Recycle. Fly less. Eat less meat. These are some of the ways that we've been told can slow climate change. But the inordinate emphasis on individual behavior is the result of a marketing campaign that has succeeded in placing the responsibility for fixing climate change squarely on the shoulders of individuals. The result has been disastrous for our planet. In The New Climate War, renowned climate scientist Mann argues that all is not lost. And he outlines a plan for forcing our governments and corporations to wake up and make real change.
Michael Mann knows what he’s talking about ... Mann starts from the premise that we can save the planet from the worst impacts of climate change if we move to net-zero carbon emissions. As a scientist, he dismisses most scenarios of an uninhabitable Earth because they’re based on a misunderstanding of methane feedback loops, and, as a citizen, he has no time for 'climate doom porn' because it leads to political paralysis. But if Mann is 'objectively hopeful,' he’s not naïve. The challenges are real and the vested interests of business as usual are powerful ... Michael Mann may or may not be a Climate Jedi, but he is a climate smart guy and The New Climate War is a must read.
... many standout moments ... In war there are casualties, including the innocent. While Mann rightly blasts delayers and cynical 'eco-modernists' such as Bill Gates, Bjorn Lomborg and Michael Shellenberger, some of his volleys inflict collateral damage on good faith climate allies such as George Monbiot and Prof Kevin Anderson ... a punchy, provocative, informed, sometimes idiosyncratic but also deeply personal take on the crisis, by a respected voice in the climate science and communications field.
The main focus of Mann’s book is a call to arms in the new war against 'inactivists' who are using new tactics of 'deception, distraction and delay' to prevent the phase-out of fossil fuels. Mann is a robust character ... Mann does not pull his punches, but his aim is usually strong and true. This book will no doubt prove controversial for some climate campaigners, as well as the deniers, but I hope it will be read by everybody who is engaged in making the case for action.
