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“I was a monument to immigration—now I’m a border control cop.” So admits the Statue of Liberty in Giannina Braschi’s United States of Banana, a rollicking and nakedly political allegory of US imperialism and Puerto Rican independence. Illustrated by Swedish comic book artist Joakim Lindengren and based on Braschi’s epic manifesto by the same title, the story takes us along on the madcap adventures of Zarathustra, Hamlet, and Giannina herself as they rescue the Puerto Rican prisoner Segismundo from under the skirt of the Statue of Liberty. Throughout their quest, the characters debate far-ranging political and philosophical subjects, spanning terrorism, global warming, mass incarceration, revolution, and love. The Marx Brothers, Pablo Neruda, Barack Obama, Disney characters and more make appearances in this stirring call to overthrow empire, liberate the imprisoned masses, and build a new country rooted in friendship, art, poetry, and laughter.

The climate crisis demands more than innovation; it requires a radical rethinking of the role of universities.

As the climate crisis intensifies, universities stand at a crossroads—both as contributors to ecological challenges and as agents of change. Universities and Climate Action presents a novel framework for understanding how higher education institutions can engage meaningfully with climate issues across teaching, research, governance, and community outreach. Tristan McCowan investigates the tensions between academia’s historical complicity in environmental exploitation and its immense potential in driving sustainable transformation.

This work offers a holistic perspective on how universities influence climate change at local and global levels, underscoring both the barriers to action and the pathways to meaningful change. With examples from institutions worldwide, McCowan demonstrates how universities can embed climate responsibility into curricula, shift research priorities, and foster climate-conscious campus operations. By synthesizing diverse approaches and offering practical principles for reform, Universities and Climate Action is a vital blueprint for academics and university leaders seeking to reorient higher education toward a just and sustainable future.