I was looking for a book that discussed climate change. I wanted a very recent book by an author that had received good Amazon reviews. This book seemed to meet the requirements, and had the added advantage that it claimed to discuss the Green New Deal, and should therefore be relevant for understanding positions of Democratic candidates for president in 2020.
This book is poorly written. It seems to be cobbled together from speeches given by the author in various venues. It is filled with bold statements that appear to be oversimplifications, are often vague and sometimes false.
I was disappointed that there is very little discussion of the science behind climate change. Instead “On Fire” is a political manifesto arguing action without giving clear reasons for the action.
Climate change is indeed the most urgent crisis confronting the world. Scientists now realize that global temperatures will rise by 3 to 5 degrees C over preindustrial levels by 2100. That will cause sea levels to rise, destroying some coastal cities (eg Miami), and may make parts of the tropics uninhabitable in summer months. Since excess carbon can stay in the atmosphere for several hundred years, warming temperatures may eventually lead to the extinction of humans.
Naomi Klein is correct that the extent of the warming and the suffering that ensues are dependent on the actions we take now. But what should those actions be?
The idea of the environment limiting the growth of populations is not new. An excellent book of 1972, Limits to Growth, by Randers et al, argued that population growth even as low as 1% or 2% per year would come to an end when the earth reached its carrying capacity. The argument was based on the mathematics of exponential growth as taught in university calculus, and models of dynamical systems. This argument seemed quite robust. The authors provided several scenarios describing what might happen if food, or oil were the limiting constraint, or if it was destruction of the environment that brought an end to population growth.
The book was written before global warming was understood. We now know that it is the environment through global warming that will be the limiting factor. The book Limits to Growth described “overshoot and collapse” as a characteristic of many of the models. That means that population temporarily exceeds carrying capacity because some effects of population growth occur after a delay. Overshoot and collapse will likely occur with a vengeance as global warming brings an end to population growth, as regions near the equator become uninhabitable decreasing the carrying capacity of earth.
We have two choices: We can use birth control to limit population ourselves. This would ameliorate climate change to some extent, and would surely limit suffering in places like Africa which is expected to double its current population by 2050. The other possibility is to watch death rates rise until the population overshoots the new carrying capacity of earth, and then falls back to the new lower level. The second alternative may bring in its wake a new Dark Ages, and wars over resources.
Klein does not share my view that population growth is the primary cause of climate change. Her description of the causes is found on page 99 of the book: “The biggest big green groups have avoided … any serious debate on the blindingly obvious roots of the climate crisis: globalization, deregulation, and contemporary capitalism’s quest for perpetual growth.”
Klein does not make a convincing argument that globalization is one of the culprits. Maybe deregulation is a factor, but Klein’s argument for this is also weak.
On the other hand, it is true that growth must eventually come to an end, particularly population growth. But it is not capitalism that causes global warming, but rather the need for ever-increasing consumption of energy to meet the needs of a growing population.
If we don’t limit population growth ourselves, we will enter the collapse phase of overshoot and collapse, population will fall, and economic growth will be replaced by contraction.
In addition to blaming capitalism, Klein demonizes free trade, because it uses too much carbon to transport goods, and argues for “relocalizing” production, which means (among other things) going from large industrial farms to small family farms and gardens.
But as the world’s population has increased, cities have become necessary for much of humanity, and residents are dependent on trucks which use oil (hopefully to be replaced by electricity) to bring in food. Klein’s argument to reverse this trend would be appealing if we could all live on our own farms in the country, but that is only possible for a small elite.
She is defying experts from other fields when she argues against free trade. Most economists believe that both countries benefit when they engage in trade, each economy producing the goods which they can make most efficiently.
When you destroy efficiency, living standards go down. Klein seems to accept lower living standards, suggesting that people should be happy to consume less and be satisfied with less “stuff.” But I was left wondering how this would affect the growing number of homeless in the US, already living on the brink.
On page 199, Klein writes “we must … carefully wind down existing fossil fuel projects, at the same time as we rapidly ramp up renewables until we get global emissions down to zero globally by mid-century.” But she gives no convincing explanation of how to achieve that. With current technology, coal is cheaper than solar panels, and poorer countries with trouble feeding their poor can't take on the added expense.
Klein wants to solve the problem of redistributing the world’s assets from rich to poor at the same time as we find ways of lessening carbon emission. On pages 240-241 she writes, “we need to up our ambition and show exactly how battling climate change is a once in a century chance to build a more democratic economy.” Instead of focusing just on climate change, much of the book argues for social justice, and the Green New Deal includes not just actions on climate change but a host of other liberal issues.
For example, universal health care is included in the Green New Deal. But to make this possible we must recognize the limits to our resources, and in particular we would need to train new doctors to provide the additional health care. This is one aspect of universal health care that has not been adequately discussed in the media.
The problem is that illegal immigration could overwhelm attempts to extend health care to millions of uninsured. The population of Guatemala has quadrupled since 1960, and increased population in Guatemala and other Latin American countries could make universal health care unaffordable in the long run, even with heavy taxes on the wealthy. Better than continued illegal immigration would be economic aid for Latin American countries along with family planning that helps those who choose to limit family size.
China took the lessons of Limits to Growth to heart in 1979 when it introduced its one child policy. India has had no such policy, and comparison of the results is stark. China is now vying with the US for leadership of the world economy, while poverty within India is still oppressive. The video Klein cites with Ocasio-Cortez dreams of bullet trains in the video of a better America she envisions seven years in the future. China already has 18,000 miles of such high speed rail connecting major cities, contributing to a greener future for China, and possibly enabling China to extend high speed rail technology to much of the rest of the world, while India’s trains are still slow and inefficient.
If a Democratic president tried to implement the approach outlined in this book to halt climate change, along with providing universal health care without also achieving zero population growth to limit growth in expenses, there is a real danger that resource constraints would make the changes impossible to achieve. The consequence might be the election of a Trump clone in 2024. Democrats need to get the climate change issue right.
Potential readers of this book should look to other sources for both the science on climate change and realistic policies for addressing it.
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.
| Price | New from | Used from |
|
Audible Audiobook, Unabridged
"Please retry" |
$5.95
| $7.95 with discounted Audible membership | |
|
Audio CD, Audiobook, CD, Unabridged
"Please retry" | $22.74 | $8.69 |
Great on Kindle
Great Experience. Great Value.
Putting our best book forward
Each Great on Kindle book offers a great reading experience, at a better value than print to keep your wallet happy.
Explore your book, then jump right back to where you left off with Page Flip.
View high quality images that let you zoom in to take a closer look.
Enjoy features only possible in digital – start reading right away, carry your library with you, adjust the font, create shareable notes and highlights, and more.
Discover additional details about the events, people, and places in your book, with Wikipedia integration.
Get the free Kindle app: 
Enjoy a great reading experience when you buy the Kindle edition of this book.
Learn more about Great on Kindle, available in select categories.
Frequently bought together
$15.35
Get it as soon as Wednesday, Oct 25
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
+
Total price:
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Choose items to buy together.
Similar items that may deliver to you quickly
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
Reviews with images
Submit a report
A few common reasons customers report reviews:
- Harassment, profanity
- Spam, advertisement, promotions
- Given in exchange for cash, discounts
When we get your report, we'll check if the review meets our Community guidelines. If it doesn't, we'll remove it.
Sorry, there was an error
Please try again later.Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
Reviewed in the United States on December 3, 2019
Reviewed in the United States on October 9, 2019
Reviewed in the United States on January 12, 2020
As I’m sitting in CT on January 12th... it is 70 degrees and feels like Summer. Last year at this time I was shoveling my driveway every morning. Watching the fires burning in CA and Australia mainly on social media, not cable news, has been a shock.. However it’s just what Naomi talks about in her book. At the same time, governments continue to hide climate truths from the general public. Most people still don’t take it seriously in America. We are going down a path that is not good unless we stand up to big oil, chemical corporations and corrupt governments. It’s scary to see how late we are to confronting the climate crisis. It’s a battle for all life on earth and every plant and creature. Thank you Naomi for your honest and truthful book. I will continue to buy more books from this author.
Images in this review
Top reviews from other countries
satisficer
Good read but lacking
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 29, 2019
papapownall
The case for a Green New Deal is compelling
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 7, 2019
Simon Rotelli
Analisi intellettualmente onesta
Reviewed in Italy on August 28, 2020
