Scientists, Activists and the Human Predicament from Kropotkin to Ehrlich






There have been few more passionate and prescient figures in the history of science than the Russian naturalist and political radical Peter Kropotkin.  Upon the confirmation of his geological research that demonstrated an ancient ice sheet had once extended across the Russian landscape, this evolutionary theorist and gentle anarchist reported in 1894 that "we must accustom ourselves to the idea that climate, like everything else on the earth, is a changeable element."  In his many books and articles he regularly identified sustainable methods for living in concert with nature, rather than in opposition, and connected the importance of political freedom with environmental stewardship.

In the midst of our current climate crisis, this one brought on by human behavior, the past few weeks have witnessed a veritable perfect storm as activists from the grassroots to the ivory tower have come together to demand a new direction on the politics of the environment. 

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