The Language of Climate Politics Fossil-Fuel Propaganda and How to Fight It

"[...] Climate change denial is well established and everyone is aware that there has been a campaign to mute and distort discussion on the science by fossil fuel companies. Now, biodiversity is the next item on their agenda. So, what can we learn from the rih seam of research and ideas already in existence around climate change language and politics? [...] This is a fascinating book [...] When it comes to biodiversity, we can't say we didn't have a textbook that dealt with the subject of communication politics. We have this excellent example which really should be read by anyone focused on the topic."
– Paul Ganderton, Niche 56(2), summer 2025

"It's hard to imagine a savvier or more useful new account of our greatest crisis. People who care about the future will cherish this smart volume, which will turn them into far more effective advocates; it is a genuine gift to the world."
– Bill McKibben, author of The End of Nature

"This is a brave, compelling, and necessary book. Guenther blasts away the most persistent myths of the climate crisis: that rapidly phasing out fossil fuels will devastate our economy; that China and India are the evil twins of climate politics; that building greater 'resilience' to climate impacts is a simple, catch-all solution. Guenther knows her subject and is a fabulous bullshit detector. Reading The Language of Climate Politics is an excellent way to arm yourself for the fight for a better future."
– Jeff Goodell, author of the New York Times bestseller The Heat Will Kill You First

"This remarkable, empowering book is not just about, but a model instance of, climate communication. It makes a lucid, passionate case for moral anger directed at executives, politicians, economists, and journalists who obfuscate, exacerbate, or profit from the harms inflicted by the use of fossil fuels. If you want to understand the climate crisis and you only have time to read one book, this should be it."
– Kieran Setiya, Professor of Philosophy, MIT, and author of Life is Hard

"An enlightening and inspiring journey through the politics of climate change. It's a pivotal read for those committed to shaping America's future."
– Ro Khanna, Member of Congress

"In this genius book, Dr. Genevieve Guenther takes the whole overwhelming universe of fossil fuel propaganda and distills it to six key words and one key narrative, exposing the rhetorical tricks used so effectively by the various powers obstructing climate action and thus ridding them of their power entirely. Dr. Guenther shows how these words have come to dominate the discourse on climate not only amongst those who seek to delay climate action but also in the increasingly watered-down proposals of those who support climate policy. This is one of the best explanations I've read of how the heck the climate crisis has gone unchecked for so long. I'm sure I'll be recommending it to people for a long time."
– Amy Westervelt, investigative climate journalist, founder, Drilled Media

"The primary obstacle to tackling the climate crisis is political, not technological. And the political battle has become a war of words. In this important book, Genevieve Guenther navigates the battlefield with insight and wit, expertly elucidating the ways in which the modern climate discourse has been polluted by bad actors with an agenda of business-as-usual dependence on fossil fuels. Read this book and be better prepared to meet the defining challenge of our time."
– Michael E. Mann, Presidential Distinguished Professor of Earth & Environmental Science at the University of Pennsylvania and author of Our Fragile Moment: How Lessons from the Earth's Past Can Help Us Survive the Climate Crisis

"This book is aimed at those wishing to convince others to support a mass movement to stop global warming. Concerned that the conversation regarding halting anthropogenic climate change has been framed by its opponents and appropriated by those in the media or academia, heedless of the importance and implications of words, Guenther (The New School) devotes a chapter each to one of six talking points: alarmism, cost, growth, "India and China", innovation, and resilience."
– R. T. Ingoglia, CHOICE