In a new book published by Verso Press, Noam Chomsky and PERI's Robert Pollin map out the catastrophic consequences of unchecked climate change—and present a realistic blueprint for change: the Green New Deal.
Together, Chomsky and Pollin show how the forecasts for a hotter planet strain the imagination: vast stretches of the Earth will become uninhabitable, plagued by extreme weather, drought, rising seas, and crop failure. Arguing against the misplaced fear of economic disaster and unemployment arising from the transition to a green economy, they show how this bogus concern encourages climate denialism.
Humanity must stop burning fossil fuels within the next thirty years and do so in a way that improves living standards and opportunities for working people. This is the goal of the Green New Deal and, as the authors make clear, it is entirely feasible. Climate change is an emergency that cannot be ignored. This book shows how it can be overcome both politically and economically.
Reviews
“This book is a survival manual for civilization. I want everyone—yes, every person on the planet—to learn its message and to face the challenge it poses: ‘What am I doing to help bring about a global Green New Deal in the early years of this decade?’ For Americans, the first steps are clear: consign all climate deniers to permanent political oblivion and force all other policymakers to match fine words with deeds—i.e. commit to the Pollin-Chomsky global program for climate stabilization, a massive expansion of good jobs, and just transition.”
– Daniel Ellsberg, author of The Doomsday Machine
“The project that is the Green New Deal is enriched by the insights of two great minds: those of Noam Chomsky and Robert Pollin. Both understand that the GND will fail if it does not protect the jobs and livelihoods of the working class. They explain how a transformation needed to restore the ecosystem can, and will transform the organisations and lives of working people worldwide—for the better.”
– Ann Pettifor, author of The Case for The Green New Deal
“This little book contains a big idea: climate stabilisation that avoids the collapse of organised social life can be achieved, along with more decent jobs, improved living standards and reduced poverty everywhere in the world. Two eminent thinkers present a convincing case for a realistic, feasible Global Green New Deal.”
– Jayati Ghosh, Professor of Economics, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi