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Myths Made in America
Is Science Enough?: Forty Critical Questions About Climate Justice
Why social, racial, and economic justice are just as crucial as science in determining how humans can reverse climate catastrophe
We are facing a climate catastrophe. A plethora of studies describe the damage we’ve already done, the droughts, the wildfires, the super-storms, the melting glaciers, the heat waves, and the displaced people fleeing lands that are becoming uninhabitable. Many people understand that we are facing a climate emergency, but may be fuzzy on technical, policy, and social justice aspects. In Is Science Enough? , Aviva Chomsky breaks down the concepts, terminology, and debates for activists, students, and anyone concerned about climate change. She argues that science is not enough to change course: we need put social, racial, and economic justice front and center and overhaul the global growth economy.
Chomsky’s accessible primer focuses on 5 key issues:
1.) Technical questions: What exactly are “clean,” “renewable,” and “zero-emission” energy sources? How much do different sectors (power generation, transportation, agriculture, industry, etc.) contribute to climate change? Can forests serve as a carbon sink?
2.) Policy questions: What is the Green New Deal? How does a cap-and-trade system work? How does the United States subsidize the fossil fuel industry?
3.) What can I do as an individual?: Do we need to consume less? What kinds of individual actions can make the most difference? Should we all be vegetarians?
4.) Social, racial, and economic justice: What’s the relationship of inequality to climate change? What do race and racism have to do with climate change? How are pandemics related to climate change?
5.) Broadening the lens: What is economic growth? How important is it, and how does it affect the environment? What is degrowth?
We are facing a climate catastrophe. A plethora of studies describe the damage we’ve already done, the droughts, the wildfires, the super-storms, the melting glaciers, the heat waves, and the displaced people fleeing lands that are becoming uninhabitable. Many people understand that we are facing a climate emergency, but may be fuzzy on technical, policy, and social justice aspects. In Is Science Enough? , Aviva Chomsky breaks down the concepts, terminology, and debates for activists, students, and anyone concerned about climate change. She argues that science is not enough to change course: we need put social, racial, and economic justice front and center and overhaul the global growth economy.
Chomsky’s accessible primer focuses on 5 key issues:
1.) Technical questions: What exactly are “clean,” “renewable,” and “zero-emission” energy sources? How much do different sectors (power generation, transportation, agriculture, industry, etc.) contribute to climate change? Can forests serve as a carbon sink?
2.) Policy questions: What is the Green New Deal? How does a cap-and-trade system work? How does the United States subsidize the fossil fuel industry?
3.) What can I do as an individual?: Do we need to consume less? What kinds of individual actions can make the most difference? Should we all be vegetarians?
4.) Social, racial, and economic justice: What’s the relationship of inequality to climate change? What do race and racism have to do with climate change? How are pandemics related to climate change?
5.) Broadening the lens: What is economic growth? How important is it, and how does it affect the environment? What is degrowth?
232 pages, Paperback
Published April 5, 2022
15 people are currently reading
1688 people want to read
About the author
Aviva Chomsky
20 books176 followersAviva Chomsky is professor of history and coordinator of Latin American Studies at Salem State University. The author of several books, Chomsky has been active in Latin American solidarity and immigrants' rights issues for over twenty-five years. She lives in Salem, Massachusetts.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
June 11, 2024
anyone interested in learning more about climate change (policy) in general, this is a wonderful wonderful wonderful primer that I wish had existed when I first started college. I got the physical copy come borrow it sometime ✌️😘 some people think it’s too pessimistic but for an environmentalist author, she’s definitely less pessimistic than other authors
March 19, 2023
3.5 stars.
August 21, 2023
A sobering look at our climate science and why we’re fucked. I mean the book ends on an optimist view, but I don’t see it. We haven’t evolved to look forward for what’s best for our society; rather, because of the influence and success of America and it’s focus on individualism, we’re accelerating away from real solutions that could work to make the future a better place—acute pain that will be felt not by us, but by our children and their children’s children.
September 2, 2022
“… dreams of an economic system that prioritizes human needs and the rights of nature over profit and consumption continue to percolate. …to the extent we can redefine progress as consisting of something other than accumulation “
This book provides the means to enter into intelligent conversations with the vocabulary to assess truth from greenwashing.
This book provides the means to enter into intelligent conversations with the vocabulary to assess truth from greenwashing.
July 1, 2022
The last third-ish necessarily goes into the weeds and loses a bit of its punch, but the first 100 pages really set the record straight about as well as anything out there. Highly recommended reading.
September 1, 2022
This is as good of a read on the issues of Climate change and its necessary solutions as you are going to get. While bypassing the details of the science that we hope more people are by now up to speed on accepting the reality of our looming environmental and economic collapse, and bypassing much of the technological hopes that Techno-optimists rely on to get us through the future, this book focuses on bringing the reader up to speed with a closer look at our progress (or not) with political policy issues, how this crisis is historically tied to social justice issues, and therefore why we need to embrace and include social justice movements in the effort to combat the resistance to large scale structural economic system change, or face the consequences.
(Is that my longest sentence ever?)
This is probably one of my most underlined and highlighted books ever. It is filled with noteworthy well defined, described, and supported concepts and arguments.
It introduced me to aspects of the environmental, ecological, economic justice movements that I was not aware of. Including subtle differences in perspective and disputes between factions of our parties, despite our common goals. It has introduced me to some think tanks and grassroots institutions that are thinking about, if not making some progress on affecting the kinds of change we need - The Degrowth movement, the differences between the US Green New Deal and the Green New Deal for Europe, schools focused on Ecological Economics etc.
While the Degrow concept and movement is a leading proponent for some revolutionary system and structural changes, I think they are reaching too far. Not only in terms of overcoming global social resistance, but also in terms of necessity. For decades, yes, probably even 30+ years, I have wondered myself why we are focused on perpetual economic growth, and whether society could live with zero-growth, zero-inflation, sustainability. Even this, I had come to consider an insurmountable issue for widespread acceptance.... How do Degrowthers expect to actually drive our first world economic participants to accept negative growth. Downscaling, re-distribution? And how much degeneration is necessary to allow for the third world parties to gain basic human necessities and environmental rights without still significantly harming the environment through massive continued resource extraction? These answers are not provided. Maybe hints, but no clear solutions. I suppose I need to dive into the DeGrowth movement literature to see what they are thinking.
Anyway, I have yet to read one of these books that provides an optimistic set of solutions. I was really hopeful with this book.
Her conclusions, sticking with a clear focus on objective realities starts by recognizing that neither corporations nor governments can be expected to lead the way toward a solution - at least not without a large popular movement demanding the changes. She then goes on to remind us that despite all of the global political efforts in the past 30 years with climate change summits and international agreements, nothing has improved in the absence of global catastrophic crises like the Covid-19 pandemic. Though we can celebrate that the connection between Green House Gas emissions and economic production is true! She further emphasizes the seriousness of the problem, "without larger institutional, political, and social change, new technologies will only reproduce the very arrangements that got us into the current crisis. If we continue to privilege the profits and consumption of the world's elite, we will continue to abuse and exploit both humans and nature".
Trying to turn this dismal view into hope, the author suggest that the Degrowth movement and the various Green New Deal efforts are beginning to make some alternative VISION more concrete.... well, that's a start, I guess. But a Concrete vision without a WILL to ACT is still next to nothing.
She suggests that among the youth and communities directly affected by the hardships of resource extraction, exploitation and climate change are really rising up with a political sense of urgency, and that global public awareness is growing rapidly.
Well, it is true. The only real motivation to create necessary change is when it is directly affecting a person. And THAT is what I fear it is gong to take to make those (we) first world peoples lift a finger, physically or politically to accept a degrowth, or even zero-growth, re-distributive structural economic, system change.... their (our) own survival.
Whether the grassroots grows into a global, violent, revolution demanding change, or we are all personally, dramatically affected with an economic collapse and hardship due to overwhelming ecological and social costs, Either way - In the absence of a miracle, I'd plan on expecting a difficult path for our future.
Sadly, Few authors are willing or able to come out and present this case - Perhaps leaving it to authors and producers of film and fantasy dystopian novels.
(Is that my longest sentence ever?)
This is probably one of my most underlined and highlighted books ever. It is filled with noteworthy well defined, described, and supported concepts and arguments.
It introduced me to aspects of the environmental, ecological, economic justice movements that I was not aware of. Including subtle differences in perspective and disputes between factions of our parties, despite our common goals. It has introduced me to some think tanks and grassroots institutions that are thinking about, if not making some progress on affecting the kinds of change we need - The Degrowth movement, the differences between the US Green New Deal and the Green New Deal for Europe, schools focused on Ecological Economics etc.
While the Degrow concept and movement is a leading proponent for some revolutionary system and structural changes, I think they are reaching too far. Not only in terms of overcoming global social resistance, but also in terms of necessity. For decades, yes, probably even 30+ years, I have wondered myself why we are focused on perpetual economic growth, and whether society could live with zero-growth, zero-inflation, sustainability. Even this, I had come to consider an insurmountable issue for widespread acceptance.... How do Degrowthers expect to actually drive our first world economic participants to accept negative growth. Downscaling, re-distribution? And how much degeneration is necessary to allow for the third world parties to gain basic human necessities and environmental rights without still significantly harming the environment through massive continued resource extraction? These answers are not provided. Maybe hints, but no clear solutions. I suppose I need to dive into the DeGrowth movement literature to see what they are thinking.
Anyway, I have yet to read one of these books that provides an optimistic set of solutions. I was really hopeful with this book.
Her conclusions, sticking with a clear focus on objective realities starts by recognizing that neither corporations nor governments can be expected to lead the way toward a solution - at least not without a large popular movement demanding the changes. She then goes on to remind us that despite all of the global political efforts in the past 30 years with climate change summits and international agreements, nothing has improved in the absence of global catastrophic crises like the Covid-19 pandemic. Though we can celebrate that the connection between Green House Gas emissions and economic production is true! She further emphasizes the seriousness of the problem, "without larger institutional, political, and social change, new technologies will only reproduce the very arrangements that got us into the current crisis. If we continue to privilege the profits and consumption of the world's elite, we will continue to abuse and exploit both humans and nature".
Trying to turn this dismal view into hope, the author suggest that the Degrowth movement and the various Green New Deal efforts are beginning to make some alternative VISION more concrete.... well, that's a start, I guess. But a Concrete vision without a WILL to ACT is still next to nothing.
She suggests that among the youth and communities directly affected by the hardships of resource extraction, exploitation and climate change are really rising up with a political sense of urgency, and that global public awareness is growing rapidly.
Well, it is true. The only real motivation to create necessary change is when it is directly affecting a person. And THAT is what I fear it is gong to take to make those (we) first world peoples lift a finger, physically or politically to accept a degrowth, or even zero-growth, re-distributive structural economic, system change.... their (our) own survival.
Whether the grassroots grows into a global, violent, revolution demanding change, or we are all personally, dramatically affected with an economic collapse and hardship due to overwhelming ecological and social costs, Either way - In the absence of a miracle, I'd plan on expecting a difficult path for our future.
Sadly, Few authors are willing or able to come out and present this case - Perhaps leaving it to authors and producers of film and fantasy dystopian novels.
March 15, 2022
Total nonsense… Wall to wall fear-mongering, baseless panic porn, and propaganda. There are NOT more weather-related catastrophes today than in the past — it is simply not true. It is a LIE to claim otherwise. This book is full of lies. None of the claims made have any basis in fact. And, as for the “solutions” to the non-existent “crisis,” they are pie-in-the-sky… This book is pure fiction. The entire thing is a farce.
April 26, 2022
In this accessible and timely book, Avi Chomsky outlines the radical solutions we need to tackle climate change. While acknowledging the importance of climate science and technologies, Chomsky argues that science alone will not save us because it is our political, social, and economic systems that put us here in the first place.
As the title suggests, the book asks 40 questions about how we here, what is driving the inertia in dealing with climate change, and what we need to do to save our planet. These questions are organized into five sections: technology, policy, individual actions, social justice, and political economy. What I like about this format is that you can easily read a snippet (say one of two questions and answers) at a time. This makes the book a great teaching tool for students, organizers, and the public.
Whether you are new to climate justice or have been part of the movement for a long time, you have something to learn from this book. Chomsky lays out complex ideas in an accessible and clear-cut way. This book is a great primer on concepts such as just transition, decoupling, and degrowth. Chomsky also does an excellent job exploring debates and political divisions such as the tension between environmentalism and organized labor, as well as examples of finding common ground on these issues.
While the subject matter can feel hopeless at times, this book made me feel like the climate justice movement can win. Chomsky outlines the necessity to think about redistribution over economic growth, decolonizing our global system, and standing in solidarity with the world's most vulnerable. To save our planet and ourselves, we must create an alternative that does not rely on exploitative capitalism.
As the title suggests, the book asks 40 questions about how we here, what is driving the inertia in dealing with climate change, and what we need to do to save our planet. These questions are organized into five sections: technology, policy, individual actions, social justice, and political economy. What I like about this format is that you can easily read a snippet (say one of two questions and answers) at a time. This makes the book a great teaching tool for students, organizers, and the public.
Whether you are new to climate justice or have been part of the movement for a long time, you have something to learn from this book. Chomsky lays out complex ideas in an accessible and clear-cut way. This book is a great primer on concepts such as just transition, decoupling, and degrowth. Chomsky also does an excellent job exploring debates and political divisions such as the tension between environmentalism and organized labor, as well as examples of finding common ground on these issues.
While the subject matter can feel hopeless at times, this book made me feel like the climate justice movement can win. Chomsky outlines the necessity to think about redistribution over economic growth, decolonizing our global system, and standing in solidarity with the world's most vulnerable. To save our planet and ourselves, we must create an alternative that does not rely on exploitative capitalism.
June 13, 2023
This book is an excellent primer to why we urgently need climate justice, economic degrowth coupled with redistribution of resources from the wealthy, to actually prevent climate change and improve life for all people. Chomsky’s simple wording gets right to the point and lays out complex ideas in an easy-to-understand way. She explains how technologic solutions will not get us out of the climate crisis, how even renewable energy has some emissions, and why we need to dramatically decrease our energy consumption and consumer production in order to create a livable future. Her ideas, which may seem extreme to some, serve as evidence to me for how far today’s political left has become more centrist and influenced by fossil fuel and other corporate interests. I wish Chomsky had spent a little more time on solutions and how we can get to this more hopeful vision for the future, but overall this book reset my environmental views and encouraged me to continue fighting for justice-based solutions that restructure our economy and dream boldly for a new vision of the future.
In her words: “If we can manage degrowth by guaranteeing basic public services, shortening the work week, and fostering low-carbon sectors like education, the arts, and urban and rural green spaces, life in our de-grown economy could be more equal, more leisurely, and more meaningful than the insecure work-and-spend rag race we live in today. And we can acknowledge that the formerly colonized, the global poor, have the same rights and needs as those who for too long have claimed their resources.”
I wish everyone had to read this book, and I hope that many people do, so we can collectively envision a different future and push our governments to take us there.
In her words: “If we can manage degrowth by guaranteeing basic public services, shortening the work week, and fostering low-carbon sectors like education, the arts, and urban and rural green spaces, life in our de-grown economy could be more equal, more leisurely, and more meaningful than the insecure work-and-spend rag race we live in today. And we can acknowledge that the formerly colonized, the global poor, have the same rights and needs as those who for too long have claimed their resources.”
I wish everyone had to read this book, and I hope that many people do, so we can collectively envision a different future and push our governments to take us there.
February 23, 2023
Super comprehensive and current survey of climate change and the corresponding literature. Most importantly it highlights the issues facing the global south and the shortcomings of technological fixes
December 13, 2022
Chomsky gets off to a somewhat shaky start with a sketchy and biased and unscientific anti-technology introduction, but quickly improves once past the opening chapter.
The remainder of the book is dense with vital information, including summaries of recent policies & proposals and salient quotes from leading experts. While I didn't learn too much new, it's a great summary for those who may not be following the situation as closely. For instance, she explained why unions tend to be against many environmental concerns better than I've seen before. She also does a great job debunking the "personal responsibility" approach, effectively arguing that deeper commitment is needed on a broader level, supported by intensive government action.
The biggest issue I have with the book is the outright dismissal of nuclear power as a potential source of non-carbon emitting energy, with no proposed substitute. The examples given of the are based 1950's technology, and there is no allowance for modern reactor designs.
It's also a bit disappointing that there are no concrete proposals for how to achieve climate goals, instead the focus is on debunking dumb ideas and calling for changes in political/social systems. In her defense though, the author does state up front that she's a historian and not a climate scientist, and that there are good sources out there already for the nuts and bolts of climate change. Still, a more comprehensive treatment would have been nice.
The remainder of the book is dense with vital information, including summaries of recent policies & proposals and salient quotes from leading experts. While I didn't learn too much new, it's a great summary for those who may not be following the situation as closely. For instance, she explained why unions tend to be against many environmental concerns better than I've seen before. She also does a great job debunking the "personal responsibility" approach, effectively arguing that deeper commitment is needed on a broader level, supported by intensive government action.
The biggest issue I have with the book is the outright dismissal of nuclear power as a potential source of non-carbon emitting energy, with no proposed substitute. The examples given of the are based 1950's technology, and there is no allowance for modern reactor designs.
It's also a bit disappointing that there are no concrete proposals for how to achieve climate goals, instead the focus is on debunking dumb ideas and calling for changes in political/social systems. In her defense though, the author does state up front that she's a historian and not a climate scientist, and that there are good sources out there already for the nuts and bolts of climate change. Still, a more comprehensive treatment would have been nice.
June 25, 2022
I'm no novice to either climate change or technological solutions, and I still found myself learning new things. So for experts and novices alike, this is a well-written and well-outlined primer on questions that come AFTER accepting climate change as real. While it doesn't offer a lot in the way of solutions (save for talking about sweeping technological and economic system changes), it's a great way to come to the climate change debate armed with more knowledge about why we can't just innovate our ways out of this colossal problem and why nothing short of a change of mind and economic approaches will be enough to avert, or at least mitigate, disaster. The way it is written allows for easy understanding and incorporation into your own dialectic and I would recommend this to anyone engaged, or looking to be engaged, with climate action.
June 15, 2024
Overview on basic Sustainability question
Very helpful on giving an overview on the main Sustainability problems. Chomsky links the problems to the structural changes needed and how society should be the engine of change. This is not a spoiler as we know that is what is needed. No breakthrough ideas but well based overview of root causes of the present situation and proposed way going ahead. Unfortunately it all relies on us and the corporations and institutions are excellent and leading us their way.
Very helpful on giving an overview on the main Sustainability problems. Chomsky links the problems to the structural changes needed and how society should be the engine of change. This is not a spoiler as we know that is what is needed. No breakthrough ideas but well based overview of root causes of the present situation and proposed way going ahead. Unfortunately it all relies on us and the corporations and institutions are excellent and leading us their way.
September 4, 2023
This book does a great job in discussing the overall issues in trying to grasp and wrestle with our climate crisis. I think it was pretty fair in acknowledging the difficulties of where we are and what is required, without simply being a bleak doom and gloom assessment. We certainly have our work cut out for us, and it's a complex shift that needs to happen, but it's still within our grasp to adjust.
December 31, 2023
Finished. Excellent book on the social and institutional underpinnings of the climate crisis. “Climate justice means recognizing climate change as a moral, political, and economic issue that requires fundamentally reorganizing our global society and economy, not just a question of tweaking incentives and adding technologies.”
March 22, 2023
Heavy on facts, doom and gloom. Very little positive or possible cited here, which isn't the case for the broad climate change movement. Her axe is being grinded in full bright sunlight making it hard for anyone else to see a pathway ahead.
April 27, 2024
A very thought provoking and well-explained look at the climate emergency we're facing and the next steps we can take, both on an individual, nation-wide, and global-wide level. I did find the ending to be a bit repetitive, but overall- highly recommend
May 18, 2022
A must reach and a nice twist on how to perceive climate change—"climate justice"
March 11, 2023
A good overview that breaks down various questions and components of the climate change conversation.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews