Greed to Green: Solving Climate Change and Remaking the Economy

Derber, professor of sociology at Boston College, makes a radical but persuasive argument that our current form of capitalism, with its short-term thinking, is the cause of climate change, and that we can't solve the latter without confronting the former. He contends that in order to be moved to action sufficient to avert calamitous global warming, we need to feel the crisis viscerally, not just understand it intellectually, and forge solutions that “not only ward off the long-term catastrophe but also help solve today's most burning crises: economic deep recession, vanishing jobs, unstable oil prices, Middle East wars, rotten education, deteriorating public infrastructure, poverty, and financial insecurity.” Derber is optimistic about Obama's strategies but foresees “enormous structural obstacles” to their implementation, and concludes that social justice and environmental movements—however riddled with weaknesses—are our “best last hope for solving global warming on the urgent time scale required.” Despite the urgency and seriousness of his message, Derber conveys an appealing enthusiasm that may inspire concerned citizens to action rather than apathy or despair. (Mar.)