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This time, author, journalist, environmentalist, and former gubernatorial candidate Michael Shellenberger joins me on the FORBIDDEN CONVERSATIONS podcast to talk about “homelessness” as well as a bit of TwitterFiles discourse thrown in for good measure. We discuss the real problems, ethical and practical challenges, as well as potential solutions.
Michael Shellenberger is founder and president of Environmental Progress, an independent nonprofit research organization that incubates ideas, leaders, and movements. Michael is a Time Magazine "Hero of the Environment," and Green Book Award winner. And he is cofounder of the California Peace Coalition, an alliance of parents of children killed by fentanyl, parents of homeless addicts, and recovering addicts.
Shellenberger has ran for election for Governor of California twice.
Shellenberger is a leading investigative journalist who has broken major stories on crime and drug policy; homelessness; Amazon deforestation; rising climate resilience; growing eco-anxiety; the U.S. government’s role in the fracking revolution; and climate change and California’s fires. And he testifies and advises governments around the world including in the United States, United Kingdom, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, the Philippines, Australia, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany.
Shellenberger has been called a “environmental guru,” “climate guru,” “North America’s leading public intellectual on clean energy,” and “high priest” of the environmental humanist movement for his writings and TED talks, which have been viewed over five million times. He has been a climate and environmental activist for over 30 years. He has helped save nuclear reactors around the world, from Illinois and New York to South Korea and Taiwan, thereby preventing an increase in air pollution equivalent to adding over 24 million cars to the road.
Michael lives in Berkeley, California and travels widely. You can follow him on Twitter, or subscribe to his Substack.
FORBIDDEN CONVERSATIONS is a series that takes on topics that don't always get attention or are more challenging to tackle and seeks to address them through civil discourse and nuanced exploration. To view all episodes so far, visit here. Please subscribe, like and comment. You know, all the YouTube things. Want to listen only? Find us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
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Who am I? I’m a writer with an overactive imagination and a random mind. Outside of Substack, you’ll find my work in publications such as Newsweek, WIRED, Variety, The Washington Post, The Guardian, Esquire, Playboy, Mashable, CNN Travel, The Independent, and many others.
Michael Shellenberger on fixing "Homelessness"
I'd like to add this link that someone brought to my attention here: https://t.co/J7aH4NR3ox
The argument the author seems to be making is in regards to visible homelessness vs invisible. So the people we see on the streets, we identify as having addiction & mental illness, but the number of people without housing, whom we don't see b/c they are in shelters, is greater. eg. there is still very much an issue with homelessness as far it concerns people being unable to afford actual housing costs...
I think it's a very important point to note in this discussion. So while we are discussing "visible homelessness" it's important to remember that the invisible kind still exists and also needs attention.
ppl without homes!