Unsustainable: A Primer for Global Environmental and Social Justice

About this book

Hossay explains the double bind in which humanity now finds itself - an environmental crisis escalating year on year, and a social crisis of poverty and inequality, also growing worse and worse. Aimed at a concerned, popular audience, including both budding social activists and young people studying the environment and international development, the author explains how these crises share the same historical roots. Brilliantly combining a huge amount of up-to-date information, visual charts, and clear explanation, he shows step by step how an historical path of colonialism, capitalist development and industrial growth has got us into this mess. Only a fundamental restructuring of the way we do business will save us from environmental and human catastrophe, and the book suggests ways in which we can work for such changes.

Contents

CONTENTS 1. The Trouble We're In Hotter for Some than Others The Air We Breathe Ecocide Toxic Planet It's Going to Get Worse 2. How Did We Get In This Mess? An Unenlightened Enlightenment Industrializing Nature A Global System US Dominance American Affluence and Global Catastrophe A Public-Private Empire Corporate Globalization 3. Making the Rules Banking on Poverty Subsidizing Destruction Free Trade Isn't Free The World Trade Organization 4. There's Got To Be A Limit Money is Everything The Inefficiency of the Market Pricing the Priceless Modernization Racing to the Bottom Commodified Lives 5. Everything's For Sale Food as a Commodity Plants and Animals as Commodities Water as a Commodity 6. Changing The Rules Cleaning up Our Act Clean Water and Air Lowering Our Sights Lots of Talk, Little Action A Small Step in the Right Direction A Model of Successful Resistance? Kyoto 7. Conclusion: Resistance is Fertile Buy a Hybrid Car, Save the World? Challenging the Rules of the Game Taking Back Democracy The New Environmentalism Talking About Power Demanding the Unreasonable You Say You Want a Revolution Reason for Hope

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Biography

Dr Patrick Hossay is a political scientist who teaches on sustainable development, international relations and development, and environmental policy. Based in New Jersey, he is a longstanding environmentalist and social activist.