Toxic Life Podcast: Episode One
What is Toxic Life? A conversation between co-hosts Krista Lynes & Ayesha Vemuri
In this inaugural episode of the
Toxic Life Podcast, environmental media scholars Krista Lynes and Ayesha Vemuri ask,
what is toxic life?
We’ve seen the word everywhere: we live in “toxic times;” feel the threat of toxic discourse; and are awash in toxic materials. Together, we want to think about the intersections of labour, place, and scale in a world structured by transnational capitalism, persistent colonialisms, occupations and war-time destruction, large-scale infrastructure and energy projects, and environmental ruin. Our conversations are minimally edited and serve to broaden the discussion around what is toxic in our world today.
Show Notes:
Françoise Vergès,
Making the World Clean (2025)
Olufemi O. Taiwo,
Reconsidering Reparations (2021)
Neferti Tadiar,
Remaindered Life (2022)
Max Liboiron,
Pollution is Colonialism (2021)
This episode was recorded on November 13, 2025.