Scapegoat - by Clare Follmann (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

The problem with invasive species is a problem of capitalism.

A caste of plants and animals labeled "invasive" are villainized as primary drivers of habitat degradation that must be eradicated at any cost--an ethically fraught and often futile approach. Fanatical intervention efforts lay waste to local ecosystems, yet this outdated narrative of "species management" persists in both public belief and conservation policy, distracting from and even justifying a far greater threat to biodiversity: the global capitalist system that is destroying our planet.

Drawing on environmental science and semiotics, Scapegoat recounts how the rhetoric of war between "native" and "invasive" species provides cover for business and political interests and their social and ecological consequences. In her clear-eyed polemic, Clare Follmann challenges received wisdom in light of the true ecological crisis we face. The choice is simple: we can have capital, or we can have life.

Review Quotes

"The stories we tell, and the language we use to tell them, matter deeply. Follmann offers another story, ... without romanticizing the relatives who expand beyond all good sense, to convey a necessary message: We survive together or not at all." --Patty Krawec, Becoming Kin

"Thought-provoking and utterly enthralling, Scapegoat is a deeply researched history of how we talk about invasive species, which is to say how we talk about science, our own role in the natural world, and the search for a better future..." --Erica Berry, Wolfish

About the Author

Clare Follmann, MES, is a writer and environmentalist whose work engages with themes of ecology, language, and philosophy. She lives in Olympia, WA.