This is a must read book for anyone interested in climate change and its impact on humanity. It's also a must read book for everyone else that wants to continue to live in our biosphere. Which is to say, it's a must read for everyone.
The author starts out introducing us to a number of themes he carries forward. Specifically:
1) Climate change causes stressors on planetary civilization and these changes threaten American national security. This is not the author's point of view, but that of our military. Want an example? Consider Afghanistan. Why do they grow poppy? They've been in prolonged drought (a stressor as a result of global warming), and poppy only uses one fifth the water wheat does. The US runs around burning their crops, whereas the Teleban supports the farmers and helps them feed their children. [So are we going to solve the Afghan problem? Use critical thinking and decide for yourself.]
2) Societies can adapt by 'armed lifeboats', whereby they secure their borders against mass migrations, increased internal militarization, and conduct counterinsurgency operations abroad. The author sees this as a malignant adaption to Global Warming and warns us with case after case where this fails. Unfortunately, as the author points out, this is the direction the US is taking.
3) Societies can also adapt by learning to live within the limits of the planet earth. [Hey, I CAN use a solar panel to heat hot water instead of producing CO2 or nuclear waste.]
4) Counterinsurgency destroys societies and eventually fails anyway.
Next, the author takes us on a tour of the world, concentrating on regions between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. Sections are dedicated to Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Impacts of global warming and resultant counterinsurgency operations are discussed.
Lastly, the author again focuses back on the US. It seems that big-oil has waged a successful campaign to discredit global warming here and this is discussed in detail. Obama has even delayed putting solar collectors back on the White House. [A weak and feckless president who should have never been elected (and I'm a Democrat).]
Finally, the author offers a prescription for moving forward. Many other authors are ready to abandon capitalism entirely (as it got us into this mess), but Christian does not. He feels that capitalism can morph/change into a benevolent la-la being that will suddenly embrace what the yippies and hippies have been saying all along. All that is needed is for a price to be put on Carbon emissions (a Carbon Tax), and the invisible hand of Adam Smith will soothe things out and reduce CO2 emissions to zero.
[You can see I part company with the author on his last point. You really think our national congress, that is bought and paid for by big oil will ever pass a Carbon Tax? If you do, you are one of the most Pollyanna people on earth. Instead, it is up to us, everyone, to think globally but act locally. To paraphrase Kennedy, I should ask not what I can get the congress to do, but what I can do myself to ameliorate global warming. And I can do plenty. I can first read up on the issues (skipping the pablum of the American corporate press). Next, I can think critically. Finally, I can act. I can buy locally grown food so there's less of a carbon footprint. I can install solar panels. I can buy a more fuel efficient car. And so on. HEY, IT'S UP TO US TO SOLVE GLOBAL WARMING - NOT SOMEONE ELSE.]
Other Used, New, Collectible from $1.35
Hardcover
Buy new:
$10.59$10.59
Delivery Tuesday, April 23
Ships from: Amazon.com Sold by: Amazon.com
Buy new:
$10.59$10.59
Delivery Tuesday, April 23
Ships from: Amazon.com
Sold by: Amazon.com
Buy used: $7.75
Buy used:
$7.75
Other Sellers on Amazon
Added
Not added
$10.56
+ $15.77 shipping
+ $15.77 shipping
Sold by: Elegants Store
Sold by: Elegants Store
(532 ratings)
100% positive over last 12 months
100% positive over last 12 months
Only 4 left in stock - order soon.
Shipping rates and Return policy Added
Not added
$10.56
+ $15.77 shipping
+ $15.77 shipping
Sold by: Jasmin's Elite Store
Sold by: Jasmin's Elite Store
(887 ratings)
91% positive over last 12 months
91% positive over last 12 months
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
Shipping rates and Return policy See Clubs
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Join or create book clubs
Choose books together
Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Follow the author
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.
OK
Tropics of Chaos Paperback – September 4, 2012
by
Christian Parenti
(Author)
{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$10.59","priceAmount":10.59,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"10","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"59","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"cdGV6L937D9gL%2F5UkRAt2YYdpCRba%2B3029ymxpw%2F6Ub%2FJ5LC4cWpxoSTJSFaH%2BcvbhnRzaTv42D2XLcPI7y9npotysgy55t6sFmWgnuRhAwiNNLuTCgoxBrhW7zUUMSwTdVWR2z%2F65FEVWhUkZVSzw%3D%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$7.75","priceAmount":7.75,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"7","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"75","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"cdGV6L937D9gL%2F5UkRAt2YYdpCRba%2B30r6Q5PrPnGsM7v1W6tUOJx6c%2BVxBrtj9j2cDg7HQvDDIBJG1wgdqxvDyUUGPeMkN14x3Btl6VDkuvAIiUiZN91GYNPSueuCRI6CxtZ%2FVmaXrrys2mZDqqiNTQ%2BVKzRKKuDKNXpgydVSNM0d1OLiPgFGAjhxBI1BJN","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}
Purchase options and add-ons
From Africa to Asia and Latin America, the era of climate wars has begun. Extreme weather is breeding banditry, humanitarian crisis, and state failure.
In Tropic of Chaos, investigative journalist Christian Parenti travels along the front lines of this gathering catastrophe--the belt of economically and politically battered postcolonial nations and war zones girding the planet's midlatitudes. Here he finds failed states amid climatic disasters. But he also reveals the unsettling presence of Western military forces and explains how they see an opportunity in the crisis to prepare for open-ended global counterinsurgency.
Parenti argues that this incipient "climate fascism" -- a political hardening of wealthy states-- is bound to fail. The struggling states of the developing world cannot be allowed to collapse, as they will take other nations down as well. Instead, we must work to meet the challenge of climate-driven violence with a very different set of sustainable economic and development policies.
In Tropic of Chaos, investigative journalist Christian Parenti travels along the front lines of this gathering catastrophe--the belt of economically and politically battered postcolonial nations and war zones girding the planet's midlatitudes. Here he finds failed states amid climatic disasters. But he also reveals the unsettling presence of Western military forces and explains how they see an opportunity in the crisis to prepare for open-ended global counterinsurgency.
Parenti argues that this incipient "climate fascism" -- a political hardening of wealthy states-- is bound to fail. The struggling states of the developing world cannot be allowed to collapse, as they will take other nations down as well. Instead, we must work to meet the challenge of climate-driven violence with a very different set of sustainable economic and development policies.
- Print length312 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- Publication dateSeptember 4, 2012
- Grade level8 and up
- Reading age13 years and up
- Dimensions5.5 x 0.78 x 8.25 inches
- ISBN-101568587295
- ISBN-13978-1568587295
Frequently bought together

This item: Tropics of Chaos
$10.59$10.59
In Stock
$16.49$16.49
In Stock
Total price:
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Try again!
Added to Cart
Choose items to buy together.
Customers who bought this item also bought
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
This Is an Uprising: How Nonviolent Revolt Is Shaping the Twenty-First CenturyMark EnglerPaperback$15.77 shipping
Radical Hamilton: Economic Lessons from a Misunderstood FounderHardcover$16.34 shippingUsually ships within 1 to 3 weeks
The Undertow: Scenes from a Slow Civil WarHardcover$16.64 shippingGet it as soon as Tuesday, Apr 23Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
Customer reviews
4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
132 global ratings
How customer reviews and ratings work
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on Amazon-
Top reviews
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
Reviewed in the United States on July 8, 2011
Reviewed in the United States on August 18, 2022
I've been an atmospheric scientist, in one capacity or another, for 40 years. During the last 20 years I've been telling people (in formal settings such as classrooms, and informal settings, such as library talks) that anthropomorphic climate change is starting to run away, because of built-in feedbacks in the system. Other far more famous people, such as James Hansen, have been doing the same thing. (See Hansen's book, "Storms of My Grandchildren." There are many other excellent books that have grappled with this.) To put it bluntly, what we have been trying to get across to the world is that, once this beast gets rolling, it will be impossible to stop it on any time scale that's meaningful to human beings. And to be clear: We are causing this mess. That has been very clearly and rigorously demonstrated. The end result will probably be a long-duration hothouse Earth, for which there is historical precedent.
We have encountered many professional "skeptics," many of whom are either uninformed or deliberate liars. Because of confirmation bias, millions of people buy the bunk they are selling. Some of their customers are so dug into their delusions that no amount of evidence will ever change their minds. I have given up trying. And I will probably get trolled for typing these words.
I'm only part way into Parenti's book, and already I find his thesis and his writing compelling. The author describes our predicament as the convergence of several simultaneous and interlocking problems, including global warming leading to climate change, neoliberalism throughout the Global South that has hamstrung government's ability to intervene with effective measures, and militarism. I could go on, but I recommend you read the book. I'll probably tear through it in the next couple of days.
Thanks for reading.
We have encountered many professional "skeptics," many of whom are either uninformed or deliberate liars. Because of confirmation bias, millions of people buy the bunk they are selling. Some of their customers are so dug into their delusions that no amount of evidence will ever change their minds. I have given up trying. And I will probably get trolled for typing these words.
I'm only part way into Parenti's book, and already I find his thesis and his writing compelling. The author describes our predicament as the convergence of several simultaneous and interlocking problems, including global warming leading to climate change, neoliberalism throughout the Global South that has hamstrung government's ability to intervene with effective measures, and militarism. I could go on, but I recommend you read the book. I'll probably tear through it in the next couple of days.
Thanks for reading.
Top reviews from other countries
Tim Marshall
5.0 out of 5 stars
Essential reading for climate change
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 2, 2022
Anyone interested in climate change needs to read this book.
Russell Wells
5.0 out of 5 stars
This book provided me with a much needed illuminating and ...
Reviewed in Canada on September 19, 2015
This book provided me with a much needed illuminating and holistic picture of geographical, historical, political and sociological factors converging with ongoing and accelerating climate change in this region across Africa. A must read as an effective framework for understanding the unfolding of converging catastrophe here and in and in other portions of the world.
One person found this helpful
Report
Scotty
5.0 out of 5 stars
We are living this now and it is a hard ...
Reviewed in Canada on January 26, 2017
We are living this now and it is a hard read and yet nothing is being done to stop this. Well written and Christian clearly had a vision as to where we are heading.
One person found this helpful
Report
Incubus
5.0 out of 5 stars
grim but vitally important
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 24, 2015
Excellent overview of the catastrophe that is gathering as climate change combines with free-market economics and military intervention to reduce some parts of the world to violent chaos.
Benjamin Isaiah
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Must Have
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 5, 2019
Good and educative




