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Crimes Against Nature: capitalism and global heating
A polemic about global warming and the environmental crisis that argues that ordinary people have consistently opposed the destruction of nature and so provide an untapped constituency for climate action.
Crimes Against Nature uses fresh material to offer a very different take on the most important issue of our times. It takes the familiar narrative about global warming — the one in which we are all to blame — and inverts it, to show how, again and again, pollution and ecological devastation have been imposed on the population without our consent and (often) against our will. From histories of destruction, it distils stories of hope, highlighting the yearning for a more sustainable world that returns again and again.
In the era of climate strikes, viral outbreaks, and Extinction Rebellion, Crimes Against Nature moves from ancient Australia to the ‘corpse economy’ of Georgian Britain to the ‘Kitchen Debate’ of the Cold War to present an unexpected and optimistic environmental history — one that identifies ordinary people not as a problem but as a promise.
Crimes Against Nature uses fresh material to offer a very different take on the most important issue of our times. It takes the familiar narrative about global warming — the one in which we are all to blame — and inverts it, to show how, again and again, pollution and ecological devastation have been imposed on the population without our consent and (often) against our will. From histories of destruction, it distils stories of hope, highlighting the yearning for a more sustainable world that returns again and again.
In the era of climate strikes, viral outbreaks, and Extinction Rebellion, Crimes Against Nature moves from ancient Australia to the ‘corpse economy’ of Georgian Britain to the ‘Kitchen Debate’ of the Cold War to present an unexpected and optimistic environmental history — one that identifies ordinary people not as a problem but as a promise.
240 pages, Paperback
Published November 2, 2021
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342 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
April 3, 2022
The people killing our planet have names and addresses.
December 31, 2022
Good take on how capitalism uprooted us from a setting where we produce and use “what we need” as a community to then force us to “work for wages” (making it the only way we can survive now) and manipulate the masses to consume products, all just to maximise profits - all whilst killing the environment and acting innocent through “greenwashing.”
December 23, 2022
so many incredibly interesting ideas in this !! highly recommend
December 12, 2021
While the material Sparrow covers is not necessarily new, he deftly brings it all together to dispel the notion that climate change and environmental destruction is a consequence of the actions of ordinary people.
July 17, 2022
This is a genuine eye-opener and I feel I’ve learned so much it’ll take a while to process and digest. It’s absolutely critical more people read this in order to be made aware of the connections outlined within, which are utterly insidious and devastating. Cannot stress enough the value that reading this has added to my mindset.
January 5, 2022
With Australian politicians currently intoning the words ‘personal responsibility’ as cover for their criminal lack of the same over Covid and climate, this book from Melbourne writer Jeff Sparrow is impeccably timed.
‘Crimes Against Nature: Capitalism and Global Heating’ challenges some of the myths and assumptions about the general public being complicit in the ecological devastation confronting us.
In chapters that range from the brutal imposition of the motor car on US society and the invention of the notion of America’s ‘love affair’ with cars to the grim rise of the dark satanic mills of 18th century England - Sparrow shows how humanity has been bent into a new shape by the remorseless internal logic of capitalism.
Such is the power of this narrative, he argues, that we as a species have lost our sense of agency and risk bowing to the imminent destruction of our habitat as unstoppable and irreversible. The inexorable rise of the nationalist, populist far right since the global financial crises is a symptom of this helpless fatalism.
But over a series of a dozen essays, Sparrow shows that we had agency in the past and lived in sympathy with our environment without destroying it. And we can do so again, but that will require the end of capitalism.
“The problem was not technology,” Sparrow writes of the destruction of the landscape of Australia brought about after 1788, “but a social system that deployed technology in certain ways, replacing the conscious choices of humans with the blind agency of capital.
“The implications of this cannot be stressed enough. If it’s possible for humans to enhance rather than strangle nature…then we needn’t accept a gradual degradation of the planet as our best-case scenario.”
In the meantime, we need to organise and resist attempts to blame crises on ordinary people., he writes. We also need to oppose supposedly environmental interventions that merely advance the interests of capital.
Sparrow ends on a hopeful note about the possibility of change. I would like to agree with him, but capitalism’s seemingly endless ability to reinvent itself without ever changing its internal impulse to unending growth and consumption is a formidable force to turn around. When you throw in the political institutions of liberal democracy that support capitalist imperatives - the major parties and the corporate media in particular and the demise of opposing structures such as trade unions and independent journalism - it is hard to know what will change the grimmer scenarios.
But he is absolutely right in predicting that major change looms, whatever we do or don’t do.
This is an important contribution to the thinking around alternative scenarios beyond the more apocalyptic ones cropping up everywhere these days.
‘Crimes Against Nature: Capitalism and Global Heating’ challenges some of the myths and assumptions about the general public being complicit in the ecological devastation confronting us.
In chapters that range from the brutal imposition of the motor car on US society and the invention of the notion of America’s ‘love affair’ with cars to the grim rise of the dark satanic mills of 18th century England - Sparrow shows how humanity has been bent into a new shape by the remorseless internal logic of capitalism.
Such is the power of this narrative, he argues, that we as a species have lost our sense of agency and risk bowing to the imminent destruction of our habitat as unstoppable and irreversible. The inexorable rise of the nationalist, populist far right since the global financial crises is a symptom of this helpless fatalism.
But over a series of a dozen essays, Sparrow shows that we had agency in the past and lived in sympathy with our environment without destroying it. And we can do so again, but that will require the end of capitalism.
“The problem was not technology,” Sparrow writes of the destruction of the landscape of Australia brought about after 1788, “but a social system that deployed technology in certain ways, replacing the conscious choices of humans with the blind agency of capital.
“The implications of this cannot be stressed enough. If it’s possible for humans to enhance rather than strangle nature…then we needn’t accept a gradual degradation of the planet as our best-case scenario.”
In the meantime, we need to organise and resist attempts to blame crises on ordinary people., he writes. We also need to oppose supposedly environmental interventions that merely advance the interests of capital.
Sparrow ends on a hopeful note about the possibility of change. I would like to agree with him, but capitalism’s seemingly endless ability to reinvent itself without ever changing its internal impulse to unending growth and consumption is a formidable force to turn around. When you throw in the political institutions of liberal democracy that support capitalist imperatives - the major parties and the corporate media in particular and the demise of opposing structures such as trade unions and independent journalism - it is hard to know what will change the grimmer scenarios.
But he is absolutely right in predicting that major change looms, whatever we do or don’t do.
This is an important contribution to the thinking around alternative scenarios beyond the more apocalyptic ones cropping up everywhere these days.
July 25, 2022
The first thing this book did was to cement in my mind the connection between capitalism and forced labour. It made me see how we are coerced into the monotonous work of doing the same thing every weekday for hours on end in return for a wage. And it made me see that it has not always been that way and needn't continue to be. It tells how corporations coerce us into taking on roles that take us away from our traditional roles of caring and living with the environment and force us to rape and pillage the environment on their behalf.
But if, as the author explains, we have risen up against such injustice before and we can again, why haven't we done so already? Why haven't we fought against this coercion? Is it because we are afraid that there are no better solutions? The author explains how some socialists and environmentalists went wrong but falls short of offering real solutions. Perhaps his book will inspire someone else to come up with a viable alternative.
I didn't come away from reading Crimes Against Nature with a feeling of empowerment but I am grateful for the insight it gave me into the problems that capitalism can cause.
It's a quick read. I read it in two sittings.
But if, as the author explains, we have risen up against such injustice before and we can again, why haven't we done so already? Why haven't we fought against this coercion? Is it because we are afraid that there are no better solutions? The author explains how some socialists and environmentalists went wrong but falls short of offering real solutions. Perhaps his book will inspire someone else to come up with a viable alternative.
I didn't come away from reading Crimes Against Nature with a feeling of empowerment but I am grateful for the insight it gave me into the problems that capitalism can cause.
It's a quick read. I read it in two sittings.
November 15, 2022
Crimes Against Nature by Jeff Sparrow illustrates both the ineffectiveness of small tweaks that leave the larger systemic problems in place as well as the placement of capitalism as the systemic ill that fuels climate change.
This is not primarily a prescriptive book, though it suggests the changes that need to be made. These changes are societal, cultural, and political, but specific actions are largely not mentioned. My impression is that this is due to the fact that societies differ around the world so the detailed changes that could work in Australia might not work in the US. The basic approach will always be acting on the same "guilty party," namely capitalism, but because of different relationships the specific actions will be different. So this is more a call to action that includes a call to form an action plan for your location.
While the book works well as a whole, it is really a collection of essays, so there is less of a building of an argument and more of a series of illustrations of what has happened and what might be a way forward. Because of this, there is less feeling of a single argument (although it is there) but it also lends itself to being read in bits, since each chapter can pretty much be read independently of the others.
I would recommend this to those readers who are concerned about our environment and who also believe that most of the piecemeal changes proposed and, sometimes, acted upon just aren't enough. The world can be helped and we can live better lives, but we need to quit worshipping the almighty profit motive.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via LibraryThing.
This is not primarily a prescriptive book, though it suggests the changes that need to be made. These changes are societal, cultural, and political, but specific actions are largely not mentioned. My impression is that this is due to the fact that societies differ around the world so the detailed changes that could work in Australia might not work in the US. The basic approach will always be acting on the same "guilty party," namely capitalism, but because of different relationships the specific actions will be different. So this is more a call to action that includes a call to form an action plan for your location.
While the book works well as a whole, it is really a collection of essays, so there is less of a building of an argument and more of a series of illustrations of what has happened and what might be a way forward. Because of this, there is less feeling of a single argument (although it is there) but it also lends itself to being read in bits, since each chapter can pretty much be read independently of the others.
I would recommend this to those readers who are concerned about our environment and who also believe that most of the piecemeal changes proposed and, sometimes, acted upon just aren't enough. The world can be helped and we can live better lives, but we need to quit worshipping the almighty profit motive.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via LibraryThing.
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October 20, 2022As the back cover says, it is a “polemic about global warming…”. It is a good resource for those that are looking to invert blame from the individual and re-direct it to companies in particular and Capitalism in general.
I learned much from the book; for instance, I had never heard of the racism that seems to be the center of original environmentalism. Some points I already knew, such as the role of tobacco companies in downplaying cancer risks from smoking for many years.
My main issues with the book regard its stridency. I think of Capitalism like Winston Churchill thought of Democracy; Capitalism is “the worst possible system except all the others.” There was too much nostalgia for pre-Capitalist systems where the serfs and the hoi polloi were just a step above slavery. I felt there was also too much sympathy for native and aboriginal systems.
But if you are looking for information to attack Capitalism, this is the book for you.
I learned much from the book; for instance, I had never heard of the racism that seems to be the center of original environmentalism. Some points I already knew, such as the role of tobacco companies in downplaying cancer risks from smoking for many years.
My main issues with the book regard its stridency. I think of Capitalism like Winston Churchill thought of Democracy; Capitalism is “the worst possible system except all the others.” There was too much nostalgia for pre-Capitalist systems where the serfs and the hoi polloi were just a step above slavery. I felt there was also too much sympathy for native and aboriginal systems.
But if you are looking for information to attack Capitalism, this is the book for you.
March 25, 2023
A timely and much needed work to highlight the true origins of climate politics and the path forward. Too much of the climate movement has dwelt on individual choices and tinkering around the edges without challenging the powers that be.
This book does a great job of exposing astroturfing organizations like the "Alliance to End Plastic Waste" for what they are - greenwashing initiatives by large corporate interests that have no interest in changing methods of production.
This book makes you feel less guilty about humanity's glacial pace of tackling climate change but marks out a bigger task in breaking down power structures and this is our collective responsibility.
This book does a great job of exposing astroturfing organizations like the "Alliance to End Plastic Waste" for what they are - greenwashing initiatives by large corporate interests that have no interest in changing methods of production.
This book makes you feel less guilty about humanity's glacial pace of tackling climate change but marks out a bigger task in breaking down power structures and this is our collective responsibility.
April 19, 2022
This book had a pretty profound effect on me. I care deeply about environmental issues and have often held intense guilt about my own actions, or held judgement for those who have not done everything they can to reduce their environmental impact. While I was always aware that individual actions have little impact overall, this book really put it into perspective. I won't say I enjoyed reading it as I had two emotional breakdowns while doing so but, it has opened my eyes wider to the inability of capitalism and the environment to thrive together. Let's start the revolution?
March 28, 2023
What a cool collation of left-wing environmental thought. Bit of a bible of rebuttals to commonsense arguments that ordinary people are the problem, as well history that explains how those ideas became commonsense.
The first few chapters are the best, full to the brim of interesting and unexpected connections making the argument that the oppressed majority have been systematically removed from the ability to express their sustainable will onto society, from the process of global colonisation to the development of cars as transport.
The first few chapters are the best, full to the brim of interesting and unexpected connections making the argument that the oppressed majority have been systematically removed from the ability to express their sustainable will onto society, from the process of global colonisation to the development of cars as transport.
January 27, 2024
The quintessential left-wing argument on the causes and solutions to the ecological crisis.
Sparrows arguments are clear, his story telling is illustrative and very illuminating at times, and yet, I also felt Sparrows reading lacked the knockout blow of say, Matt Huber's 'Climate Change as Class War'.
Nevertheless, it is worth the read! This book will be a relief to many climate change advocates who have been carrying the burden of consumer-side politics.
Sparrows arguments are clear, his story telling is illustrative and very illuminating at times, and yet, I also felt Sparrows reading lacked the knockout blow of say, Matt Huber's 'Climate Change as Class War'.
Nevertheless, it is worth the read! This book will be a relief to many climate change advocates who have been carrying the burden of consumer-side politics.
April 7, 2023
An exceptional collection of essays that emphasise the social roots of the ecological crisis and eloquently argue that capitalism must be ended if there is to be a future. I particularly admired the chapters on the sometimes tricky topic of ecology and mass consumption, along with the discussion about the confronting racism associated with the birth of conservationism in the US.
January 27, 2022
A new way to look at how capitalism uses blame shifting to avoid the moral obligation of addressing action on climate change. People are not the problem and probably not the solution. The needs of capital should be tackled directly if we expect significant change.
July 1, 2025
Crimes Against Nature takes a long, hard look at the history of capitalist blame-shifting and corporate malfeasance. Sparrow challenged me to think differently about my individual responsibility and how to best focus my efforts.
July 11, 2022
Very eye opening
August 14, 2022
A must read. Jeff's arguments about the US's love for cars is really well made and the campaign against early electric cars and trams. Fascinating and urgent and realy well written and argued
December 5, 2022
An enlightening read indeed. Would recommend to all as essential reading.
August 10, 2023
3.5 stars.
November 25, 2023
Really really good book. So many messages along a uniting theme of overthrowing of capitalism is the only way to tackle the climate crisis.
January 9, 2023
Read this book.
August 17, 2022
Very interesting read. I already knew about a lot of the basic stuff about capitalism shifting blame onto individuals, but this book gave a more in depth look. It critiques stuff like wage labour, alienation of labour, etc. and also dispels myths about global warming and the like (it shows that humanity is not necessarily at odds with nature, pointing to indigenous civilisations and the like helping the land whilst living on it; shows how overpopulation is not really an issue, and instead the structuring of societal resources and the like is; etc.). It's a good introduction to anti-capitalist theory as well I feel. Serves to introduce people to concepts like the alienation of labour and the like without being too theory intensive, and is more consumable to the average person.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews