Book notes: On Fire: The (Burning) Case for a Green New Deal

By Naomi Klein.

Top takeaways:

1. Climate change is an emergency. We have 10 years to cut carbon emissions in half. This book presents a plan to get there, by caring for each other and the planet.
2. The current capitalistic economy is brutally effective at extracting resources from the planet. The generated wealth is concentrated in the hands of a few, while the costs are mostly paid by the poor, by living in an “environmental sacrifice zone” or reduced land productivity from climate change.
3. You can’t get buy in from people when you care more about the planet than their well-being.
4. You can’t save the planet by yourself.

Notes

Introduction we are the wildfire.

March 2019, kids walk out of schools in protest of climate change. Gaudy stats about current effects: islands lost to sea rise, more forest fires, record-setting temperatures. “The last time there was this much carbon in the atmosphere, humans didn’t exist”. Greta Thunberg: “I want to you act as if the house is on fire, because it is.” 3-5 C rise in temp by the end of the century. Why aren’t people more active in trying to fix the problem? “We will not get the job done unless we are willing to embrace systemic economic and social change.” Need a “moonshot” type of 10-year goal, modeled on New Deal or Marshall Plan. Concept of “Climate Barbarism”: wealthier countries don’t help poorer countries cope with results of climate change.

A hole in the world.

April 2010, Deepwater Horizon oil spill. 4 million barrels, the largest spill in US history. Oil kills gulf wildlife. Gulf industries, (e.g. fishing) devastated, people that “hold up an intricate network that includes family tradition, cuisine, music, art, and endangered languages”.

Capitalism vs the Climate.

Winning the climate debate is about economic opportunity. “Climate change is a message, one that is telling us that many of Western culture’s most cherished ideas are no longer viable.” Most solutions to climate change are left-leaning policies, so the right is naturally inclined to disagree. Soviet-era state socialism had higher per-capita carbon usage than Western Europe. Large scale infrastructure requires public investment. “Energy descent action plan”.

Geoengineering: Testing the Waters.

Solar geoengineering. In 2012 a guy dumped 100 tons of iron into the Pacific to create an algae bloom to sequester carbon. We can’t know the ramifications. Probably a bad idea.

When science says that political revolution is our only hope.

Can’t solve climate change with “the rules of capitalism as they are currently constructed”. Revolutionary change needed.

Climate Time vs. The Constant Now.

Ecological mistiming: birds evolved to migrate and raise babies at exact time of most abundant caterpillars, now the season comes earlier, and this is disrupted. We are not in touch with the earth enough to notice. Climate change gradual enough for us not to notice day to day. We love our “homeplace”, but many of us today are “rootless”. Wendell Barry says, “Stop somewhere, and begin the thousand-year long process of knowing that place.”

Stop Trying to Save the World All by Yourself.

“We all hear the clock ticking loudly in the background.” Individually we can do nothing to stop climate change. Have to do it together.

A Radical Vatican.

“Laudato sí” encyclical from Pope Francis has calls for protecting the planet. “Scripture is ever evolving and should be interpreted in a historical context. If Genesis needs a prequel, that’s not such a big deal.”

Let Them Drown: The Violence of Othering in a Warming World.

“Environmental Racism”. Environmental “sacrifice zones” in places where we perceive lesser/other (e.g. black/brown) people to live. Wealthier people/countries fail to live up to promises. Canada digs up tar sands for heavy oil, tears up treaties with First Nation people. Niger Delta gets Exxon Valdez worth of spilled oil every year. Italian government encourages interception of migrant boats from Libya, causes drownings. “War follows oil, drones follow drought”. Climate change solution has to be equitable. “Home is everywhere on this planet”.

The Leap Years: Ending the Story of Endlessness.

Ms. Kline’s work for Leap, a project “A call for Canada based on caring for the Earth and one another.” 6-8 times as many jobs in green than fossil fuels. “energy democracy”. Lots of enthusiasm but big backlash from leaders for saying no to new pipelines and extraction projects.

Hot Take on a Hot Planet.

Sydney Peace Prize acceptance speech. “Never underestimate the power of hate.” Countries agree on 2 degrees Celsius cap and “best effort” at 1.5 degrees, but we aren’t really even trying. A “Black test” for viability of policy solutions. Price of solar down 90%.

Season of Smoke.

2017 wildfires. She lives on Sunshine Coast, a large island in British Columbia. Suddenly realizes it could catch on fire. What would happen if everyone had to evacuate to the ferry dock? Indigenous people get less firefighting help. Since 1970s, fire season in US is 105 days longer. Trudeau: “No country would find 173 billion barrels of oil in the ground and just leave them there”. You get used to it.

The Stakes of our Historical Moment.

Puerto Rico is hit with Hurricane Maria, becomes poorer by having to sell of its electrical grid. Trump compared to “fatberg”. Need a convincing, captivating plan.

Capitalism Killed our Climate Momentum, Not “Human Nature”. 80s was a chance to stop global warming. We knew everything, but it was an ideal time for deregulated capitalism.

Nothing Natural About Puerto Rico’s Disaster.

Puerto Rico’s institutions are managed by US. Should have debt forgiven, end La junta, get control of their own energy and food. 3000 deaths from Hurricane Maria were due to this and not directly to wind and water.

Movements Will Make, or Break, the Green New Deal.

The Art of the Green New Deal.

“A message from the Future with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez” video. People don’t think we can change so dramatically so quickly. FDR’s new deal supported artists and this should do the same.

Epilogue. Nine arguments for a Green New Deal.

1. Creates jobs.
2. Progressive (fairer) tax structure to pay for it.
3. Taps the power of emergency.
4. Procrastination-proof
5. Recession-proof
6. Backlash-buster
7. It can raise an army of supporters
8. Build new alliances
9. We were born for this moment.