Ecofascism is real... and it's on the rise

Episode 5 of the We Are LaCH podcast

Author

Chris Musei-Sequeira
December 03, 2024

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Ecofascism.

Strong word, huh?

Well, we mean it when we say it. You should add it to your dictionary.

Ecofascism is real, it’s on the rise, and it’s shockingly mainstream. Even celebrities are talking about reducing population to manage climate change—just one of many environmental “solutions” with ecofascist undercurrents.

In Episode 5 of the We Are LaCH podcast, my friends Heather and Lavinia and I discuss ecofascism. Where does the word come from? What does fascism mean, and what’s the significance of the “eco” prefix? How are people vulnerable to fascism generally, and ecofascism specifically?

During our discussion, we emphasize the importance of an anti-oppression lens in climate activism. Heather recounts her experiences with Extinction Rebellion and Just Stop Oil, highlighting the structural power dynamics and the risks of associating with far-right elements. She explains how ecofascists weaponize people’s fear and urgency around climate change. Heather then advocates for relationship-building and systemic understanding as counters to ecofascism.

Our conversation also touches on the systemic injustices behind climate migration and the need for grounded principles in climate responses. Lavinia raises ecosocialism as a a potential counter to ecofascism. We then discuss potential benefits and drawbacks of ecosocialism and State-oriented approaches generally, while raising the importance of critiquing simplistic climate change “solutions.”

Take a listen, hit “REPLY,” and let us know what you think. We’d love to read your thoughts.

Episode 5: Ecofascism—Our Vulnerability, 50 minutes and 55 seconds in length

Coming up next

Two of Heather’s cousins attended the 16th Conference of the Parties (COP) under the Convention on Biological Diversity in Cali, Colombia. We’ll be talking with them about their reactions to the COP, especially from the perspective of Indigenous peoples.

Subscribe to our podcast, stay tuned for the next episode, hit the “reply” button, and tell us what you think!

Previous recordings

  1. Intro to We Are LaCH, 5 minutes and 11 seconds in length

  2. Episode 1: Sustainable Aviation? with Chris Musei-Sequeira 51 minutes and 58 seconds in length

  3. Episode 2: Sustainable Fashion? with Lavinia Muth, 1 hour, 3 minutes, and 22 seconds in length

  4. Episode 3: Education for Sustainable Development in Universities? with Heather Luna, 47 minutes and 12 seconds in length

  5. Episode 4: Visioning for Sustainability, 1 hour, 2 minutes, and 34 seconds in length

Where to find the sustainability perspectives you’ve been missing

FIRST: Subscribe to the “We Are LaCH” podcast, where Heather and Lavinia and I host discussions on power and oppression — particularly in the context of the sustainability industry.

SECOND: Follow these awesome folks on LinkedIn:

THIRD: Forward this issue to people you know in the sustainability industry.

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My name is Chris Musei-Sequeira, and I use he/him pronouns. My mother was born in Trinidad and Tobago as a descendant of African slaves brought to the islands during the time of European colonization. She came to the United States of America (USA) at the age of 10. My father is Goan and was born in India, in Mumbai, and raised Catholic and English-speaking. He came to the USA for his graduate studies, where he met my mother.

My sister and I were born in the USA and lived a middle-class life in the suburbs of multiple American cities. I studied aeronautical engineering and technology policy in university, then worked at the Federal Aviation Administration and as an aviation consultant. I've lived in cities up and down the USA East Coast since the age of 18; I now reside in Queens, New York with my wife.

I thank Heather Luna and Lavinia Muth for showing me the importance of publicly expressing our positions. Because of our positions, all of us are very familiar with some aspects of the world while having no idea of other aspects. Positionality expresses how our individual positions affect our relationships with other people and with the world as a whole.