Blaming “humanity” for climate collapse feels intuitive, but it hides the real drivers. We sit down with Prof. Joerg Rieger to unpack why Anthropocene flattens responsibility and how Capitalocene offers a sharper, more useful map—one that follows power, money, and relationships across extraction, production, and belief. From oil fields to boardrooms to pews, we trace how decisions at the top cascade into carbon, culture, and daily life.

We start with the familiar story: humans shape the planet. Then we pull the thread—who, exactly, is shaping what? Joerg walks us through the links between petroleum, minerals, finance, and law, showing how extraction and exploitation move together. We interrogate terms like Eurocene and Petrocene, and explain why focusing on identities or single resources misses the system organizing them. Along the way, we tackle a live debate in geology about timescales, arguing that the rapid acceleration of capital-driven warming justifies a vocabulary that centers agency where it operates.

The conversation turns to theology and culture, where modern metaphors drift from kings to CEOs. If God begins to mirror a chief executive bound to shareholder value, what happens to care for the common good? Jorg offers a theologically grounded critique and points to alternative traditions—jubilee, stewardship, solidarity—that resist extractive defaults. We also explore AI’s near future: not a savior or a curse, but a force that will amplify whatever incentives it serves. Under current structures, it risks deepening inequality and environmental strain; under new governance and ownership, it can help build resilience.

By the end, we trade guilt for clarity. Instead of shaming consumers, we focus on production standards, energy systems, ownership, and policy that shift outcomes at scale. If you’re ready to move past vague blame toward concrete levers for change—across climate, economy, and faith—this conversation maps the terrain and points to the work ahead. Subscribe, share with a friend who loves big ideas, and leave a review with one system you think we should unpack next.

About Religion and Justice
Religion and Justice is a podcast from the Wendland-Cook Program in Religion and Justice at Vanderbilt Divinity School. We explore the intersections of class, religion, labor, and ecology, uncovering how these forces shape the work of justice and solidarity. Each episode offers space for investigation, education, and organizing through conversations with scholars, organizers, and practitioners.

Learn more at religionandjustice.org

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