Jacob Dawson
University of North Alabama
Why is there such a wide and jagged schism between the international environmental conservation community and neoliberal capitalism espoused by many democratic and conservative politicians alike? Is every environmental organization trustworthy? Or may some activist groups be guilty of collusion with the big industry players responsible for so much of the pollution in the ocean and atmosphere? How is objective science sorted out from pseudoscientific and manipulative studies designed to obfuscate the issue and confuse or deceive the public? Naomi Klien answers these questions and many more in her newest book on the environment. She illustrates with rich color the underlying issues behind environmental policy and activism which have too often been portrayed in black and white by mainstream media.
Published in 2014, Capitalism vs. The Climate was immediately hailed as a revolutionary work, with reviews appearing in such outlets as Vogue, The Rolling Stone, and The Guardian. , The New York Times drew positive comparisons between it and Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring (1962), and further wrote that it “is a book of such ambition and consequence that it is almost unreviewable.” Naomi Klein is the author of several articles, chapters and books, gaining widespread recognition with her 2007 book The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism. She has been interviewed by Amy Goodman, Bill Moyers, and Charlie Rose among others and serves as a member of the board of directors for prominent climate action organization 350.org.
The introduction to her latest work begins with a confession. She frankly admits, “I denied climate change for longer than I care to admit.” The feeling is one that many of us who make ourselves suffer through newscasts are familiar with. We all know the story but, like other forms of bad news, we tend to find reasons to ignore the problem or justify non-action on our part. This is classic denialism, and we must push ourselves to reach beyond this insidious and cowardly tendency to remain in willful ignorance. Emissions from sectors including manufacturing, big Ag, and transportation are rising, resulting in astronomical levels of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. Global average temperature is rising, although locally this manifests as extreme weather events of various kinds. Recall the early 2014 southern shift of the Northern Polar Vortex that was the cause of 49 record low temperatures nationwide just on January 7, along with heavy snowfall prompting cancellation of flights, power outages, and other forms of widespread social disruption? How much longer can we safely remain in denial?
As human population growth continues to rise and civilization becomes increasingly concentrated in urban centers, the pressure exerted on natural systems overreaches their capacity to sustain life. Resulting unstable resource production increases susceptibility to famine and drought, and, in sequence, the spread of disease and civil unrest. Resource extraction at the current level is poisoning and stripping the land, rendering unable to yield crops in sufficient quantities to maintain high levels of population concentrated in cities. If global population continues to rise along with global emissions and global temperatures, then ecosystems will fail globally. When ecosystems fail globally, i.e., everywhere, nowhere will be left untouched.
Klein builds her case by reviewing how the political and socioeconomic climate relates to climate science. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has met annually since 1995 to discuss how to mount a coordinated response to global warming. Universities, NGOs, corporations, respected scientific personalities, celebrities, and even entrepreneurs and philanthropists recognize the need to reshape humanity’s relationship with our environment. Even while the movement is gaining strength, however, there are those who seek to undermine progress. Research and summit meetings aimed at discrediting the theory of human-affected climate change are frequently funded by oil & gas companies and laissez-faire economic think tanks favoring deregulation to minimize cost and maximize profit. One of the main forces preventing effective and rapid social change from taking place is the devotion to free-market capitalism by the same bodies (governments, corporations, NGOs) that are proponents of environmental responsibility.
Klein delves into climate change science and policy with remarkable foresight and courage. While her fondness for detail occasionally brings to mind the metaphor “beating a dead horse” after some 400+ pages, it ensures she does not fail at her task to systematically present the many varied and intertwined aspects of climate change science, policy, and activism. Wonderfully rich with passion and a sense of dire purpose, Klein is not afraid to get personal. Laced throughout with analogies and anecdotes to support the scientific consensus, she truly strives to encourage the weary would-be environmentalist. Her invitation to care is hard to resist as the story is as much about the evolution of her perspectives and feelings on the matter as it is about the matter itself. This is more than just a book. It is a challenge to engage in the world around and even within on a level of understanding and compassion rarely encountered. Please read this book!