Scapegoat: What the Invasive Species Story Gets Wrong

Follmann, Clare

ISBN 10: 1849356211 / ISBN 13: 9781849356213

Published by AK Press, 2026

This book is in Very Good condition. The cover and pages have minor shelf wear. Binding is tight and pages are intact. Seller Inventory # BRV.1849356211.VG

Synopsis:

The problem with invasive species is a problem of capitalism.

A caste of plants and animals, labeled "invasive species," are charged with being a key cause of habitat degradation that must be eradicated at any cost--an ethically questionable and often futile approach. While some invasive species cause great environmental damage, recent developments in the study of ecology have found that intervention efforts themselves have frequently proved more harmful than helpful to their local ecosystems. Yet the outdated narrative of "species management" persists in both public belief and conservation policy, distracting from and even justifying a far greater threat to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 use of biased rhetoric and inaccessible language has created support for a popular but misleading war of "native" against "invasive" that does nothing to address the root cause of biodiversity loss. Instead, these are "plastic words" that lose their precise scientific origins with their introduction to everyday language yet still carry the weight of authority--becoming persuasive and dangerously malleable. In her surprising and clear-eyed polemic, Clare Follmann challenges the received wisdom on invasive species in light of the true ecological crisis we face. This book poses moral and political questions to make us rethink our relationship with nature (and each other) in a rapidly changing world.

About the Author: Clare Follmann is a writer, activist, and gardener with a master's in environmental science whose work engages with themes of landscape, ecology, climate crisis, language, and philosophy. She is located in Olympia, Washington, where she contributes to urban farming and botany initiatives.

Bibliographic Details

Title: Scapegoat: What the Invasive Species Story ...
Publisher: AK Press
Publication Date: 2026
Binding: Soft cover
Condition: very_good