Cancel Culture in Climate

by Jenny Morgan

We all want the same a livable, sustainable future. But in an era of growing polarization, how can we work together to build the future our planet so urgently deserves?

Cancel culture is infiltrating the climate space, fostering division, fear, and inaction. The widening gap between activists, sustainability leaders, and everyday citizens is stalling progress at a time when collaboration has never been more critical. Effective cooperation is being stifled, making it challenging to advance meaningful environmental initiatives. Frustration is growing on all sides—activists and corporate decision-makers alike are struggling with a toxic environment of blame, disrespect, and a lack of forward-thinking solutions.

In Cancel Culture in Climate, sustainability leader and climate advocate Jenny Morgan tackles this urgent issue, revealing how blame and shame are fueling greenwashing, greenhushing, and greenrecanting—ultimately undermining the progress we so desperately need. Drawing on her extensive experience in Corporate Social Responsibility, social and environmental impact, the B Corp Movement, and climate strategy, Morgan offers a hopeful, actionable roadmap for shifting from ego-driven tactics to empathetic, accountable leadership.

Cancel Culture in Climate

Compelling examples and case studies that highlight solutions for positive changePractical frameworks for navigating through cancel culture, communicating environmental progress effectively, and fostering collaborationTools for active listening and meaningful dialogue to bridge divides and uncover common groundReflection prompts to explore personal emotions and guide intentional responsesExpert insights on how individuals and organizations can work together to achieve lasting sustainable success
This book is a must-read for activists, sustainability leaders, and marketers seeking practical tools to inspire collaboration, foster dialogue, and drive impactful environmental change. By prioritizing solutions and collective responsibility, Cancel Culture in Climate shows how we can transcend division and unite for a sustainable, thriving future—together.

Kindle Edition

Published January 7, 2025

Reviews

[Michael Gold · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book brings a strong voice to something that really should just be common sense: in order to stop climate change, we all must work together and learn from each other. I love how Morgan’s sharp insights and clear, snappy prose crystallizes the problem of cancel culture in climate and offers a different approach. Well done!

[Clare O'Beara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read an e-ARC and the formatting was poor, with sometimes three spaces between words and other times no spaces, and an entire page of italic text was thus unreadable. I wouldn't normally comment on a not-finished version this way, but it means I could not read the book properly. I'm sure the completed version is much better, but I can only review the book I was sent.

The author generalises wildly, assuming that everyone uses social media (I don't) and knows all about the Kardashians. I have a vague idea that these people sell makeup and have public disagreements, no wish no know further. A common fallacy is to assume that everyone in the world does the same as the people around you. Many, many people are not allowed to use social media because of their jobs, such as college staff, civil servants and those in large firms. And giant server farms and data storage use incredible amounts of power, for computers and cooling.

We're given lists of types of people who might support work on climate affecting issues, what they do, how they may be reached and asked to join a movement etc. While I'm sure there's some truth in it, again, these distinctions seem to be drawn from social media, such as the person who always has to be right and shouts down others. They may be trolls paid by Moscow, there only to deter others, but that's not suggested.

The author provides useful methods of reaching people. As she says visuals can be very helpful, I would have liked to see some data viz, before and after photos, etc. included. Greenpeace, Sea Shepherd, the rewilding community, are great at providing these. Again, I don't know what's in the book for sale, but I can only review what I've got and there wasn't a graph or photo.

I also thought that talking just about gases in the atmosphere can be very abstract and hard to get across to everyone. The author should make points about biodiversity loss due to climate change. Birds not raising chicks due to heat, storms blowing migrating birds too far from land, etc. Plants and animals having to move up mountains to stay in cool zones, and running out of space and soil. Polar bears getting skinnier because there is not enough ice to find seals. The rewilders and Greenpeace are great at this kind of info, as is UNEP.

I'm not into 'cancel culture' which seems to be a buzzword like blockchain was a few years ago and AI is now. I just know that I don't buy soft drinks in plastic bottles and I don't buy food made of palm fat. I don't support anything which seems abusive of animals, don't buy from firms with dodgy practices, including pension funds which invest in arms, coal, oil, furs, deforestation, slavery and testing on animals. I don't update everything unless I absolutely have to do it. Reading books about climate issues is a great start. I suggest after that, cancelling social media would be a good way to go.

I read this as an e-ARC from Net Galley. This is an unbiased review. I would be happy to read a completed version if asked to review.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book helped me rethink my instinct to cancel and boycott, and to seek out more nuanced ways to react to actions and behaviors I disagree with.