The War on Cars

Episode 108: Traffication with Paul Donald

Added 2023-07-18 10:01:02 +0000 UTC

Dear Patreon folks,

On this episode I talk with conservation scientist Paul Donald about his ground-breaking new book, Traffication: How Cars Destroy Nature and What We Can Do About It. I think it's one of the most important books of the last few years in its documentation of the existential threats posed to nature by the car.

Paul synthesizes dozens of studies to help us understand what cars and roads do to living things. He makes the case that cars ruin more than cities—they also ruin the countryside by fragmenting habitat and creating a neverending barrage of threats and stressors for animals of all kinds. The danger posed by the car to nature, he suggests, is existential.

I talked with Paul Donald about his book, why he coined the term “traffication” and what he thinks we can do about it. The whole conversation kind of blew my mind. I hope you enjoy it and share what you hear with others. I think it's so important.

Deepest thanks, as always, for making this podcast possible.

Sarah