All Environmental Justice Events

“Breaking Climate Behemoth: Report from Santa Marta,” a roundtable on the stakes for global climate diplomacy today. Bringing together three Red Natural History Fellows who were on the ground in Santa Marta, Colombia for the First Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels in April, 2026, speakers discuss what happened behind closed doors—and what happened in the streets, unpacking not only the problems and controversies that flared up in Santa Marta, but also the openings, models for engagement, and new grounds for solidarity that were brought into view.

SPEAKERS

* Janene Yazzie (DinĂ©), Indigenous Peoples’ Rights and human rights advocate, longtime community organizer from the Navajo Nation, and Director of Global Programmes for The Woven Project

* Mohammed Usrof, Palestinian researcher, organiser, and Founder and Executive Director of the Palestinian Institute for Climate Strategy

* Joel Wainwright, Professor at Ohio State University and author of “The End: Marx, Darwin, and the Natural History of the Climate Crisis” (2025)

“The Data Center Frontier,” a roundtable on the environmental and social costs of the AI data center boom. Drawing lessons from Indigenous-led fights against pipelines, mining projects, and other forms of extractive infrastructure—as well as successful campaigns to block data centers—speakers share insights from the frontlines of the data center frontier and explore how movements across sites and issues can build durable solidarities in the face of a rapidly expanding digital-industrial regime.

SPEAKERS

* Jordan B. Kinder (MĂ©tis), Red Natural History Fellow and author of “Petroturfing: Refining Canadian Oil through Social Media” (2024)

* Krystal Two Bulls (Oglala Lakota/Northern Cheyenne), Executive Director of Honor the Earth, organizing at the intersection of Indigenous sovereignty, anti-militarism, and environmental justice

* Thea Riofrancos, scholar and author of “Extraction: The Frontiers of Green Capitalism” (2025)

* Vivek Bharathan, technologist and organizer with the No Desert Data Center Coalition in Arizona, and a Data Center Fellow with MediaJustice

“Red Natural History and the New Red Scare,” a roundtable on the conditions for activist research under the new “Red Scare.” Exploring the histories of state repression that led to the current crisis, the stakes for the Trump Administration, and the strategies people are developing to resist the current crackdown on dissident research and action, speakers reflect on the implications for their own institutions, disciplines, and practices, the histories and traditions we can learn from, and the resources we need—not just to survive this moment, but to shape what comes next.

SPEAKERS
*Rosalyn LaPier (Blackfeet/MĂ©tis), Historian and Red Natural History Fellow
* Andrew Curley (Diné), Geographer and Red Natural History Fellow
*Kai Bosworth, Geographer and Red Natural History Fellow
*Beka Economopoulos, Executive Director, The Natural History Museum

In this lecture, DinĂ© geographer Andrew Curley and NHM Research Director Steve Lyons introduce the theory and practice of “red natural history,” asking how, as the combative antithesis to the imperialist tradition of natural history, “red natural history” can orient us to the ongoing resource wars on the Colorado River, arguably the most colonized river in North America—as well as the struggles playing out over its future.

This lecture was presented at Dutch artist Jonas Staal’s Climate Propagandas Congregation at BAK, basis voor actuele kunst, Utrecht on December 15, 2024.

“Aquifer Defenders: Learning from Waadookawaad Amikwag,” an event exploring how Indigenous knowledge and Western science can be mobilized to halt the destruction caused by pipelines, stop future projects, and protect the land and water for future generations––in Minnesota and beyond. Highlighting the work of Waadookawaad Amikwag (“Those Who Help Beaver”), a diverse community group of water protectors, scientists, drone pilots, field monitors, and grassroots organizers that is gathering and interpreting evidence of environmental destruction from the Enbridge Line 3 pipeline, expanded in 2021 after a decade of Native-led resistance, this Zoom Webinar explores the group’s their troubling findings, including aquifer breaches, lack of tribal consultations, and inadequate state regulation enforcement.

SPEAKERS

* Victoria M.L. McMillen (Migizi Clan, Anishinaabeg Nagachiwaanong): Cultural and traditional Ecological knowledge carrier, volunteer with Waadookawaad Amikwag

* Jami Gaither: Metallurgical engineer and founding member of Waadookawaad Amikwag

* Jeff Broberg: Geologist and founding member of Minnesota Well Owners Organization (MNWOO) and Waadookawaad Amikwag

* Kai Bosworth: Critical Geographer and Red Natural History Fellow

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Held on August 1, 2024, this webinar was curated by Kai Bosworth as part of “Natural History for a World in Crisis,” a virtual programming series organized by Red Natural History Fellows with The Natural History Museum. Made possible with support from the Henry Luce Foundation, Hewlett Foundation and 4Culture.

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Check out resources and other material from Wadookawaad Amikwag on the group’s website: https://waadookawaadamikwag.org