Staff Pick
For some time, there's been an unquestionable rift between environmental activists and class-centered leftists. While this rift certainly exists, is there any legitimate reason that it should? Ian Angus posits that not only are many of the issues between greens and reds born out of simple misunderstandings of each other's positions and histories, but also that both groups must work together if any feasible gains are to be made. Angus deftly and succinctly brings to light the vital intersection between environmental science and radical politics. As Angus makes abundantly clear, you can't heal the planet without toppling the systems that ravage it, and you can't blatantly ignore environmental issues in the name of social progress. Recommended By Casey M., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
A socialist response to the looming ecological crisis
As the Anthropocene advances, people across the red-green political spectrum seek to understand and halt our deepening ecological crisis. Environmentalists, scientists, and eco-socialists share concerns about the misuse and overuse of natural resources, but often differ on explanations and solutions. Some blame environmental disasters on overpopulation. Others wonder if Darwin's evolutionary theories disprove Marx's revolutionary views, or if capitalist history contradicts Anthropocene science. Some ask if all this worry about climate change and the ecosystem might lead to a "catastrophism" that weakens efforts to heal the planet.
Ian Angus responds to these concerns in A Redder Shade of Green, with a fresh, insightful clarity, bringing socialist values to science, and scientific rigor to socialism. He challenges not only mainstream green thought, but also radicals who misuse or misrepresent environmental science. Angus's argument that confronting environmental destruction requires both cutting-edge scientific research and a Marxist understanding of capitalism makes this book an essential resource in the fight to prevent environmental destruction in the 21st century.