Planet: Critical Folgen

Platform is for people who are pissed off with capitalism. Subscribe to get episodes like this delivered to your inbox every week.On this week’s episode is Dan Leibsohn, a long-time problem solver in the alternative economy space. Dan set up an alternative community cash checking which provides loans and cash at a much lower rate than the predatorial financial schemes who exist purely to scam those in poverty out of even more money.Dan explains how the banking system traps people in poverty, and explains how some counter-intuitive approaches—like providing pay-day loans—have really helped members of his community lift themselves out of poverty.Dan is a real proactive expert in this field with a wealth of knowledge to learn from. Listen to the episode here or find it on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.Discover Community Check Cashing here! Get full access to Planet: Critical at www.planetcritical.com/subscribe

This week I’m joined by James Dyke, a senior lecturer in Global Systems at the University of Exeter. James reveals why net-zero targets for carbon emissions do nothing but provide an excuse to continue business as usual, posing an existential threat to humanity. He goes into great detail about the interplay of politics, economies, culture and the industrialisation connecting us all, explaining that while there is no one quick fix to the climate crisis, decarbonisation is possible—if we get rid of fossil fuels.There’s a lot to learn in what James has to say. Listen here or catch it on Apple or Spotify.Follow James on Twitter and get a copy of his book, Fire, Storm & Flood.Planet: Critical is a resource for a world in crisis. Subscribe to get interviews like this delivered to your inbox every week. Get full access to Planet: Critical at www.planetcritical.com/subscribe

This week I’m joined by David Anderson, a “helper of helpers” who works in the non-profit/alternative currency space. David joined me to discuss one of his main projects, Simbi, an online marketplace which promotes “volunteership, mutual aid, education and community development.”The idea is people can seek or offer aid to other users but, importantly, earn and pay in simbi credits, the non-profit’s own cryptocurrency. The aim is to relieve the pressure of having to use fiat money ($,€,£) for everything because, as David brilliantly articulates, that kind of money is becoming increasingly scarce for many people. I thoroughly enjoyed this discussion. David points out that, contrary to a lot of crypto theory out there, alternative currencies can play a very important role within existing economies. David doesn’t think simbi credits should ever replace the dollar—rather, giving people more options to earn credits for the things they need, in markets built around community, provides immediate relief and resources to populations experiencing increasing precarity. I’m sure you’ll love it. Listen directly here or catch it on Apple or Spotify.Learn more about Simbi and sign up to be a user!Platform is for people who are pissed off with capitalism. Subscribe to get episodes like this delivered to your inbox every week. Get full access to Planet: Critical at www.planetcritical.com/subscribe