This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate

TL;DR
In order to stand a chance against catastrophic impacts of climate change, we need to fundamentally change the global economy. Seriously, this book is a great read.

I do think the book was unnecessarily long; she could've gotten the point across in fewer words (and I would've been able to finish the book sooner lol). I lost motivation to read a couple of times due to this, but hey! I made it in the end. This is ultimately what made me go from a true 5/5 rating to a 4.5/5 rating.

I also lowkey loved the sass

the Geoclique is crammed with overconfident men prone to complimenting each other on their fearsome brainpower. At one end you have Bill Gates, the movement's sugar daddy, who once remarked that it was difficult for him to decide which was more important, his work on computer software or inoculations, because they both rank “right up there with the printing press and fire.” At the other end is Russ George, the U.S. entrepreneus who has been labeled a “rogue geoengineer” for dumping some one hundred tons of iron sulphate off the coast of British Columbia in 2012.

This is a monster of a book, packed and over packed with information and ideas... It's gonna take a while to digest this Thanksgiving dinner.

(I listened to the audio version and, through no discernable fault of the narrator, had difficulty staying focused. For some reason her voice kept turning into a white noise, relaxing but void of meeting.)

Everybody should read this book. There is an incredible amount of information and the author makes clear that our economic and political systems are at odds with our humanity. We can and should change the rules of the game. Otherwise we are ultimately doomed.

I understand that climate change is real; I accept that human activity is responsible; and I believe we should be doing everything we can to stop churning harmful emissions into the atmosphere. And yet this book, which is subtitled “Capitalism vs. the Climate,” actually made me question these beliefs. To put it simply, Klein has made her argument in such a way–with not even a nod toward rhetorical balance–that it becomes difficult to believe many of the assertions she makes.

See my full review here: Review of This Changes Everything

This took me awhile to get through but it was well worth the time investment. As usual, Naomi Klein is SO GOOD at combining intensive research and reporting with her own personal narrative in a way that is compelling and honest and readable.

This Changes Everything is SO important. Klein is very clear that we are seriously on the precipice of fucking up the earth irrevocably, and then she walks us through who's responsible, what can be done (and what NEEDS to be done ASAP), and what's being done.

I can't recommend it highly enough.