Pullback

Kristen and Kyla read Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Perez. This book explores the gender data gap in research when the "male body" is treated as default and "female body" as atypical, revealing how this bias bakes discrimination into systems as far reaching as healthcare, education, public policy, and economic development. Get a copy of the book! https://carolinecriadoperez.com/book/invisible-women/ Find more from the Harbinger Media Network: https://harbingermedianetwork.com/ Want more Book Club? Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/Pullback

Pullback is pleased to share Green Majority Radio with our listeners! Hosts David and Stefan Hostetter and Lauren Latour bring together environmental justice news with voices and strategies from the grassroots. Broadcast from CIUT 89.5 FM in Toronto on Fridays at 11:00AM ET and at various community radio stations around the country, GMR is also available on all podcast platforms. In this episode, Kristen and Kyla join the team to discuss their new project, Climate Justice Organizing Shorts! Harbinger Media Network: https://harbingermedianetwork.com/ Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/Pullback Visit LeHub: https://www.lehub.ca/en/

Pullback has been collaborating with The Climate Justice Organizing HUB to develop "Climate Organizing Shorts," a collection of discussions with climate activists on how to build inclusive and effective movements. The inaugural episode is now available, offering a condensed rendition of our previous Deep Canvassing chat featuring the esteemed Montana Burgess. Look for new episodes every Friday until May 2024 and subscribe (you know this part) wherever podcasts are found! Miss your hosts? Check our Patreon for much looser discussion episodes where Kyla and Kristen really let their opinions fly.

Kristen and Kyla take a break from taking a break to discuss The Age of Insecurity by Astra Taylor. Published in October 2023, this book explores how crises of inequality, mental health, authoritarianism, and ecological collapse could all be addressed by re-evaluating our culture of insecurity. Institutions that promise to make us more secure are functioning to undermine us in this moment, including housing, education, policing, and the wellness industry, and Taylor has some ideas for how we can change society for the better. Harbinger Media Network: https://harbingermedianetwork.com/join Enjoy our work? Want more book club episodes? You can now support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/Pullback

Kristen and Kyla are joined by Dr. Jennifer Jill Fellows (Gender, Sex, and Tech), Kattie Laur (Curious Tourism | Pod The North), and Eric Wickham (Unrigged | Big Shiny Takes) on the annual year end quiz panel show, revisiting the big talking points of 2023. Jennifer's links https://gendersextech.opened.ca/2022/03/28/hello-and-welcome/ https://indspire.ca/ Kattie's links https://pinatravels.org/responsibletravelpod/ https://podthenorth.substack.com/ https://waterfirst.ngo/donate/ Eric's links https://www.unrigged.ca/ https://bigshinytakes.com/ https://saintstephens.ca/contact Kristen's link https://www.doctorswithoutborders.ca/gaza-crisis/ Kyla's link https://dogwoodbc.ca/ Harbinger Media Network: https://harbingermedianetwork.com/join Enjoy our work? You can now support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/Pullback

Canadian journalism has been struggling for quite a while, with layoffs and local newspapers closing shop. Facebook’s reaction to the Online News Act and has added a layer of difficulty for independent news, who will lose a key platform for sharing their content. Can working together save independent journalism? On today’s episode we talked to Andre Goulet and Eric Wickham about their new initiative that brings together news from 20 independent, local, regional, and national media outlets from across Canada. Unrigged provides up-to-the-hour news from across the country, from organizations such as The Hoser, The Progress Report, The Breach, Ricochet, PressProgress and more. Check out Unrigged: https://www.unrigged.ca/ Website: https://www.pullback.org/episode-notes/unrigged Harbinger Media Network: https://harbingermedianetwork.com/join Enjoy our work? You can now support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/Pullback

The country is pretty divided on climate change and what to do about it. Can deep canvassing help to get people on board with decarbonization? Is deep canvassing the pixie dust necessary to bridge political divisions? How does it work, anyway? On today’s episode Kristen spoke with Montana Burgess, the Executive Director of Neighbours United, an organization based in interior BC that led the first complete deep canvassing program on climate anywhere in the world. Neighbours United is such a cool organization, and they are working to promote community engagement for climate action across Canada. Listen in on our conversation about what it’s like talking to people about climate change, and how deep canvassing can help to not only build consensus but also shows that we all have a lot more in common than we might think. Check out Neighbours United: https://neighboursunited.org/ Website: https://www.pullback.org/episode-notes/deepcanvassing Harbinger Media Network: https://harbingermedianetwork.com/join Enjoy our work? You can now support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/Pullback

With the shifting nature of work, downtowns in many cities are emptying out, leading to business closures and fears about a “transit death spiral”, all while it is becoming ever more difficult to find affordable housing. Is it time for bold thinking to transform our cities so they are greener and more inclusive than they were before? We talk to Patrick Esmonde-White, host of Canada Re-Imagined, a podcast that explores futuristic and utopian solutions to Canadian issues including poverty and climate change. Patrick has worked in a variety of industries including federal and municipal levels of government, oil, journalism, and broadcast radio. Check out Canada Re-Imagined: https://harbingermedianetwork.com/show/canada-re-imagined/ Website: https://www.pullback.org/episode-notes/cityplanning Harbinger Media Network: https://harbingermedianetwork.com/join Enjoy our work? You can now support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/Pullback

Western governments say that they are working toward a net-zero future. But are those same governments propping up fossil fuel companies with billions of dollars in subsidies? And how can we change that? On today’s episode we talk to Katrina Miller, the Executive Director of Canadians for Tax Fairness about their new report, Taxes and the Path to a Green Economy, which is all about how the Canadian tax system continues to subsidize fossil fuel companies and how to change that. Katrina has worked for over twenty years to win environmental and social justice improvements at every level of government, collaborating with a wide array of labour, community, and academic experts, and helping organizations and individuals hone their skills and strategies. Visit Canadians for Tax Fairness here: https://www.taxfairness.ca/en Read the report: https://www.taxfairness.ca/en/taxes-and-climate Website: https://www.pullback.org/episode-notes/ffsubsidies Harbinger Media Network: https://harbingermedianetwork.com/join Enjoy our work? You can now support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/Pullback

The five day work week was designed for an economy that relied mostly on physical labour. But does that framework need updating for the knowledge economy? In other words, should we be moving toward a four day work week? On today’s episode we talk to Dr. Dale Whelehan, the CEO of 4 Day Week Global, a company that helps businesses pilot a four-day work week. Prior to joining 4 Day Week Global, Dale did his PhD on fatigue and sleep deprivation in healthcare workers, so he is the perfect person to talk to about why we’re all so burnt out all the damned time. Learn more about 4 Day Week Global: https://www.4dayweek.com/ Website: https://www.pullback.org/episode-notes/4dayweek Harbinger Media Network: https://harbingermedianetwork.com/join Enjoy our work? You can now support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/Pullback

As countries look to reach net-zero and to reduce their energy dependence on Russia, nuclear is having a moment. Nuclear energy is a non-emitting source of energy, but it also comes with some pretty big risks. Should countries be building new nuclear power plants? Or would this solution cause bigger problems? Environmentalists have been divided on nuclear energy for quite a while, and that debate is getting even more heated as the climate crisis becomes part of our everyday lives. On today’s Halloween episode we are joined by friend of the pod, climate activist, and recovering scientist Robert Miller to talk about the two spookiest things we could think of: climate change and nuclear winter. Robbie recommends this New Socialist article: https://newsocialist.org.uk/stop-trying-make-nuclear-power-happen/ Website: https://www.pullback.org/episode-notes/s2-nuclearenergy Harbinger Media Network: https://harbingermedianetwork.com/join Enjoy our work? You can now support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/Pullback

It feels like everyone is struggling to get by. With poverty and inequality on the rise, is unconditional cash the ticket to a happier, healthier, more equal society? Universal basic income is gaining momentum around the world – including in Canada, where the Senate is currently considering Bill S-233, which would require the federal government to develop a national framework for implementing a guaranteed livable income. There are now dozens of UBI pilot projects underway in cities around the world. So, what does the evidence tell us about Universal Basic Income programs and their impact on people, communities, and the environment? We are joined by Sean Kline, the Director of Stanford University’s Basic Income Lab, to discuss UBI pilots in America and around the world. Learn more about Sean's work here:https://basicincome.stanford.edu/ Website: https://www.pullback.org/episode-notes/s2-ubi Harbinger Media Network: https://harbingermedianetwork.com/join Enjoy our work? You can now support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/Pullback

This year of cascading disasters is a good reminder that climate change has arrived, and some impacts are here to stay even after we reach net-zero. Is climate repair an opportunity to get back to a place of relative safety for humanity? Or is it just another delay tactic? On today’s episode we dig into the debate on climate repair with Andrew Dana Hudson. Andrew is a sustainability researcher and a speculative fiction writer who has written Our Shared Storm, a novel imagining five possible realities of our climate future. Andrew explains what climate repair is and the role that technologies like direct air capture can play even after we transition off of fossil fuels. We also talked about speculative fiction and its role in confronting climate change in our collective imagination. Get a copy of Andrew's Book here: https://www.fordhampress.com/9780823299546/our-shared-storm/ Read Andrew's Jacobin piece: https://jacobin.com/2022/08/zero-emissions-climate-repaire-crisis-carbon-dioxide-removal Website: https://www.pullback.org/episode-notes/s2-climaterepair Harbinger Media Network: https://harbingermedianetwork.com/join Enjoy our work? You can now support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/Pullback

We are living in a biodiversity crisis: 42,000 animal species are currently threatened with extinction, which is more than a quarter of all species that have been assessed for the International Union of Concerned Scientists’ Red List. But are zoos a solution? On today’s episode we talked to Dr. Albrecht Schulte-Hostedde, a Professor in the School of Natural Sciences at Laurentian University. Albrecht is an evolutionary ecologist who has worked with the Toronto Zoo, so we asked him all about his work with zoos and how accredited zoos work to promote conservation. Website: https://www.pullback.org/episode-notes/s2-zoos Harbinger Media Network: https://harbingermedianetwork.com/join Enjoy our work? Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/Pullback

Sure, the rent is too damned high – but are we currently in a housing crisis? Or is the housing market working exactly as it was intended? On the first episode of our brand new season, we were joined by Ricardo Tranjan of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives to talk housing. Ricardo just wrote a fantastic new book called the Tenant Class, which makes the argument that tenants are an exploited class and calls for more tenant organizing as a solution. Pickup a copy of Tenant Class from your local bookstore! https://btlbooks.com/book/the-tenant-class Website: https://www.pullback.org/episode-notes/s2-tenantorganizing Harbinger Media Network: https://harbingermedianetwork.com/join Enjoy our work? Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/Pullback

Kristen sits down with author Seth Klein to discuss his book, “A Good War: Mobilizing Canada for the Climate Emergency”. This book explores what it would actually look like for Canada to mobilize on a wartime level to tackle climate change, using Canada’s efforts in the Second World War as proof that this isn’t the first time we’ve come together in the face of a world altering threat. Get the book: https://www.sethklein.ca/book Harbinger Media Network: https://harbingermedianetwork.com/join

Kristen and Kyla take a break from summer vacation to dive into the groundbreaking book "This Changes Everything" by Naomi Klein. Published in 2014, this critically acclaimed book discusses the interconnected nature of the economic, political, and environmental systems, and the ripples of it's influence can be felt everywhere in the climate movement today. Klein examines the impact of extractive industries on indigenous communities, uncovers the false promises of green capitalism, and highlights the importance of grassroots movements in the push for systemic change. While this book is nearly a decade old, it stands out as a timeless look at the many ways society could be acting to mitigate the worst of the climate and social crises facing us today. Harbinger Media Network: https://harbingermedianetwork.com/join

Kristen and Kyla sit down during their season break to discuss the book How to Be a Climate Optimist: Blueprints for a Better World by Chris Turner, a climate reporter sharing his personal research on technological climate solutions, from green islands to solar panel factories. This book outlines how much progress has been made in the last 25 years, and explores what technology exists today that could help electrify the grid if adopted at scale. Though the book was certainly well researched, Kyla and Kristen are disappointed in it's limited scope. They discuss the urgent need for stories of climate optimism that are grounded less in technocratic solutions and more in collective action driven by a hopeful vision of a more inclusive and less destructive future. Harbinger Media Network: https://harbingermedianetwork.com/join

Kristen and Kyla sit down during their season break to discuss the book The Great Displacement by Jack Bittle. This book tells the story of climate migration in the United States through interviews with those who have experienced climate disasters including floods, fires, drought, and storms. This book paints a picture not only of how climate change is already affecting thousands of people in a country that still seems to believe it’s a problem of the far future, but also of what climate migration is likely to look like in decades to come. Drawing on stories of how the insurance and mortgage markets are already shifting to reflect climate pressure, Bittle explores what a future in the USA might look like as geography and weather patterns change and old communities vanish. Other topics of discussion include; the current wildfires blotting out the sun in the eastern parts of Canada and the United States; how important housing policies are for disaster mitigation; how disaster relief works in Canada and the USA. We also recommend Nomad Century: How Climate Migration Will Reshape Our World by Gaia Vince Harbinger Media Network: https://harbingermedianetwork.com/join

A lot of settlers in so-called Canada want to walk the path of reconciliation with the Indigenous peoples who have always been here. On our last episode of season 1, we’re joined by Riley Yesno to discuss the land back movement that seeks to reclaim Indigenous rights and rebalance our relationships with one another and the land. Riley is an Anishinaabe scholar, writer, and commentator from Eabametoong First Nation. She has been a contributor and commentator for some of the largest media outlets in Canada and the world, including the New York Times, BBC World News, The Globe and Mail, and CBC National News. Her main project right now is teaching Indigenous governance and justice at Toronto Metropolitan University, and completing her Ph.D. at the University of Toronto, where she studies Indigenous/Canadian politics and is a Vanier Scholar. Riley Yesno: https://rileyyesno.com Redsurgence: https://rileyyesno.com/home#work CBC Land Back Podcast: https://www.cbc.ca/listen/cbc-podcasts/1341-landback CBC Kuper Island Podcast: https://www.cbc.ca/listen/cbc-podcasts/1062-kuper-island CBC Secret Life of Canada episode about the Indian Act: https://www.cbc.ca/listen/cbc-podcasts/203-the-secret-life-of-canada/episode/15721469-s2-the-indian-act Website: https://www.pullback.org/episode-notes/111 Harbinger Media Network: https://harbingermedianetwork.com/join