For this episode, we are pleased to welcome representatives of the Debt for Climate movement, joining us from Kenya, Zimbabwe, and Finland.

• Dianey Mugalizi is the Africa Regional Coordinator for Debt for Climate.
• Absolom Jim is a Debt for Climate country lead from Zimbabwe.
• Elsa Kivinen joins us from Debt for Climate Finland.

In this episode, we discuss the Debt for Climate movement, the ongoing debt crises in the Global South, and how these crises directly affect the daily lives of communities, alongside the worsening impact of the climate crisis. We also explore potential solutions and visions of a better future if debt cancellation were to take place.

Debt for Climate is a global grassroots movement initiated and led by the Global South. The movement’s primary demand is the unconditional cancellation of external debts Global South countries’ external debts to colonially powerful creditors such IMF and World Bank. The goal is to redirect the resources going towards debt repayments towards urgent climate action instead. Many countries in the Global South are heavily burdened by debt, limiting their capacity to invest in sustainable development and address climate change, despite being some of the most affected by environmental damage.

The movement argues that Global North, historically responsible for the majority of carbon emissions, must take responsibility by canceling these debts. This would allow affected nations to focus on climate adaptation and the development of green infrastructure. Debt cancellation would enable resources to be redirected toward renewable energy, climate resilience projects, and community-driven initiatives to safeguard ecosystems from the growing threats of climate change.

At its core, the Debt for Climate movement ties climate justice to economic justice, advocating that debt cancellation acts as a form of reparations to address historical inequalities in global climate responsibility. The movement has rapidly gained support from political economists, researchers, and activists across both the Global North and Global South.

For more information on Debt for Climate visit www.debtforclimate.org.

Instagram: @debtforclimate @debtforclimate_kenya, @debtforclimate.zw @debtforclimatefi

Elsa Kivinen’s book recommendations:

• The Imperial Mode of Living: Everyday Life and the Ecological Crisis of Capitalism by Ulrich Brand
• Democracy in the Political Present by Isabel Lorey

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In our latest two-part episode, we welcome three guests from the University of Helsinki. As we explore current events and the global challenges we face, it seems the fatalistic view is prevailing. Institutions like the UN lack credibility and the power needed to intervene and enforce human rights, as the current situations in Gaza and Sudan have shown us. The West continuously illustrates examples of "rhetorical" moralism, demanding democratic values while also holding countries such as Saudi Arabia as their closest allies. Global inequality persists, populism is on the rise, and many of the post-World War II democratic values are perhaps eroding away. In this episode, we discuss these issues, concentrating on universal values, the problem of polarization, climate change, and visions of a better future.

Kristian Klockars is a Docent and Senior Lecturer of Practical Philosophy at the University of Helsinki. His research areas include political philosophy, especially the philosophy of democracy and critical social theory (both in the Frankfurt School and post-structuralist tradition).

Säde Hormio is an Academy Research Fellow at the University of Helsinki. Hormio’s research focuses especially on collective responsibility, social epistemology, and climate ethics. Hormio’s latest book, Taking Responsibility for Climate Change (2024), discusses, for example, the role of ethical arguments in setting climate policy.

Mattias Lehtinen is a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Helsinki. His areas of research include the traditions of contemporary continental political philosophy, post-phenomenological thought, and critical theory. He is especially interested in contemporary political thought and theory.