For Your Climate Activism Bookshelf
Written by Keith Nickolaus, CRBA Writers Team
In this post CRBA Writers Team contributor Keith Nickolaus shares reflections on four very different books exploring the climate crisis. From Greta Thunberg’s urgent call to action in The Climate Book, to a new book on slow-growth economics titled Slow Down that claims a growing audience around the world, and including the highly regarded Doughnut Economics as well as Siddhartha Kara’s harrowing exposé titled Cobalt Red, we hope these reflections lead readers to new titles for their climate activism bookshelf and inspire deeper conversations and reflections on the roots of the climate crisis and the scope of our collective approaches to combat it.
“You know cobalt’s the only thing we’re really going to be talking about the next 25 years.”
“It’s easier to imagine the end of the world than to imagine the end of capitalism.”
Introduction
As I set out months ago to create a summer reading list focused on climate activism, I envisioned delving into books that would inspire action and deepen my understanding of the challenges we face.
Greta Thunberg at the COP24 Climate Conference in Katowice, Poland
However, my reading journey took some unexpected turns.
For example, after selecting Greta Thunberg’s The Climate Book for my summer reading list, I serendipitously tuned into a conversation with Kohei Saito, on KQED, about his new book Slow Down: The Degrowth Manifesto.
The author’s remarks were on one level “radical” and on another so cogent that they were hard to ignore. And while much of the book’s argument is rooted in the author’s academic research into Marxism, and in particular Marx’s unpublished late-career notes, the author’s call to action really had more to do with the looming environmental crisis than it did with debates about Marx’s evolving economic views.
Reading Saito’s book led me to veer away from the science of global warming and climate advocacy as such and into deeper explorations of the economic systems underpinning the larger environmental crisis and the deeper contradictions plaguing our reliance on technological “solutions” to our global threats.
Kohei Saito, author of Slow Down: The Degrowth Manifesto (Photo by Kazuhiro Igarashi, The Guardian)
In this post, I reflect on the four books I explored this summer, starting with Greta Thunberg’s The Climate Book and then detouring into Kohei Saito’s critique of capitalism. Subsequent selections for my summer reading complemented Saito’s book, all three probing economics, capitalism, and our environmental woes. Kohei’s intellectual perspective seemed to point me directly to the economic modeling explored in Doughnut Economics and very clearly predicted and explained the chain of logic leading to the social and environmental degradations documented in Kara’s heart-wrenching book on Cobalt mines and Cobalt mine laborers in central Africa.
What follows are simply my personal thoughts on the deeper ideas animating each work—on some of the prominent ways they inspire creative, collective, and transformative approaches to the global climate crisis or, beyond that, challenge even climate activists with “inconvenient truths.”
While Thunberg’s book gave me a thorough grounding in the science of global warming, the other books forced me to ponder the systemic paradoxes woven into the fabric of our day-to-day lives and into some of the solutions we’re relying on to combat the crisis. Cobalt Red also reminded me that alongside saving the planet, we need to develop deeper compassion and commitments toward the human costs of our market-driven economy, committing ourselves to pursue social justice and climate justice with the same urgency as global warming.
Image by Lubos Houska from Pixabay
1. The Climate Book by Greta Thunberg
Quick Take
Why Read It?: This comprehensive, one-stop resource covers nearly every aspect of the climate crisis, delivered with Thunberg’s prophetic voice and authentic courage and passion.
Key Themes: Climate science, activism, environmental justice, and the future of our planet.
Perfect For: Those seeking a deep dive into climate issues but only have time for one book.
Brief Summary
The Climate Book is a sweeping compendium that tackles the climate crisis from all angles. Thunberg collaborates with scientists, activists, and thought leaders to provide an encyclopedic guide to understanding and combating climate change.
In-Depth Review
Greta Thunberg’s The Climate Book is not just a comprehensive guide to understanding the climate crisis—it’s a powerful manifesto for action.
The book’s scope covers nearly every aspect of climate science, policy, and activism, making it an immensely educational resource.
At the same time, each topic is treated in a short-standalone article, so all of the information is accessible and easy to digest, especially for those seeking a strong foundation on climate issues and science.
Thunberg’s personal interjections infuse the often academic themes in the book with urgency and passion, reminding us that the climate crisis is our crisis and that, in this context, educating oneself is not about intellectual curiosity but an existential imperative.
Her use of the first-person plural (we/us) consistently reinforces the notion that this is a collective journey, in the most existential and global sense possible.
While the sheer volume of information might be overwhelming, Thunberg’s ability to tie it all together with her voice ensures that it never feels like a mere academic exercise. Instead, it’s a call to arms, compelling readers to acknowledge the reality of the situation and take meaningful action.
Considerations
The book’s comprehensive nature might be overwhelming for readers looking for a light summer read, but its structured journey from understanding to action makes it an essential read.
Notable Quotes
"This is the biggest story in the world, and it must be spoken as far and wide as our voices carry, and much farther still."
Final Verdict
If you only have time to read one climate book this year, make it The Climate Book. It’s both a very thorough primer on climate science across all types of environmental impacts from plastics to carbon, oceans, acid rain, and more. And it’s a roadmap for action, infused with Thunberg’s compelling calls to action—never telling readers exactly what to do, but encouraging them to act with urgency. It encourages activists to honor their own personal voices, gifts, and imaginations as educators, advocates, and problem solvers grounded in truth telling when it comes to the threats posed by global warming.
2. Slow Down: The Degrowth Manifesto by Kohei Saito
Quick Take
Why Read It?: Saito challenges the very foundations of our economic system, arguing that true sustainability requires a radical departure from growth-centric capitalism.
Key Themes: Capitalism critique, degrowth, sustainability, economic justice.
Perfect For: Readers interested in deep economic and philosophical discussions about the roots of the climate crisis.
Brief Summary
Slow Down: The Degrowth Manifesto by Kohei Saito explores the connection between capitalism and environmental degradation. Saito argues that the obsession with economic growth is the root cause of the climate crisis and advocates for a degrowth economy that prioritizes ecological balance over profit.
In-Depth Review
Kohei Saito’s Slow Down: The Degrowth Manifesto is a bold and provocative examination of the link between capitalism and the environmental crisis. Through a meticulously constructed argument, Saito dismantles the illusion that we can continue to pursue growth while mitigating environmental damage. His analysis is grounded in Marxist theory, but Saito is careful to address and counter competing perspectives, making his case with a clarity that is both challenging and accessible.
What makes this book particularly compelling is Saito’s willingness to confront the elephant in the room of first-world societies, namely that our current economic systems are driving us toward ecological disaster. His call for a degrowth economy is not just theoretical—it’s a call to rethink our values and priorities in a world facing unprecedented challenges.
While some might find his vision daunting or even impractical, Saito’s work is essential reading for anyone willing to consider the underlying economic and lifestyle changes needed to address the climate crisis. His perspective forces us to ask whether the solutions we’re pursuing are merely band-aids on a system that needs a complete overhaul.
Considerations
The book’s focus on Marxist theory and the degrowth movement might be challenging for those unfamiliar with these concepts or who prefer more hands-on approaches to solving the climate crisis.
Notable Quotes
"The system that caused the problem in the first place, cannot be an integral part of the solution."
Final Verdict
Slow Down: The Degrowth Manifesto is a bold and thought-provoking read that forces us to rethink our economic systems in light of the climate crisis. It’s a must-read for anyone interested in a deeper but readable intellectual critique of capitalism framed by the urgencies of addressing global warming and the limits of a consumer-based market economy.
3. Doughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st-Century Economist by Kate Raworth
Quick Take
Why Read It?: Raworth reimagines economics with a focus on social justice and ecological sustainability, offering a visionary model for the 21st century.
Key Themes: Sustainable economics, social equity, environmental justice, economic reform.
Perfect For: Readers interested in alternative economic models that prioritize people and the planet over profit.
Brief Summary
In Doughnut Economics, Kate Raworth critiques traditional economic theories that prioritize growth at the expense of social and environmental health. She proposes a new model—visualized as a doughnut—that balances essential human needs within the planet's ecological limits.
In-Depth Review
Raworth’s model breaks away from the conventional focus on GDP and market-driven indicators for measuring economic prosperity, advocating instead for an economic model that prioritizes social welfare and ecological sustainability. Her approach is grounded in values such as equity, justice, and the fair distribution of resources.
What makes Raworth’s approach particularly compelling is her ability to translate complex economic theories into accessible ideas that resonate with our contemporary values of social justice and sustainability.
From those in academia to activists and advocates, Raworth urges us to rethink economics, critiquing the idea that economics should be pursued as a value-neutral science. Instead, Raworth argues that economic models need more pragmatic and purpose-driven goals like equity, well-being, and ecological balance.
Raworth’s model is both visionary and practical, offering a framework that could guide policy and economic decisions in a way that prioritizes people and the planet over profit. Today her economic model has achieved exceptional notoriety as a pragmatic roadmap for making economics a tool for positive change.
"Growth at all costs is driving us towards ecological and social collapse."
"We need to move from a linear take-make-waste economy to a circular regenerative economy."
"We must strive for economic systems that respect planetary boundaries and ensure social justice for all."
Final Verdict
Doughnut Economics is a thought-provoking read that challenges conventional economic wisdom. It’s an essential book for anyone interested in exploring how we can design economies that promote greater social equity and environmental sustainability.
4. Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives by Siddhartha Kara
Quick Take
Why Read It?: This powerful exposé reveals the dark side of technological progress, highlighting the human and environmental costs of cobalt mining in the Congo. If you’re wondering what Saito and Raworth mean when they talk about the dark sides of market capitalism, this book pulls back the curtain on the other side of the capitalist coin, revealing dark spaces bustling with inequity, exploitation, and degradation—human and environmental.
Key Themes: Exploitation, human rights, environmental degradation, global inequality, colonialism.
Perfect For: Readers who want to understand the hidden human and ecological impacts behind the tech and electric vehicle industries.
Brief Summary
Cobalt Red by Siddharth Kara sheds light on the brutal realities of cobalt mining in the Congo, exposing how the exponential growth in demand for this essential mineral—for use in cellphones and electric vehicle batteries—is fueling exploitation and environmental destruction.
In-Depth Review
Kara’s narrative is both harrowing and illuminating, drawing direct connections between first-world consumption and third-world suffering. Cobalt Red exposes the stark inequalities and human rights abuses perpetrated by global supply chains. The book’s heavy content might be difficult for some readers to digest, but its revelations are crucial for anyone concerned about ethical consumption, climate change, and stunning depths of environmental and economic injustice.
Cobalt Red by Siddhartha Kara is a gut-wrenching exploration of the human and environmental costs behind the cobalt mining industry in the Congo—a vital component of our modern technological world, and, paradoxically, one crucial to the production of EV batteries in the first world’s pursuit of carbon reductions.
Kara, a seasoned expert on human trafficking and modern slavery, exposes the brutal realities faced by those at the bottom of the global supply chain. From the very beginning of the book, Kara dismantles the myths perpetuated by multinational corporations that claim their supply chains are clean and ethically sourced.
The truth, as Kara reveals, is far darker: unregulated mining practices, child labor, and virtual slavery are the norm in regions rich in cobalt but impoverished in every other way.
The narrative is deeply personal and deeply disturbing, documenting the dire effects of capitalist market forces operating unchecked in national contexts rife with poverty and corruption. Structured not only as a geographical journey, but as a journey into ever-more disturbing levels of suffering and exploitation, Kara’s narrative has some of the same haunting quality as Conrad’s Heart of Darkness as the book’s revelations force readers to confront the uncomfortable truth that the conveniences of the first world are often built on the suffering of the third.
While the content is heavy, Cobalt Red is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the true cost of our modern lives and the ethical implications of our consumer choices. Even more, for climate activists, Cobalt Red is a case study in the paradoxes of market-driven solutions to climate change.
Notable Quotes
"The inevitable outcome of a lawless scramble for cobalt in an impoverished and war-torn country can only be the complete dehumanization of the people exploited at the bottom of the chain."
Final Verdict
Cobalt Red is an essential read for those who wish to confront the uncomfortable truths behind modern technology. It’s a call to awareness and action, urging us to consider the true cost of our global economy.
Final Thoughts…
As I reflect on the books I've explored this summer, I’m struck by the compelling connections between the challenges of climate change, economic systems, and social injustice. Each of these books has pushed me to think more deeply about the full scope of the climate crisis and the need for more transformative realignments of our underlying social values and economic models.
I hope these reflections inspire you to read some of these same books and reflect on the inspiring and challenging insights they bring to the conversation about combating climate change when its causes and in some cases solutions are deeply intertwined with the entire fabric of the natural world and the totality of our human activities, behaviors, and aspirations.
We hope you’ll share your own perspectives on these topics, these books, or your own climate activism bookshelf in the comments below!