Al-Khaldi_Yusuf_BookReview#
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“This Changes Everything” Book Review
Yusuf Al-Khaldi
1118783
GEOG 2210
Thursday, Feb 16
th,
2023
Global warming is on the rise in average temperature caused by greenhouse gas
emissions into the atmosphere. As a result, sunlight may pass through the ozone layer, heating up
the earth's surface and storing heat that would otherwise radiate back into space. Naomi Klein
analyses the connection between capitalism and climate change in her book "This Changes
Everything" (Klein, 2014). Without fundamentally altering the way the economy operates,
Naomi contends, we will never be able to resolve the climate disaster we are currently facing.
Several topics and themes are covered by Naomi, including the issues outlined in this review.
Dependence on fossil fuels, capitalism and globalization, social and economic injustice, and
indigenous peoples' contributions to environmental protection are just a few of the issues that
need to be addressed. The major goal of Naomi Klein is to increase awareness of the issue
caused by climate change and the actions that must be taken. She describes how climate change
is not only an environmental issue but also a social and economic issue (Klein, 2014).
The dependency on fossil fuels is one of the points Naomi Klein makes in her book
(Klein, 2014). According to Naomi Klein, one of the key reasons for climate change is the over-
reliance of our economy on fossil fuels. She continues by stating that burning fossil fuels puts a
significant quantity of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, which
causes temperatures to rise and raises concerns about extreme weather conditions (Klein, 2014).
In addition, Klein also discusses globalization and capitalism (Klein, 2014). Carbon emissions
have increased, and natural resource availability has decreased due to the fast-growing gas and
oil industry. She contends that in order to minimize greenhouse gas emissions and make the
transition to a low-carbon economy, we must reconsider our current political and economic
structures. Klein urges a transition away from a market-based economy that prioritizes profit and
more towards a well-being economy that emphasizes sustainability. Sustainability in the
economy refers to a strategy that encourages long-term economic growth without negatively
affecting the social, environmental, and cultural components of the community (Woodward and
Bishop, 1995). This is significant because it promotes fuel efficiency, lowers fuel prices, and
lowers greenhouse gas emissions which have a significant impact on climate change (Woodward
and Bishop, 1995).
In Klein's next discussion topic, social injustice, she makes the case that these big
businesses are more concerned with profit than with the welfare of their customers (Klein, 2014).
She makes the case that populations in the global south, who are least to blame for the release of
greenhouse gas emissions yet experience the worst effects, are the most vulnerable to the effects
of climate change. This is because there is already a restricted supply of water in these areas due
to factors including decreased water availability, an increase in severe storms and floods, a
dangerous rise in the average temperature, and an increase in pests and illnesses (Suri, 2022).
She cites the fact that African Americans in low-income neighbourhoods were severely
affected by Hurricane Katrina and only received a little amount of government assistance in
comparison to the affluent White regions. Finally, Klein makes the case that there is much that
we can learn from indigenous people about how to live sustainably and respectfully as well as
how to create a better world and environment. The indigenous people acquire lessons on how to
treat the environment and be synchronous with nature over generations (Latulippe and Klenk,
2020). They are the first to see the changes in the climate and the first ones that understand why
these changes are occurring (Latulippe and Klenk, 2020). She discusses how indigenous societies
have been severely harmed by greenhouse gases, though their beliefs would never bring on the
causes of these effects. Indigenous people play a critical role in the battle for climate justice
(Klein, 2014). If the government and the public joined forces to enforce laws more similar to
those that the indigenous people live by, the earth would never have had to face the
consequences of fossil fuels or increases in carbon emissions (Latulippe and Klenk, 2020).
In my opinion, Klein's arguments in this book are quite strong (Klein, 2014). She
presented a lot of supporting information to back up her counterarguments. She persuaded me
that the climate issue is far more and larger than simply the human population and has more to
do with capitalism and globalization. Although I also stood for combating the climate crisis and
rescuing our planet, she persuaded me otherwise. She also made me more aware of the
connection between social injustice and the climate problem. There are various aspects of the
book "This Changes Everything" that apply to contemporary issues (Klein, 2014). As we
continue to see the painful impacts on vulnerable groups, social and economic inequality is more
important than ever. The political and economic considerations are quite essential, particularly
the way that the effects of COVID-19 have influenced the economic consequences. COVID-19
had caused millions to lose their jobs and the economy seriously suffered in terms of financial
help.
This provides us with a cause to review our economic goals and start rebuilding.
Although global warming is a tremendously worrying topic, it is not discussed enough. This
book reframes the debate around climate catastrophe and goes into great detail about how much
more this is than just a climate disaster. It serves as a wake-up call for everyone on the globe, and
we must work quickly to find a solution. The global reading of this book has sparked debate
about climate catastrophe and given rise to several movements. I have a lot of questions after
reading this book, including what actions I can't take personally to address the climate
catastrophe, how we can collaborate to find a solution, and what we can do to create a more
sustainable and healthier future. Her arguments changed my opinion in a way that I had no idea
how much more this is than just stopping the pollution that goes in the air but more of a social
injustice problem and how much help we need from higher power people such as the government
to get on board in order for us to even begin taking steps to stop the climate crisis.
The book was quite pleasant to read and provided information on a topic I was eager to
learn more about. She dug far further into the root causes of the present climate crisis rather than
just addressing the essentials. Also, she provided explanations that were so crystal clear that even
I, who had very little prior knowledge of the topic, could understand them. The most crucial
lesson from this book is that we are rapidly approaching the time when it will be too late to take
action, that if we act now, we may drastically alter the course of the climate disaster, and that it is
not just a climatic crisis but also an economic and social injustice crisis.
In conclusion, this book helped in my understanding of the issues that are prevalent in our
society in terms of global warming and climate change. The author, Naomi Klein argues many
issues such as the dependence on fossil fuels, capitalism and globalization, social and economic
injustice, and indigenous peoples' contributions to environmental protection. Klein’s main goal
with the book is to try and raise awareness by talking about these issues and showing others what
can be done to help. Overall, the book is crucial for others to understand the problems occurring
in our society.
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References
Latulippe, N., and Klenk, N. (2020). Making room and moving over: knowledge co-production,
Indigenous knowledge sovereignty and the politics of global environmental change
decision-making.
Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability
,
42
, 7-14.
Woodward, R. T., and Bishop, R. C. (1995). Efficiency, sustainability and global warming.
Ecological Economics
,
14 (2)
, 101-111.
Suri, S. (2022).
Climate change and food security in the Global South
. ORF. Retrieved February
16, 2023, from
https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/climate-change-and-food-security-
in-the-global-south/#:~:text=Climate%20change%20will%20progressively
%20have,increase%20in%20pests%20and%20diseases
.
Klein, Naomi, 1970- author. (2014). This changes everything : capitalism vs. the
climate. New York :Simon & Schuster