Lake Michigan's Crayfish Invasion Reveals a Brutal Truth About Global Trade

Invasive species are more than a biology problem. They sit at the crossroads of environmental justice, ecology, globalization, freshwater ecosystems, and biodiversity loss, and they hit hardest in places that can least afford the damage.

In this episode, I sat down with Dr. Ruben Keller to unpack how invasions actually spread, why prevention is usually the best deal we’ve got, and what crayfish in Lake Michigan can teach us about bigger patterns.

We also get into hidden pollution barriers in river systems, the economics behind policy decisions, and why the costs of invasive species are often paid by communities who benefit the least from the global trade that moves them around.

Watch the full episode below.