On this episode of “Death in The Garden,” we talk with filmmaker Julia Barnes and writer/filmmaker Joshua Clinton about their campaign against proposed deep sea mining (DSM) of poly metallic nodules which contain rare earth minerals that can be used in electric vehicles and other “renewable” technologies. You can find more information at their website, Deep Sea Defenders. This podcast is meant to function as an amendment to podcast #12, where we interviewed Dr. Gregory Stone, who is a proponent of DSM. We discuss the destruction of the oceans that will arise from this industrial practice, and the backwardness of destroying the oceans to protect it.
Check out this short film Julia made which describes the process as well as Joshua's Counterpunch article.
In addition to speaking about deep sea mining, we discuss Joshua’s upcoming first film project where he is exposing and protesting the proposed wind farm in Aberdeenshire which will threaten one of the last remaining habitats of the Scottish wildcat, an ancient cat and the last of the wild felids in Britain. In opposition to Vattenfall, the Swedish energy company, Joshua will be interviewing leaders from the organization “Wildcat Haven.”
Here’s a quote from his Instagram post with more information: “The film will cover the plight of the Scottish Wildcat, the effect of habitat destruction & biodiversity loss on ecosystems, and the collusion between Vattenfall and various Scottish governmental bodies to greenwash the project & ensure that it goes ahead.”
We also discuss filmmaking and the processes of making a film about a topic that is deeply unpopular: rejecting the so-called solutions to climate change, as Julia did in her film Bright Green Lies based on the book by Derrick Jensen, Lierre Keith, and Max Wilbert.
We talk about greenwashing, discussions about carbon fundamentalism, how environmentalism has been perverted, technological escalation, what it’s like to be a young environmentalist, and so much more. Please subscribe to our Substack to get writing accompaniments to this podcast and more, as well as a deep dive into our thoughts at the moment delivered right to your email. Check out our Patreon and become a patron for as little as $1 per month.
Editing: Jake Marquez
Music: “Bluebell, Cockleshell, 123” by King Creosote
#31 Julia Barnes & Joshua Clinton - Deep Sea Mining, the Scottish Wildcat, and Bright Green Lies