Workers and the World: some reflections on the book by Lorenzo Feltrin.

On their own, Lorenzo Feltrin is clear, workplace struggles and community-centred organising are too week to challenge capitalist exploitation and ecological destruction. However, how can they be brought together? This is the central question Feltrin pursues in his fascinating book Workers and the World: Fighting Ecological Crisis from Within (Verso, 2026). In this conceptually and empirically impressive analysis, Feltrin explores four case studies, Grangemouth/UK and Porto Marghera/Italy in the Global North, Kerkennah/Tunisia and Quintero-Puchuncavi/Chile in the Global South. In this blog post, I will highlight some of Feltrin’s key contributions and raise a couple of critical points for further thought.  

The People’s Emergency Briefing – A missed opportunity!

Across the UK, the People’s Emergency Briefing is currently being screened to large audiences. It is intended as a wake-up call just in time to turn things around before the full climate catastrophe becomes irreversible. This summer’s drought if anything demonstrates the urgency. The goggle box style presentation format may not be to the taste of everyone, but the warning of current and future disasters hits home well. These developments have been known for some time, but the film achieves its goal of ensuring that wider sections of society are confronted with the looming reality. In the end, however, the documentary is a complete let-down when it comes to potential solutions and ways forward. In this post, I want to highlight four key shortcomings.