve continued to do so even as climate disruption grows greater every day.

“They’re still out there funding climate denialism. They're still out there trying to interfere with regulations that would actually constrain their ability to continue to extract and drill and emit fossil fuels.”

Together, Oreskes and Gelles unpack how  today’s hypercapitalism and shareholder primacy  create big obstacles to moving toward cleaner energy, which has short term costs but big long-term benefits. From there, these authors go on to illustrate how industry’s push to limit the role of government has amplified the climate crisis.

“If we actually had appropriate regulations, appropriate rules of the road, we wouldn't be in this position of having to beg corporate leaders not to destroy the planet,” Oreskes says.

Related Links:

The Big Myth

The Man Who Broke Capitalism

Merchants of Doubt

Seed Commons

This week on Folk Alley, join Elena See for the latest from Special Consensus, Natalie Merchant, Tinariwen, Raul Malo, Eliza Gilkyson, and a special live recording of Joni Mitchell from the 2022 Newport Folk Festival. We also pay tribute to our fallen heroes in honor of Memorial Day with music by John Gorka and Iris DeMent, plus spin some favorites from David Francey, Jake Shimabukuro, and Leyla McCalla.

In hour two, it's new music from Béla Fleck, Zakir Hussain, & Edgar Meyer, Ellis Paul, Brandy Clark, Leftover Salmon, Keturah, and The Milk Carton Kids, plus favorites from The Mammals, Patty Griffin, Hayes Carll, Elephant Revival, and more.

The 21-string harp, the kora, is a signature instrument of West Africa. Complex and beguiling, kora music was long the exclusive domain of griots, musical historians by heritage. But once recordings began to circulate in the 1970s, the instrument went international, finding its way into jazz, pop, rock and even classical and religious settings. In this episode, we sample a wide range of kora music, and hear tales of its remarkable global journey. Produced by Banning Eyre.

Youth movements are rising to restore people and planet. De’Anthony Jones, a former President of the Environmental Students Organization at Sacramento State, Chloe Maxmin, co-founder of Divest Harvard, and Xiuhtezcatl Martinez, hip-hop artist and Youth Director of Earth Guardians, say there’s no better time to be born than now because this generation gets to rewrite history. It could be known as the generation that brought forth a healthy, just, sustainable world for every generation to come.

We remember Austin, Texas singer/songwriter Jimmy LaFave six years after his passing. We’re proud to dust off our 2010 interview with Jimmy and combine it with some of our favorite of his tunes. In the interview Jimmy spoke about the difference between “good” music and the kind you hear on commercial radio, the loving folk music community, and his relationship with the Woody Guthrie family.

This month on Climate Connections:

Air Date            Title:

Mon., 5/15 - Electric school buses are healthier for kids, but there could be a downside for workers: One advocacy group wants to ensure that as bus fleets go electric, bus manufacturing jobs stay in the U.S. and school district mechanics get the training they need.  

Tue., 5/16 - Louisiana teacher and students examine environmental injustices: Many of her students are affected by flooding and pollution, but some of their parents work in the fossil fuel industry.

Wed., 5/17 - Nonprofit wants Wisconsin to electrify buildings and transportation: Doing so would be a boon to the state’s economy, recent research finds.

Thu., 5/18 - Most teachers support teaching students about climate change: But many feel unprepared to teach the topic, and they worry about pushback from parents.

Fri., 5/19 - Racehorses may need more protection from heat illness in a warming climate: Rising temperatures mean that thoroughbreds are at growing risk, especially if they are not accustomed to warmer, humid temperatures.

Mon., 5/22 - Museum tries to keep history above water in Portsmouth, New Hampshire: Rising seas and extreme storms are putting centuries-old buildings at risk at the Strawbery Banke Museum.

Tue., 5/23 - Baltimore residents get career training in urban forestry: The Baltimore Tree Trust provides professional training for ‘neighborhood forestry technicians’ in how to plant and care for trees.

Wed., 5/24 - Fossil fuel industry donates hundreds of millions to university climate and energy research: Activists express alarm about the potential impact on research topics and framing.

Thu., 5/25 - New way to test for contaminated water takes hours: Heavy rain can wash sewage into bodies of water where people swim.

Fri., 5/26 - Boston-area man finds his calling in the weatherization industry: Energy efficiency jobs are growing rapidly in Massachusetts.

Mon., 5/29 - One pastor's mission to prepare his community for climate change: Hurricanes have caused destructive flooding at Rev. Gerald Godette’s North Carolina churches.

Tue., 5/30 - How EV incentives for gasoline superusers could help the planet: Only about 10% of drivers are responsible for a third of all gasoline consumption in the U.S.

Wed., 5/31 - Wisconsin company uses cow waste to produce energy: Entech Solutions is breaking down waste from 4,000 cows to create renewable energy and reduce methane emissions.

Thu., 6/1 - Winter storms caused losses in western monarch population: This vulnerable butterfly population has seen a drastic decline since the 1980s.

Fri., 6/2 - Community-wide geothermal system provides heating and cooling in new Texas development: The shared system provides clean heating and cooling to hundreds of homes at once.

Mon., 6/5 - Former refugee brings solar to the camp where he once lived: Yves Umuhoza created Assorted Energies International, a refugee-led solar energy program.

Tue., 6/6 - Solar-powered resiliency hubs to be installed in the Bronx: In a neighborhood where it can take days to restore power, one nonprofit hopes that these military-tent-like shelters will provide communities with access to electricity during power outages.

Wed., 6/7 - Cajun Navy Ground Force connects volunteers to communities affected by natural disasters: They’re using social media to help survivors of weather disasters get the assistance they need.

Thu., 6/8 - Former NHL goalie helps community ice rinks reduce energy use: Brightcore Energy, led by former New York Rangers goalie Mike Richter, is making rinks across the country more energy-efficient with LED lighting.

Fri., 6/9 - The sun powers a Syracuse community farm in more ways than one: Refugees from places like Somalia and Bhutan have the opportunity to grow food for themselves and their communities at Salt City Harvest Farm.