"Not everything that is faced can be changed. But nothing can be changed until it is faced."
James Baldwin, ‘As Much Truth
as One Can Bear’, 1962"
Source:
Planet on Fire.
A Manifesto for the Age of Environmental Breakdown
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Mathew Lawrence’s Planet on Fire argues that the current environmental breakdown is not an accidental tragedy but the direct result of extractive capitalism and colonial legacies. By re-examining the history of Easter Island, the text challenges the narrative of "human nature" being inherently self-destructive, instead blaming wealthy nations and large corporations for systemic exploitation.
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The author highlights how neoliberalism and the financialisation of the economy prioritise short-term profit over ecological stability, often leaving the Global South to face the harshest consequences. To combat this, the author advocates for a radical transformation of ownership through community wealth building and democratic control over essential resources.
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This shift involves repurposing central banks, investing in public transport, and restorative rewilding to ensure a sustainable future for all. Ultimately, the work asserts that achieving climate justice requires dismantling the power structures that have historically commodified the natural world.
The "Ecocide" of Easter Island is a Myth (and the Real Story is Darker)
The mainstream narrative of the Rapa Nui—popularized by figures like Jared Diamond—is a "fable of global ecocide" used to blame human nature for systemic failure. In this myth, a "selfish" population overexploited their trees to move stone statues, eventually descending into cannibalism and war. This is a lie designed to glorify the hunter by blaming the lion.
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The historical reality is not "ecocide," but colonial homicide. Early visitors, like the Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen on his flagship, recorded a lush, cultivated island with a healthy population. The Rapa Nui did not commit suicide; they were liquidated by globalized profit-seeking:
• The Invasive Vanguard: Ecology was first destabilized by invasive rats that arrived with European ships.