The Nature of Nature: The Metabolic Disorder of Climate Change

by Vandana Shiva

In an age of climate catastrophes and extinction, we need to turn back to nature and learn, once again, how to live sustainably on planet Earth—beginning with our relationship to food.



Four billion years ago, Earth was a hot, lifeless planet. Through the process of evolution, the Earth and its diversity of living organisms gradually reduced the amount of carbon in the atmosphere. About 200,000 years ago, the conditions aligned for our own species—Homo sapiens—to emerge and thrive.



But what will it take to continue to survive?



In The Nature of Nature , world-renowned environmental thinker and activist Vandana Shiva argues that food is the currency of life, a thread woven throughout the web of all life, indivisible from Earth and its natural systems. When this interdependence is ruptured—as it is now—the conditions for the “metabolic disorder” of climate change and countless other ecological imbalances come into being.



Proposals put forward by Big Ag and Big Tech to solve the intertwined climate and food crises will only exacerbate both. With clarity and a detailed analysis, Shiva unpacks the false promises made by technology-oriented, lab-intensive digital agriculture, revealing the dangers posed by fake and ultra-processed foods—dangers to the environment, to increasing greenhouse gas emissions, to the health of animals, and to our health and food security.



In The Nature of Nature , Shiva takes a powerful stand, arguing with urgency and passion for a food and climate future based not on techno-optimism, hallucination, and corporate delusions, but on the natural regeneration of biodiversity in partnership with the biosphere.



Praise for Vandana



“She’s been called the ‘Gandhi of grain,’ the ‘rock star’ of the anti-GMO movement and an ‘eco-warrior goddess.’ . . . Above all, [she] is a staunch believer that the food we eat matters. It makes us who we are, physically, culturally and spiritually.”—BBC 

Genres: Nonfiction

168 pages, Paperback

Published October 17, 2024

About the author

A major figurehead of the alter-globalization movement as well as a major role player in global Ecofeminism, Dr. Vandana Shiva is recipient to several awards for her services in human rights, ecology and conservation. Receiving her Ph.D in physics at the University of Western Ontario in 1978, Dr. Vandana Shivas attentions were quickly drawn towards ecological concerns.

Reviews

[Hestia Istiviani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sejak halaman pertama Kodrat Alam, aku sudah tahu kalau aku akan menikmati buku ini.

Bagaimana tidak. Aku terbahak ketika Vandana Shiva tanpa tedeng aling-aling menyebut Bill Gates sebagai salah satu orang yang berperan dalam krisis iklim ini. Shiva juga menekankan kalau memandang bumi hanya sebagai planet membuat manusia serakah hanya sekadar berpikir untuk mengeksploitasi ketimbang menjaganya. Ini mengingatkanku pada sebuah referensi (yang aku lupa apa judulnya) bahwa menganalogikan bumi sebagai "ibu" hanya membuat manusia merasa kalau sudah sewajarnya bumi memberikan apa yang penghuninya butuhkan tanpa ada kewajiban untuk memberikan imbal balik. Pikiran yang seperti itu khas sekali dengan pendekatan sains yang patriarkis.

Diterjemahkan oleh Elisabet Repelita Kuswijayanti, diterbitkan oleh @marjinkiri , aku rasa buku Kodrat Alam kudu dibaca oleh kita semua--mengingatkan kembali kalau bumi adalah organisme, bukan sekadar "tempat tinggal."

[Puty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vandana Shiva adalah cendekiawan dan aktivis lingkungan asal India yang dikenal memiliki sentimen anti-globalisasi. Buku 'Kodrat Alam' berisi 6 tulisan yang menekankan betapa cara bekerja Bumi yang kompleks, harmonis, dan memakmurkan seisinya telah diacak-acak oleh sistem kapitalisme, utamanya mengenai pangan. Diawali dengan fakta-fakta seputar krisis iklim, emisi gas rumah kaca, dan batas-batas planet yang telah kita langgar, termasuk keanekaragaman hayati.

Tulisan-tulisan berikutnya kemudian menyoal pertanian modern yang alih-alih menciptakan ketahanan pangan justru 'merusak' tanah, memiskinkan petani (dan menguntungkan korporasi), dan menimbulkan berbagai masalah kesehatan bagi manusia sebagai konsumen.

Hanya dalam 6 tulisan (158 halaman), buku ini menjelaskan kompleksitas masalah iklim, pertanian, ekonomi, pangan, dan makanan kita. Salah satu hal yang baru saya pikirkan adalah gugatan kepada inovasi makanan buatan yang selama ini dianggap sebagai solusi krisis iklim; daging vegan, keju sintetis, dst. Menurut Vandana Shiva, produk-produk tersebut pada skala besar akan menggunakan energi yang lebih besar ketimbang hewan betulan.

Pertanyaannya selalu bermuara pada, siapa yang sebenarnya akan diuntungkan ketika masyarakat tidak lagi mandiri pangan dan 'tercabut dari akar'?

Bukunya bagus sekali tapi menurut saya tidak terlalu 'beginner friendly'. Banyak istilah yang sangat akademis dan mungkin butuh tingkat pemahaman tertentu tentang krisis iklim dan isu keadilan sosial.

[Tessa van Ruitenbeek · Rating 4 out of 5]

A strong manifesto for agroecology and natural foods as the keys to social and climate justice

[Juan Mejía · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is always a pleasure reading Vandada Shiva, this book is easy to read (also terrible), has all the references and arguments for possible outcomes for life on earth. In our changing world one paradigm must reign: food is the currency of life.

[John Howson · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a good book. Definitely worth reading. Easy to read and clearly written. She sets out to illustrate the folly of what she calls "fake food" and I would say she does so pretty effectively, illustrating how modern agriculture has devastated the planet and is ultimately unsustainable.
A bit full of goodies and baddies for my liking - but some of the criticism she levels at large corporations is completely fair. It would have been good if she had focussed more on solutions than she does. I think the debunking of lab grown meat as a sustainable way forward is great.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shiva once again is exceptional in her research and analysis and lucidity. If we eat health whole foods we will actually save the planet. It is actually that simple.