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Bring on the Apocalypse: Six Arguments for Global Justice
These six incendiary arguments about money, religion, war, power, culture and nature constitute a wake-up call about the need for justice. George Monbiot is admired for his unquenchable thirst for truth and an assured nose for spin. In this series of essays on money, religion, war, power, culture and nature, he explains why we are heading into an uncertain future in which peace and sound politics are paramount to our survival. From his attack on the countries that deny the existence of global warming to his rally against the injustices of the Iraq war, Monbiot turns his gaze on the aspects of modernity that most endanger the prevailing world order. With characteristic precision, he offers unassailable proof that the desecration of the resources on which we all depend threatens the peace, equality - and very existence - of humanity. Bring on the Apocalypse is an urgent wake-up call that we cannot afford to ignore.
256 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 1, 2008
11 people are currently reading
364 people want to read
About the author
George Monbiot
43 books1,070 followersGeorge Joshua Richard Monbiot is a British writer known for his environmental and political activism.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
May 19, 2023
I’ve much appreciated Monbiot’s work as a passionate environmental activist, and there’s a lot of that in this book. But I hadn’t realized what an all-round journalist he is, covering loads of additional issues involving war, finance, culture, God, power, or housing in England. This collection of articles dates from the war on terror decade, and Monbiot mercilessly rips the stupidity of spectacular spending on military crusades, while we approach the point of no return on global warming. He’s an angry, driven reporter, and I’d rate his research excellent.
September 6, 2008
Anger and frustration over the cocked-up mismanagement of our world, the same anger that leaves me numb and mute and useless so often, is a sustaining fuel for George Monbiot. This is a collection of his incisive, indignant arguments from The Guardian, on dozens of topics but all infused with today's distasteful Zeitgeist. If you want spades to be called spades, and if you like facts with your fury, then you'll appreciate George.
February 28, 2017
Not too much to say about this book. This was a quick read of various short arguments that Monbiot makes regarding culture, war, money, the environment and other societal aspects. It is a bit dated now, but still well worth the read. Great to read on your way to work/school using public transportation.
Would have given the book 3.5/5 stars, but that is not an option apparently.
Would have given the book 3.5/5 stars, but that is not an option apparently.
July 1, 2017
George Monbiot is a brilliant journalist and author, and this collection of columns from The Guardian, divided into six broad themes of global justice, neatly demonstrates the case. I was turned onto Monbiot's incisive and provocative reporting while living in England, and last summer thoroughly enjoyed diving into his most recent book, the adventurous and inspiring Feral. As such, I was excited to stumble across this collection on the library shelf recently.
Bring on the Apocalypse covers a lot of ground, with dozens of short essays touching on religion, war, the environment, inequality, and more. But it's highly digestible because no essay is longer than a few pages. Most of the essays were written at the beginning to the middle of the last decade, and as such many topics seem out of date. For example, the chapter on war has a heavy focus on the beginning and early years of the war in Iraq. However, I found reading those articles in hindsight fascinating and impressive, not to mention in many cases enlightening given my lack of enthusiasm for current events in adolescence! Furthermore, even though many topics now appear obscure, surely especially for non-British readers, Monbiot's essays still do a tremendous service in laying out the world as it really works. If you want a deeper understanding of the inner-workings and contradictions of the World Bank, IMF, and foreign aid, you'll find it. If you need a rundown of the problematic nature of corporate media, it's in there. There's no shortage of fun facts and brilliant quotes along the way, either.
If you enjoy journalism that gets straight to the heart of the matter, has no qualms with taking on power and privilege, and is backed up with reams of research, Monbiot is well worth your time and Bring on the Apocalypse is a great collection of his reporting.
Bring on the Apocalypse covers a lot of ground, with dozens of short essays touching on religion, war, the environment, inequality, and more. But it's highly digestible because no essay is longer than a few pages. Most of the essays were written at the beginning to the middle of the last decade, and as such many topics seem out of date. For example, the chapter on war has a heavy focus on the beginning and early years of the war in Iraq. However, I found reading those articles in hindsight fascinating and impressive, not to mention in many cases enlightening given my lack of enthusiasm for current events in adolescence! Furthermore, even though many topics now appear obscure, surely especially for non-British readers, Monbiot's essays still do a tremendous service in laying out the world as it really works. If you want a deeper understanding of the inner-workings and contradictions of the World Bank, IMF, and foreign aid, you'll find it. If you need a rundown of the problematic nature of corporate media, it's in there. There's no shortage of fun facts and brilliant quotes along the way, either.
If you enjoy journalism that gets straight to the heart of the matter, has no qualms with taking on power and privilege, and is backed up with reams of research, Monbiot is well worth your time and Bring on the Apocalypse is a great collection of his reporting.
January 29, 2017
"We take our peace for granted only because we fail to understand what sustains it."- Mondiot
Insightful and witty, Monbiot explores critical issues at a global and domestic level (for Britain) without approbation. However, I found it difficult to follow in some sections, and feel further analysis is (evidently) essential to a better understanding of the issues raised.
Nonetheless, it is thought-provoking, and definitely worth a read.
Insightful and witty, Monbiot explores critical issues at a global and domestic level (for Britain) without approbation. However, I found it difficult to follow in some sections, and feel further analysis is (evidently) essential to a better understanding of the issues raised.
Nonetheless, it is thought-provoking, and definitely worth a read.
September 6, 2015
Suffered somewhat from its age but an interesting read.
December 28, 2019
This extremely provocative, controversial and almost incendiary compilation of essays provide the reader a glimpse into the incontrovertible views and beliefs of the author with respect to nature, armed conflicts, divinity, monetary factors, power and culture. Each essay is in the form of an argument that tears into various propagated beliefs nursed, nurtured and popularized over a period of time. This celebrated eco-activist and a Visiting Professor of Planning at Oxford Brookes University neither minces words not holds back criticism. Some of the essays in particular are vitriolic, acerbic and caustic, in fact at times more volatile than necessary.
As the title suggests the compilation is compartmentalized into six categories of arguments, namely those with God, Nature, War, Power, Money and Culture. The language is trenchant and pessimistic and the opinions expressed are powerful and precise. Titles such as, “Is the Pope Gay?”; “The Antisocial Bastards in our Midst”; and “Britain’s Most Selfish People” prepare an unsuspecting reader in advance with respect to the content embedded within the essays. The author, in fact has rankled so many of his fellow human beings with his attitude of outspokenness that Martin Broughton, of the British Airways once famously remarked during his speech to the Aviation Club that, the primary challenge for the industry was to “isolate the George Monbiots of this world”
Irrespective of the tone or tenor of the writing, Monbiot’s research is meticulous and his mastery over the subjects dealt with, absolute. The 38 pages of end notes that succeed the essays highlight this fact in no uncertain terms. For instance in an essay titled “Junk Science”, he proceeds to demolish with great vigour, a claim made by the famous botanist David Bellamy that “555 of all the 625 glaciers under observation by The World Glacier Monitoring Service in Zurich, Switzerland, have been growing since 1980”. Doggedly pursuing all the various sources that Bellamy quoted as the basis for his conclusion (and contacting Bellamy himself to part with his sources); Monbiot finds one of the sources to be the latest issue of “21st Century Science and Technology”. The publisher of this journal comes in for the following castigating attack: “Lyndon Larouche (the publisher) is the American demagogue, who in 1989 received a15 year sentence for conspiracy, mail fraud & tax code violations. He has claimed that the British Royal family is running an international drugs syndicate, that Henry Kissinger is a communist agent, that the British Government is controlled by Jewish Bankers, and that modern science is a conspiracy against human potential”.
The book also bears ample testimony to the power and advancement of investigative journalism and is also a quest on the part of the author to unearth the absolute truth behind any claim of importance, whether spiritual, scientific or cultural. It is of no wonder that Naomi Klien says of Monbiot as possessing a “dazzling command of science and a relentless faith in people”. The pages of the book abound with lashing criticisms of organisations and individuals. For example, the author vehemently argues that the so called “skeptics” of climate change denial are “PR loyalists of Exxon Mobil, commissioned to begin with a conclusion and then devise arguments to justify it”. The United States of America is also accused of ‘sabotaging’ the Kyoto Protocol on Climate Change. The topics covered span a whole range of diverse issues including the perils of overemployment of biofuels in the place of fossil fuels, the reprehensible flouting of fishing bans with respect to endangered species of sharks such as angel sharks, tiger and hammer head sharks, which has almost led to their deplorable extinction, excessive libertarianism leading to shameful acts such as road rage, which according to the author is a result of blatant and excessive propagation of speed in motor vehicles by experts such as the redoubtable Jeremy Clarkson of the Television fame etc. Monbiot also mulls over the flight of blue as well as white collar jobs from the developed countries to India and offers an interesting rationale behind such ‘outsourcing’. In 1700, the British Government imposed a ban on import of cotton cloth from India. Throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, India was forced to supply raw materials to Britain’s manufacturers, but forbidden to produce competing finished products. The jobs which the colonists stole 300 years back are now returning to the very country from where they were subject to such a ‘theft’. The author is also extremely critical about the war on terror and the invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan. With specific reference to the invasion of Iraq, the author alleges that in spite of the Saddam Hussein regime agreeing to open up its territories to the weapons inspector and also agreeing to host a general election within a span of 2 years, the pleas fell on deaf ears of the high, mighty and the influential in the Pentagon who had decided in earnest to wage a war against the Gulf nation due to the possible ‘strategic advantages’ such a move could confer upon the invaders.
The book also is a veritable treasure trove of facts that are least known, but which have the potential to create a lasting impact. I for one was never aware of the fact that ‘Columbitetantalite’, a mineral about whose very existence very few people in the world might be aware of, but upon which much of the post industrial growth is dependent, has been one of the leading causes of conflict resulting in some 4 million deaths in the Democratic Republic of Congo! Also the story regarding Taliban soldiers being subject to dastardly acts of torture at the hands of their American captives makes for some unsettling reading. Equally revelatory is the fact of the employment of chemical weapons by the US forces against the Iraqis in Fallujah in the form of White Phosphorous, an element that is fat soluble and burns spontaneously on contact with the air. Equally revelatory is the alleged atrocities in the form of British State policy administered when an El Nino drought destituted the farmers of the Deccan Plateau in 1876. At the height of the famine, as per the orders provided by Lord Lytton, grain merchants supposedly exported a record 6.4 million hundredweight of wheat when the peasants in their own country were starving to death.
However some of the views postulated in the book seem to say the least, far-fetched and unbelievable. For example, the theory that the Iraqi invasion of USA has been to a certain extent instigated by religious zealots and followers of the “Rapture” cult is a proposition that defies sane thinking. Monbiot also quotes in this regard as follows: “You can negotiate with politicians; you cannot negotiate with priests. The Presidency is turning into priesthood”
Although one might flinch at the extreme views expressed by George Monbiot in these essays and also to an extent disagree with his prophesies and propositions, there is absolutely no doubt that these are issues which mankind as a concerted whole cannot afford to ignore or neglect by any stretch of imagination. They represent tangible problems and intangible concerns which need to be addressed. Whilst the immediacy of such an action could be a matter of great deliberation and discussion, solutions MUST be proffered and plans implemented if there needs to be heralded into an already chaotic and overheated world a semblance of social order, environmental stability and co-operative civility. A quote borrowed by the author in a stirring introduction summarizes in a profound albeit succinct detail the crying need for reforms in this world – “Every society is four missed meals away from anarchy”
Bring on the Apocalypse – A necessary debate!
As the title suggests the compilation is compartmentalized into six categories of arguments, namely those with God, Nature, War, Power, Money and Culture. The language is trenchant and pessimistic and the opinions expressed are powerful and precise. Titles such as, “Is the Pope Gay?”; “The Antisocial Bastards in our Midst”; and “Britain’s Most Selfish People” prepare an unsuspecting reader in advance with respect to the content embedded within the essays. The author, in fact has rankled so many of his fellow human beings with his attitude of outspokenness that Martin Broughton, of the British Airways once famously remarked during his speech to the Aviation Club that, the primary challenge for the industry was to “isolate the George Monbiots of this world”
Irrespective of the tone or tenor of the writing, Monbiot’s research is meticulous and his mastery over the subjects dealt with, absolute. The 38 pages of end notes that succeed the essays highlight this fact in no uncertain terms. For instance in an essay titled “Junk Science”, he proceeds to demolish with great vigour, a claim made by the famous botanist David Bellamy that “555 of all the 625 glaciers under observation by The World Glacier Monitoring Service in Zurich, Switzerland, have been growing since 1980”. Doggedly pursuing all the various sources that Bellamy quoted as the basis for his conclusion (and contacting Bellamy himself to part with his sources); Monbiot finds one of the sources to be the latest issue of “21st Century Science and Technology”. The publisher of this journal comes in for the following castigating attack: “Lyndon Larouche (the publisher) is the American demagogue, who in 1989 received a15 year sentence for conspiracy, mail fraud & tax code violations. He has claimed that the British Royal family is running an international drugs syndicate, that Henry Kissinger is a communist agent, that the British Government is controlled by Jewish Bankers, and that modern science is a conspiracy against human potential”.
The book also bears ample testimony to the power and advancement of investigative journalism and is also a quest on the part of the author to unearth the absolute truth behind any claim of importance, whether spiritual, scientific or cultural. It is of no wonder that Naomi Klien says of Monbiot as possessing a “dazzling command of science and a relentless faith in people”. The pages of the book abound with lashing criticisms of organisations and individuals. For example, the author vehemently argues that the so called “skeptics” of climate change denial are “PR loyalists of Exxon Mobil, commissioned to begin with a conclusion and then devise arguments to justify it”. The United States of America is also accused of ‘sabotaging’ the Kyoto Protocol on Climate Change. The topics covered span a whole range of diverse issues including the perils of overemployment of biofuels in the place of fossil fuels, the reprehensible flouting of fishing bans with respect to endangered species of sharks such as angel sharks, tiger and hammer head sharks, which has almost led to their deplorable extinction, excessive libertarianism leading to shameful acts such as road rage, which according to the author is a result of blatant and excessive propagation of speed in motor vehicles by experts such as the redoubtable Jeremy Clarkson of the Television fame etc. Monbiot also mulls over the flight of blue as well as white collar jobs from the developed countries to India and offers an interesting rationale behind such ‘outsourcing’. In 1700, the British Government imposed a ban on import of cotton cloth from India. Throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, India was forced to supply raw materials to Britain’s manufacturers, but forbidden to produce competing finished products. The jobs which the colonists stole 300 years back are now returning to the very country from where they were subject to such a ‘theft’. The author is also extremely critical about the war on terror and the invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan. With specific reference to the invasion of Iraq, the author alleges that in spite of the Saddam Hussein regime agreeing to open up its territories to the weapons inspector and also agreeing to host a general election within a span of 2 years, the pleas fell on deaf ears of the high, mighty and the influential in the Pentagon who had decided in earnest to wage a war against the Gulf nation due to the possible ‘strategic advantages’ such a move could confer upon the invaders.
The book also is a veritable treasure trove of facts that are least known, but which have the potential to create a lasting impact. I for one was never aware of the fact that ‘Columbitetantalite’, a mineral about whose very existence very few people in the world might be aware of, but upon which much of the post industrial growth is dependent, has been one of the leading causes of conflict resulting in some 4 million deaths in the Democratic Republic of Congo! Also the story regarding Taliban soldiers being subject to dastardly acts of torture at the hands of their American captives makes for some unsettling reading. Equally revelatory is the fact of the employment of chemical weapons by the US forces against the Iraqis in Fallujah in the form of White Phosphorous, an element that is fat soluble and burns spontaneously on contact with the air. Equally revelatory is the alleged atrocities in the form of British State policy administered when an El Nino drought destituted the farmers of the Deccan Plateau in 1876. At the height of the famine, as per the orders provided by Lord Lytton, grain merchants supposedly exported a record 6.4 million hundredweight of wheat when the peasants in their own country were starving to death.
However some of the views postulated in the book seem to say the least, far-fetched and unbelievable. For example, the theory that the Iraqi invasion of USA has been to a certain extent instigated by religious zealots and followers of the “Rapture” cult is a proposition that defies sane thinking. Monbiot also quotes in this regard as follows: “You can negotiate with politicians; you cannot negotiate with priests. The Presidency is turning into priesthood”
Although one might flinch at the extreme views expressed by George Monbiot in these essays and also to an extent disagree with his prophesies and propositions, there is absolutely no doubt that these are issues which mankind as a concerted whole cannot afford to ignore or neglect by any stretch of imagination. They represent tangible problems and intangible concerns which need to be addressed. Whilst the immediacy of such an action could be a matter of great deliberation and discussion, solutions MUST be proffered and plans implemented if there needs to be heralded into an already chaotic and overheated world a semblance of social order, environmental stability and co-operative civility. A quote borrowed by the author in a stirring introduction summarizes in a profound albeit succinct detail the crying need for reforms in this world – “Every society is four missed meals away from anarchy”
Bring on the Apocalypse – A necessary debate!
February 20, 2020
Essays on a variety of topics that support the argument that mankind will bring on it's own self destruction through it's viewpoints and actions taken regarding the environment, war and aggression, economic and financial power held by a select group of countries, power held by the wealthy and cultural differences and the effect of rumors that may bring a downfall to major industries and companies.
The structure and terminology used in the essays makes them easy to read and understand. There are few surprises, as much of the information can be gleaned from other sources (although I was unaware that abandoned cluster bombs kill and maim more people than abandoned landmines). What made this book interesting from my perspective was that the concentration on the actions of the United Kingdom, as I'm used to reading about the impacts of the actions of the United States.
The structure and terminology used in the essays makes them easy to read and understand. There are few surprises, as much of the information can be gleaned from other sources (although I was unaware that abandoned cluster bombs kill and maim more people than abandoned landmines). What made this book interesting from my perspective was that the concentration on the actions of the United Kingdom, as I'm used to reading about the impacts of the actions of the United States.
September 4, 2019
Articulate, diverse and engaging. Whilst slightly out of date now, these essays and articles were interesting to look over with the hindsight of 10 years.
We need more journalists like George Monbiot in the world!
We need more journalists like George Monbiot in the world!
November 4, 2020
So prescient
June 29, 2021
Excellent writing and commentary. It is a compilation of articles Monbiot has written so I'd read quite a few already. Maybe that's my fault for being a superfan!
September 20, 2021
Helpful to read back on the events of the noughties especially in regards to the American invasion of Afghanistan and the depressing situation of the present day.
July 29, 2022
This should’ve been a four star review. But the other four star book I read of Monbiot - who is becoming my hero more and more reading his work - was even better, so: that’s why.
Read
June 17, 2024I should’ve read up on this before purchasing because it’s a lot of like ‘02-‘06 commentary on British politics. Not uninteresting or anything just not what I was after
December 17, 2014
The content of the book is, in large measure, invigorating and worthy of inclusion. Monbiot divulges some of the darker secrets behind various government policies, and how something seemingly innocuous can in fact bring destitution and harm to others. My rationale for only giving the book a puny three stars, is because of the haphazard layout, how it goes from one topic to a completely disparate one. This is obviously subjective, and should not detract from the actual writings, which were substantive and provocative, reaffirming my sentiments towards the establishment.
September 15, 2008
A collection of Monbiot's always readable and amusing guardian columns. Because the articles are very short, they aren't strong on detail or analysis, but well written and interesting pieces nevertheless and I was - well pleased maybe would be an inappropriate word - to see so much about my local PFI hospital, confirming my suspicions that there was something dodgy about it.
October 14, 2011
Nothing new here if you've read Chomsky, Zinn, Pilger, Parenti but interesting just the same. Though its dated mid 2000's much is still relevant today and I liked this:- " When did you last see a sponsored marathon raising money for nuclear weapons? But we must beg and cajole each other for funds whenever a hospital wants a new dialysis maching"....Pg 99.
February 6, 2015
I enjoy George Monbiot's writing and find his articles very informative so I was pretty sure I'd like this book. It was very interesting to read this selection a few years after it came out and I found myself again and again wanting to go and check things out to see how they have developed.
September 22, 2008
Thought provoking collection of Monbiot's columns
abandoned
February 24, 2009Just couldn't get into. In the end, the essays were too small to provide enough detail to interest me.
August 17, 2009
I did not finish reading this book. It was a polemic, using patriarchal structures to scare people. He has a good grasp of the issues, but hardly any understanding of people.
July 26, 2011
A series of articles, some dated and some focused on England, which reveal the duplicity, hypocrisy and crassness of the ruling class. A good read with excellent argumentation.
January 5, 2012
Excellent analysis that everyone should read. I didn't always agree with the conclusions but even when I disagreed, he raised a valid point in a thought provoking manner.
June 6, 2014
This bloke is so on my page, read him!
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews