Resist Genocide & Ecocide: Build Democratic Socialism

By Mazin Qumsiyeh, François Kamate , Gina Cortés Valderrama , Anna Libey , Alexandria Shaner 

August 1, 2025

Source: Originally published by Z. Feel free to share widely.

Ecocide and genocide are two faces of empire.

Fossil-fueled capitalism drives both ecological collapse and violent repression. From Gaza to the Amazon, genocide and ecocide are tools to secure land, resources, and power for imperial core economies.

An internationalist, ecosocialist perspective reveals that endless growth for the few means destruction for the many.

We must resist extractivism, militarism, and settler colonialism—not separately, but together. Another world is possible—but only if we organize for global solidarity, ecological repair, and democratic control of land and life.
Build resistance.
Build alternatives.
Build democratic socialism.

Join Caracol DSA for an online panel and discussion – endorsed by ZNetwork.org.
This event was recorded on July 20, 2025.

Panelists:

Mazin Qumsiyeh, a Palestinian scientist, author, and Nobel Peace Prize nominee who is the founder and director of the Palestine Museum of Natural History and the Palestine Institute for Biodiversity and Sustainability at Bethlehem University, where he also teaches.

François Kamate, a young climate and human rights defender from North Kivu province, Democratic Republic of Congo. He is a co-founding member of Amani Institute ASBL and Extinction Rebellion Rutshuru and is active with various aligned groups and campaigns such as Save Virunga, LUCHACongo.org, and Notre Terre Sans Pétrole.

Gina Cortés Valderrama, a Colombian activist who advocates for climate, racial, economic and gender justice at the intersections of feminism, decoloniality and degrowth. She co-coordinates the Just Transition Thematic Group part of the UNFCCC’s Women and Gender Constituency.

Anna Libey, an ecosocialist organizer and member of Caracol from Denver DSA and Sunrise Movement. Anna is a systems scientist, environmental engineer, and activist interested in coalition building between environmental, economic, and racial justice movements. Anna will present her work as an organizer with the Stop Fueling Genocide Campaign targeting Chevron for Palestine and the Planet and share tools and resources for corporate pressure campaigns to win fossil free and apartheid free events.

After the panel presentations there was an interactive session for discussion and generating organizing which was not recorded due to privacy concerns.
Contact Caracol DSA for more information & resources.

Breakout room topics/facilitators:

Room 1: Starting corporate pressure campaigns (Anna, she/her, Denver DSA)
Room 2: Labor’s role in resisting genocide & ecocide (Lael, she/her, Miami DSA/Florida Int’l University YDSA)
Room 3: Municipal organizing to resist and build (ref. Zohran Mamdani campaign in NYC) (Lalo, he/him, NYC DSA)
Room 4: Degrow your community – local organizing to resist and build (Sämu, he/they, Boston DSA)
Back up facilitator (Maple, she/her, NC Triangle DSA)Email

Mazin Qumsiyeh

Prof. Mazin Qumsiyeh is founder and volunteer director of the Palestine Institute for Biodiversity and Sustainability, Bethlehem University (palestinenature.org). He and his wife (a cofounder and also full time volunteer at PIBS) plan a trip based on invitations to meet people and give tailored talks to suit audiences (churches, Rotary Clubs, environmental groups, museums, scientists, etc) to be able to gain long term support for a) Palestine, b) (secondary) to our institute (palestinenature.org). Support can be financial, in-kind, volunteering (in person or remotely), mobilizing, etc. Professor Mazin Qumsiyeh previously served at US universities including Tennessee, Duke and Yale. He has published over 180 scientific papers, over 30 book chapters, hundreds of articles, and several books including “Sharing the Land of Canaan” and “Popular Resistance in Palestine” on topics ranging from environmental impacts of colonization to environmental and climate justice to cultural heritage to human rights to biodiversity conservation to cancer. He oversaw a number of projects ranging from formulating the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan to empowerment projects with farmers, women, and children that benefitted tens of thousands. He is laureate of the Paul K. Feyerabend Foundation Award the Takreem Award, Peace-Seeker of the Year Award, among others.