Derrick Jensen (born December 19, 1960) is an American
ecophilosopher, writer, author, teacher and
environmentalist
An environmentalist is a person who is concerned with and/or advocates for the protection of the environment. An environmentalist can be considered a supporter of the goals of the environmental movement, "a political and ethical movement that s ...
in the
anarcho-primitivist tradition, though he rejects the label "
anarchist
Anarchism is a political philosophy and movement that is skeptical of all justifications for authority and seeks to abolish the institutions it claims maintain unnecessary coercion and hierarchy, typically including, though not necessari ...
". ''
Utne Reader
''Utne Reader'' (also known as ''Utne'') ( ) is a digital digest that collects and reprints articles on politics, culture, and the environment, generally from alternative media sources including journals, newsletters, weeklies, zines, music, and ...
'' named Jensen among "50 Visionaries Who Are Changing the World" in 2008, and ''
Democracy Now!
''Democracy Now!'' is an hour-long American TV, radio, and Internet news program hosted by journalists Amy Goodman (who also acts as the show's executive producer), Juan González (journalist), Juan González, and Nermeen Shaikh. The show, whi ...
'' says that he "has been called the poet-philosopher of the
ecology movement".

Jensen is a
critic
A critic is a person who communicates an assessment and an opinion of various forms of creative works such as art, literature, music, cinema, theater, fashion, architecture, and food. Critics may also take as their subject social or govern ...
of the mainstream environmental movement's focus on preserving civilization and technology over preserving the natural world.
[Holzman, Jael (2022).]
How a Fight over Transgender Rights Derailed Environmentalists in Nevada
. ''Politico''. Politico LLC. He specifically challenges the lifestyle changes and individualistic solutions broadly advocated, considering them drastically inadequate to the global scale of
environmental catastrophe
An environmental disaster or ecological disaster is defined as a catastrophic event regarding the natural environment that is due to human activity.Jared M. Diamond, '' Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed'', 2005 This point disti ...
.
[Kateman, Brian (2022).]
To Save The Planet, We Need Systemic Change—But Your Individual Choices Still Matter
. ''Forbes''. Instead, he promotes
civil disobedience
Civil disobedience is the active, professed refusal of a citizen to obey certain laws, demands, orders or commands of a government
A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a stat ...
, radical activism, and dismantling infrastructure on a massive level in order to halt what he has called "the murder of the planet".
Jensen is a founder and leader within
Deep Green Resistance
Deep Green Resistance (DGR) is a radical environmental movement that views mainstream environmental activism as being ineffective. The group, which perceives the existence of industrial civilization itself as the greatest threat to the natural ...
; his and the organization's belief that women-only spaces should
exclude trans women
A trans woman or a transgender woman is a woman who was assigned male at birth. Trans women have a female gender identity, may experience gender dysphoria, and may Gender transitioning, transition; this process commonly includes Feminizing horm ...
has been the subject of controversy.
Jensen lives in
Crescent City, California
Crescent City ( Tolowa: ''Taa-’at-dvn''; Yurok: ''Kohpey''; Wiyot: ''Daluwagh'') is the only incorporated city in Del Norte County, California; it is also the county seat. Named for the crescent-shaped stretch of sandy beach south of the c ...
.
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Selected works
* Republished by Chelsea Green in 2004 with .
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* Republished by Chelsea Green in 2004 with .
* Republished by Chelsea Green in 2004 with .
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* , Seven Stories Press,
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References
Further reading
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Jensen, Derrick
1960 births
Living people
21st-century American male writers
21st-century American non-fiction writers
21st-century American novelists
American anti-capitalists
American environmentalists
American feminist writers
American male non-fiction writers
American male novelists
American non-fiction environmental writers
Anti-consumerists
Colorado School of Mines alumni
Deep ecologists
Eastern Washington University alumni
Ecofeminists
Ecophilosophers
Feminist musicians
Male feminists
Writers from Colorado
Writers from Washington (state)