John Bellamy Foster and Brett Clark (2015) have agreed with Naomi that the rate at which the ecological conditions are changing around the world is not sustainable. Naomi has done a great job in depicting not only this fact but more importantly, the fact that there is a more urgent need to change, on a global scale, the mindset that currently governs the economic and social systems in which we live.
They agree with the author that these ecological changes have mainly been brought about by our neoliberal capitalism and that nothing short of an ecological revolution is going to get the planet back on the right track.
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Literature Review
Left wing socialism has always maintained that capitalism is bad for mankind. However, the center-left opinions of people who agree with capitalism up to a point hold that several factors of the system need a seismic shift so that capitalism can be ‘sweetened'. While John Bellamy et al. maintain that Naomi's book is actually the most on-point depiction of how capitalism, especially the astronomical economic growth it promises, is no longer sustainable if we still want to talk about its compatibility with the well-being of mankind, Jonathan Chait, (2015) counters that Naomi’s narrative is actually proving that the movement to change world policies is actually at an unprecedented level of acceptance by world political leaders than ever before, and therefore a lot is being done to support her point.
This divergence if views have lent credence to the argument between environmental activists and politico-economic leaders that the topic is the elephant in the room, and one way or another, we will have to face it.
Perhaps the most prevailing point about the book is that it seems destined to have the spin-off effect of reinvigorating the debate between socialism and capitalism, and it seems to capitalists that the novelist has been partly biased towards a socio-political ideology that might or might not be the only cause of economic degradation, and therefore actually promotes the author from being an intellectual interrogator of the effects of anthropogenic activity on the environment to an actual critic of capitalism.
The Author’s Main Points
In a nutshell, Naomi Klein holds the opinion that, our society as we know it, will destroy the planet. This is so because she has categorically raised such issues as the emergence of big corporate organizations and the world’s largest conglomerates as the main culprits for environmental degradation.
Naomi goes ahead and uses the examples of environmentalists from small or ‘non-polluting economies' that are now the ones bearing the biggest burden of the adverse effects being experienced as a result of global warming, and shows how smaller and greener economies are not being assisted by the more polluting economies to provide a suitable and adequate ‘carbon dump'.
She continues to highlight that if nothing is done soon, perhaps within the next 100 years, the adverse effects of this degradation will reach a tipping point and it will be too late to do anything else to prevent a total degradation of the ecosystem.
She maintains that there are too much talk and not much action. Years upon years are being lost in conferences and agreements that are left open ended so that polluters choose to either do something or nothing at all, without any consequences other than the global warming itself.
She argues that most big corporations have turned the impending crisis into a huge business opportunity, where collecting green credits and promotion of other sources of energy that supposedly are greener than traditional coal are being used to rake in billions of dollars in capital.
She has ably linked the corporate capitalist world with the worlds ruling elite and has presented a case to show that this elite has the power and not the will to embrace economic policies that can bring about a better understanding and management of climate change.
The Author’s Perspective to the Problem
The author is articulate about what she wants to depict in the novel. Her main point as highlighted above is that the ideological, economic and political fabric that we are used to has to change, and that this change might only be probable if there is a popular revolution of the masses, to force the ruling elite to act.
She has derided many economic policies that seem to hand the power to make ecologically devastating effects on the planet to big corporations. She advances the notion that without a well orchestrated and executed revolution of those who ‘understand,’ the change that scientists are advocating for will be just a pipe dream.
In this relentless pursuit of a popular down-to-top push, Naomi has failed to pick out the positives of the current drive among world leaders to recognize environmental degradation as a crisis and the efforts taken to act on policies and practices that promote conservation and green efforts.
She however has raised many pertinent points that need to be addressed in a more inclusive and strategic way.
The Proposed Solutions to the Problem
Naomi has depicted what she terms as the measures that can bring about the change that is most desirable and which can create equality and protection of the most vulnerable in our society.
Firstly, she proposes a total inward look to all, to understand that it is our daily choices and the choices made on our behalf and needed to change. She has identified a need for everyone to embrace a lifestyle change that can be linked to the need to reduce carbon emissions. This could include reduction of energy uses, reduction of consumption of products manufactured with poor environmental policies and better choices on fossil fuels.
On a leadership level, she has proposed many changes, the first one being the placing of corporate responsibility to those companies that are polluting the environment. This could be in the form of increases in pollution taxation, controlling business practices through legislation and encouraging ‘non-green' companies to contract.
Conversely, she has encouraged the promotion of low carbon sectors to expand, elaborating that this will lead to an actual increase in jobs for the most vulnerable sections of society.
In my opinion, what Naomi encourages is good in the long term however, for the debate to shift from whether her effort is meant to fight capitalism as a political ideology, and to be effective, she should have dwelt more on the tactical and strategic methods that are practical and pragmatic to be implemented at a short, medium and long term.
The book also needed to adopt a more conciliatory tone with the people who rule so that it doesn't seem as if it is promoting environmental activism that might threaten the existence of the powers that be as this becomes counterproductive to the good intention of creating policies to fight climatic change.
Lessons Learnt
The book raises very important issues about what is scientifically proven about the current state of affairs concerning the question of environmental degradation. The delivery of the adverse effects of human activity is not in doubt.
However, it is clear to see that the book might work against itself given the attacks it has taken to the door of the very people who might have the muscle and power to marshal public opinion, resources, and peer might make the change possible.
This is instructive as it proves that no matter how noble cause, the delivery of the problem identified must be backed up by an inclusive argument of what needs to be done, and an identification of all stakeholders in solving the problem. This allows the proposer to develop then proper corrective strategies that can be adopted by all stakeholders to make things happen.
Overall Opinion about the Book
While the book is clear about the real and present danger of human activity on the environment, it fails to convince on the level of how to go about what needs to be done to bring about an environmental turnaround.
To change the world, any revolutionary idea must be coupled with a proper popular buy-in, which can only be made possible by adopting a multi-pronged approach to the solutions. All stakeholders must be involved in the crafting of the paradigm shift in policy, and though there will be losers, they must not be vilified no matter how noble the cause is, as this is the only way to guarantee success.
Conclusion
The book has, and will continue to elicit worldwide debate about the problem of economic degradation. The author has taken the reader to the core of how environmental changes are affected by his activities and choices. The author implores the common man to make little efforts, including participating in a down-to-top revolution to force the world to wake up.
However, she launches on a long and winding journey of linking capitalism against the fight to save the planet, and therefore succeeds in alienating a large portion of the small elite who might hold the greatest key to the very change she advocates.
References
Clark, B., & York, R. (2005). Carbon metabolism: Global capitalism, climate change, and the biospheric rift. Theory and Society , 34 (4), 391-428.
Foster, J. B., & Clark, B. (2009). Ecological Imperialism: The curse of capitalism. Socialist register , 40 (40).
