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Outspoken
Burnt: Fighting for Climate Justice
'An inspiring rallying cry for activists everywhere to work together to build a just, ecosocialist future' - Grace Blakeley
Time is up. The climate crisis is no longer a future to be feared, but a devastating reality. We see it in the wildfires in California and floods across Britain - the ‘once in a generation’ extreme weather events that now happen every year.
In a world where those in charge are constantly letting us down, real change in our lifetime means taking power into our own hands. The task ahead of us is daunting, but the emergence of a new wave of movements focused on climate justice, equality and solidarity also brings hope.
Asking how we have arrived at this moment, Chris Saltmarsh argues that the profoundly political nature of the environmental crisis has been relentlessly downplayed. After all, how can solar panels save us while capitalism places profit over the future of the planet? Analyzing the failures of NGOs, the limitations of Extinction Rebellion and Youth Strikes, the role of trade unions, and the possibilities of a Green New Deal, Burnt issues a powerful call for a radical collective movement: saving the world is not enough; we must build a better one in the process.
Time is up. The climate crisis is no longer a future to be feared, but a devastating reality. We see it in the wildfires in California and floods across Britain - the ‘once in a generation’ extreme weather events that now happen every year.
In a world where those in charge are constantly letting us down, real change in our lifetime means taking power into our own hands. The task ahead of us is daunting, but the emergence of a new wave of movements focused on climate justice, equality and solidarity also brings hope.
Asking how we have arrived at this moment, Chris Saltmarsh argues that the profoundly political nature of the environmental crisis has been relentlessly downplayed. After all, how can solar panels save us while capitalism places profit over the future of the planet? Analyzing the failures of NGOs, the limitations of Extinction Rebellion and Youth Strikes, the role of trade unions, and the possibilities of a Green New Deal, Burnt issues a powerful call for a radical collective movement: saving the world is not enough; we must build a better one in the process.
159 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 20, 2021
15 people are currently reading
374 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
December 29, 2021
This book is in places one of the best most erudite books I have read on the topic. However, the fascinating and wonderful analysis in the first couple of chapters became sloppier, and less well thought through as the book progressed. The book still said important things, just less well.
One area I found particularly frustrating was where he talked about XR, some of his criticisms were warranted or at least had some interesting points to them but his chronology of events was dramatically wrong at times. The largest protest happened in April 2019, not 2018 and small details were wrong too, the pink boat was at Oxford Circus not Marble Arch. I always find getting the small details wrong makes me wonder what else is wrong in the book.
Saltmarsh also takes a very sympathetic approach to the Labour movement suggesting that environmentalism should work within the Labour movements constraints and seems to believe some version of the electability fallacy in arguing that only Labour can win against the Tories. While this might be the case, there is little point Labour winning as a neo-liberal party and supporting other parties on the left can help show Labour the space it needs to move into. While these are small details, it comes together to Saltmarsh almost writing a book saying environmentalists must come to the Labour movement rather than why has the labour movement been so slow to come to environmentalism.
As a trade unionist, former Labour member, NGO worker, XR and IB activist I think this book is important, yet misses many of the key complexities in the politics of the environment.
One area I found particularly frustrating was where he talked about XR, some of his criticisms were warranted or at least had some interesting points to them but his chronology of events was dramatically wrong at times. The largest protest happened in April 2019, not 2018 and small details were wrong too, the pink boat was at Oxford Circus not Marble Arch. I always find getting the small details wrong makes me wonder what else is wrong in the book.
Saltmarsh also takes a very sympathetic approach to the Labour movement suggesting that environmentalism should work within the Labour movements constraints and seems to believe some version of the electability fallacy in arguing that only Labour can win against the Tories. While this might be the case, there is little point Labour winning as a neo-liberal party and supporting other parties on the left can help show Labour the space it needs to move into. While these are small details, it comes together to Saltmarsh almost writing a book saying environmentalists must come to the Labour movement rather than why has the labour movement been so slow to come to environmentalism.
As a trade unionist, former Labour member, NGO worker, XR and IB activist I think this book is important, yet misses many of the key complexities in the politics of the environment.
September 14, 2022
3.5 rounded up. Burnt: Fighting for Climate Justice was full of fascinating facts and statistics about the climate crisis. I had already read similar books before, but they were either a lot longer or shorter (eg articles, graphic novels, or very short essays). This 160-page non-fiction book fell nicely in the middle. If you don't know about Pluto Press and their Outspoken series, I urge you to go check them out. Every time I read one of their books, I feel like I've attended a conference about that topic.
Saltmarsh starts with his credentials. Climate activist since his teens, he has gotten involved in many demonstrations (or "demos") and direct action. He clearly cares a great deal about the planet, but also about people who live on it - and not just those in his immediate environment.
When I started reading this book, we were in the middle of a severe heatwave in the UK. I am writing my review in the aftermath of the deadly floods in Pakistan which affected 33 million people and have already killed thousands.
Pick up this book to understand better what is awaiting us if we remain passive. I know a lot of you (me included) think that you are already doing your "bit" by recycling, choosing more eco-friendly products, perhaps changing your diet. But here Saltmarsh tells us that we won't get where we need to be within the current capitalist system. An economy which had growth and profit at its core simply cannot be sustainable. Period.
Where the author lost me a bit is when he started offering possible solutions, relying heavily on governments to take the reins, renationalising transport, heavily regulating food, and ensuring that staff currently working in polluting industries get offered green jobs. Some of the passages sounded so idealistic and utopian, I really could not see how today's citizens would buy into it. For instance, travelling by train across continents instead of flying. Maybe I've become extremely cynical after living in London… But when I see the littering, the waste of resources, the number of people being paid double or triple than me for working in jobs making the world even more unequal - I simply don't believe the people in charge will have enough power to force them to give up their privileges.
In summary - I found the first half of the book extremely clear, well-researched and informative. The second half was more political and far-left leaning; criticising many movements such as the unions and XR, whilst offering a way out which I don't ever foresee happening: governments working together on a global scale and nationalising most industries. The experts quoted/interviewed don't seem to have enough weight, and in the end I was left a bit disheartened and helpless. Still, it is well worth a read.
Saltmarsh starts with his credentials. Climate activist since his teens, he has gotten involved in many demonstrations (or "demos") and direct action. He clearly cares a great deal about the planet, but also about people who live on it - and not just those in his immediate environment.
When I started reading this book, we were in the middle of a severe heatwave in the UK. I am writing my review in the aftermath of the deadly floods in Pakistan which affected 33 million people and have already killed thousands.
Pick up this book to understand better what is awaiting us if we remain passive. I know a lot of you (me included) think that you are already doing your "bit" by recycling, choosing more eco-friendly products, perhaps changing your diet. But here Saltmarsh tells us that we won't get where we need to be within the current capitalist system. An economy which had growth and profit at its core simply cannot be sustainable. Period.
Where the author lost me a bit is when he started offering possible solutions, relying heavily on governments to take the reins, renationalising transport, heavily regulating food, and ensuring that staff currently working in polluting industries get offered green jobs. Some of the passages sounded so idealistic and utopian, I really could not see how today's citizens would buy into it. For instance, travelling by train across continents instead of flying. Maybe I've become extremely cynical after living in London… But when I see the littering, the waste of resources, the number of people being paid double or triple than me for working in jobs making the world even more unequal - I simply don't believe the people in charge will have enough power to force them to give up their privileges.
In summary - I found the first half of the book extremely clear, well-researched and informative. The second half was more political and far-left leaning; criticising many movements such as the unions and XR, whilst offering a way out which I don't ever foresee happening: governments working together on a global scale and nationalising most industries. The experts quoted/interviewed don't seem to have enough weight, and in the end I was left a bit disheartened and helpless. Still, it is well worth a read.
November 1, 2021
A very good overview of the socialist approach to addressing the climate crisis, writted in a very clear and succinct fashion. A must read for anyone interested in the environment and climate activism (which should be all of us). Chris has been doing this for years and has a deep understanding of the advantages and failings of different tactics and strategies, and he has a record of success in the movement. I highly recommend it.
March 13, 2023
3.5
This is a much better example of a short book with a point to make (compared to last year's 'Lost in Work', which while I agreed with its points, was not successful as far as I'm concerned).
Saltmash's views, points and opinions are all logical and worth learning here. He deftly outlines the problem causing the climate crisis, and how this links to capitalism prioritising profits (and therefore greed) ahead of anything else - not just the planet but people's wellbeing.
His solutions are also interesting and give plenty of food for thought - again, I agree with pretty much everything he says here.
I do have issues though. Firstly, I'm starting to think this series of books does have editing issues. This volume is well written but occasionally loses meaning. Its sentences are too long with too many clauses, and are sometimes contradictory and unclear. Just a touch of editing would have helped. There are also some inconsistencies in argument - Saltmash begins by essentially denouncing the current system in its entirety including party politics - and then later says we must use party politics to help with the climate crisis. I agree with this ultimate conclusion but am confused as to why the opposite was being said initially.
This book succeeds at further educating people already sympathetic and in the know. What it doesn't do on two levels is help change people's minds. There's nothing in here that would do that - I couldn't give it to someone who doesn't think we need to do much about climate change - they'd be instantly alienated. Also, its solutions do not include doing this - primarily it is a call to arms to be militant and forceful, and not moderate. I agree - but we need everyone to see reason too. On some level, it does exist in a world where Jeremy Corbyn is still leader of the UK Labour party (even though this book was written afterwards).
What I really wanted was something I could use to convince people about the climate crisis and its true causes. What I got instead was a very densely packed, relatively successful explanation and re-affirmation of what I already knew which helped to expand on this a bit. It achieved what it aimed to do very well, but it should have broadened its aims slightly.
This is a much better example of a short book with a point to make (compared to last year's 'Lost in Work', which while I agreed with its points, was not successful as far as I'm concerned).
Saltmash's views, points and opinions are all logical and worth learning here. He deftly outlines the problem causing the climate crisis, and how this links to capitalism prioritising profits (and therefore greed) ahead of anything else - not just the planet but people's wellbeing.
His solutions are also interesting and give plenty of food for thought - again, I agree with pretty much everything he says here.
I do have issues though. Firstly, I'm starting to think this series of books does have editing issues. This volume is well written but occasionally loses meaning. Its sentences are too long with too many clauses, and are sometimes contradictory and unclear. Just a touch of editing would have helped. There are also some inconsistencies in argument - Saltmash begins by essentially denouncing the current system in its entirety including party politics - and then later says we must use party politics to help with the climate crisis. I agree with this ultimate conclusion but am confused as to why the opposite was being said initially.
This book succeeds at further educating people already sympathetic and in the know. What it doesn't do on two levels is help change people's minds. There's nothing in here that would do that - I couldn't give it to someone who doesn't think we need to do much about climate change - they'd be instantly alienated. Also, its solutions do not include doing this - primarily it is a call to arms to be militant and forceful, and not moderate. I agree - but we need everyone to see reason too. On some level, it does exist in a world where Jeremy Corbyn is still leader of the UK Labour party (even though this book was written afterwards).
What I really wanted was something I could use to convince people about the climate crisis and its true causes. What I got instead was a very densely packed, relatively successful explanation and re-affirmation of what I already knew which helped to expand on this a bit. It achieved what it aimed to do very well, but it should have broadened its aims slightly.
September 14, 2022
High rating for its quick, insightful analysis of the state of things. Pleasant, assertive writing style that makes for a satisfying read.
The negatives: the Green New Deal sections feel a little too much like political propaganda and there is still too much focus in the UK and US (but have to respect that several other realities are mentioned).
However, I'll use this space more as a critique of the overall narrative:
1) it is, surprisingly, still optimistic. It assumes that a lot of the existing structures (namely, the nation state) will survive the climate disasters to come. Chris mentions and dismisses quickly Deep Adaptation's thesis, for a surprising reason: he treats it as a choice for austere living, that of course is not desirable (modern Healthcare is quite convenient after all). He fails to see that the point of Deep Adaptation is that this is not a choice, but an inevitability.
2) Chris puts a lot of inevitable importance to the nation state, while dismissing the cooperative movement or mutual aid networks as being too small or precarious. It is not clear what he thinks of Municipalism or Democratic Confederalism - but my interpretation is that he's too focused on the large need for a massive transition that only an effective state can deliver. So imaginative alternatives don't make the cut.
Of course, the issue is that the change needed will not happen fast enough and nation states will collapse. And probably investing in alternative structure to the nation state, more and stronger local democratic and economic organizations, is smarter than depending on the nation state to exist. In other words, accelerating the (inevitable) collapse of the nation state by depriving it of the economic and democratic structures that sustain it (through producing alternatives and making it expensive to do business as usual) , is probably the most ethical approach to climate change.
The negatives: the Green New Deal sections feel a little too much like political propaganda and there is still too much focus in the UK and US (but have to respect that several other realities are mentioned).
However, I'll use this space more as a critique of the overall narrative:
1) it is, surprisingly, still optimistic. It assumes that a lot of the existing structures (namely, the nation state) will survive the climate disasters to come. Chris mentions and dismisses quickly Deep Adaptation's thesis, for a surprising reason: he treats it as a choice for austere living, that of course is not desirable (modern Healthcare is quite convenient after all). He fails to see that the point of Deep Adaptation is that this is not a choice, but an inevitability.
2) Chris puts a lot of inevitable importance to the nation state, while dismissing the cooperative movement or mutual aid networks as being too small or precarious. It is not clear what he thinks of Municipalism or Democratic Confederalism - but my interpretation is that he's too focused on the large need for a massive transition that only an effective state can deliver. So imaginative alternatives don't make the cut.
Of course, the issue is that the change needed will not happen fast enough and nation states will collapse. And probably investing in alternative structure to the nation state, more and stronger local democratic and economic organizations, is smarter than depending on the nation state to exist. In other words, accelerating the (inevitable) collapse of the nation state by depriving it of the economic and democratic structures that sustain it (through producing alternatives and making it expensive to do business as usual) , is probably the most ethical approach to climate change.
October 25, 2021
An urgent call to action - outlining the capitalist root causes of the climate crisis and where NGO-led environmentalism isn't up to the task of stopping climate change. Only transformative, socialist solutions with massively increased democratic public ownership across the economy can deliver the rapid decarbonisation necessary - private sector profit-chasers won't save us. This book is a blueprint for how we can unite the labour and climate movements around a Green New Deal as a headline demand of the left
December 24, 2021
Definitely a book I would recommend to anyone who wants to learn about the climate crisis from a political lens. It’s a great introduction to the Green New Deal, the role of the state in mitigating against the climate crisis and the racialised and classist impacts the climate crisis are resulting in, which will exacerbate if we don’t act immediately.
January 1, 2023
Well done analysis on the state of environmental organizing in the UK, does a good job putting forward alternatives, although it could potentially benefit from a further look and elaboration on the radical labour organizing angle - although I completely understand that given the space available it covered the topic well.
December 11, 2025
(taken from year-end IG 2024 story reviews)
This book provides nothing new to those familiar with principles of justice. This book, however, emphasises community and labour organisations to challenge the state and, interestingly enough, critiques the “corporatisation of NGOs” like WWF and Greenpeace.
This book provides nothing new to those familiar with principles of justice. This book, however, emphasises community and labour organisations to challenge the state and, interestingly enough, critiques the “corporatisation of NGOs” like WWF and Greenpeace.
August 21, 2022
This book is a call to action that provides useful analysis and information. It has, however, a rather serious blindspot: it does not grapple at all with imperialism and colonialism and their role in the climate crisis and as an obstacle to climate action.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews