The Environment in Canada Podcast episode 98 on Canadians’ digital sovereignty (January 20, 2026). You can listen to the episode on The Harbinger Media Network, IHeart Radio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or our website below:
Journalist James Stout joins us to discuss Rojava, the ecological aspects of their revolution in Northeast Syria, and the history of conflict there. Kurds and other cultural minorities in Rojava are also being threatened with the prospect of ethnic cleansing by the new Syrian Transitional Government of Damascus that has attacked on Rojava.
The Canadian Government could apply pressure to the Syrian Government to help facilitate a peaceful resolution if you’d like to call your MP and tell them to act. We will also update this description with ways to assist in humanitarian efforts in the region as they become available. UNICEF is operating in the area.
- Find James’ work and more about James’ book Against the State at https://bsky.app/profile/jamesstout.bsky.social
- Find the It Could Happen Here Podcast at: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/105-it-could-happen-here-30717896/
- Listen to Part One of this two part podcast, Rojava: Social Ecology, Democracy, Feminism, & Community, here: https://www.sierraclub.ca/rojava-social-ecology-feminisim/
In this episode we additionally delve further into organizing-without-the-state skills from Rojava of use to anyone anywhere. On that note, James also recently returned from reporting on I.C.E.’s invasion of Minneapolis. As James puts it:
“I met an older lady in Minneapolis… she said ‘we wish our politicians would do more [to stop I.C.E.], but they’re not going to, so that’s okay, we’ll do it ourselves.’ And I wish people would just take that, if they take nothing else from my book, if they take nothing else from what is happening in Minneapolis, it would be that:
You don’t have to wait [for politicians to act], you can do it yourself, and maybe you can do it better… And I think that’s something I took from Rojava – I took a sense of hopefulness.”
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Please note: The views expressed in these podcast episodes do not necessarily reflect those of the Sierra Club Canada Foundation, or those of our chapters or programs.
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