ladyeremite's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars but I'm rounding up because this is a book that should be read. I thought I'd been following this issue, the awareness of which is relatively coterminous with my own life, pretty closely, but I admire the way that Linden was able to connect so many dots and explore aspects of the politics and economics of climate change I hadn't considered before. Don't be fooled by the title - this is not a Howard Zinn style Manichaen populist paean (whether you like such a thing or not). Certainly there are villains and even some heroes, but it's mostly a terrifying grey area whose changing contours Linden tracks from the past 50 years. What you get from this book is an intriguing and immensely frustrating parable of how the very institutions and ideological systems that underpin our modern world - science, democracy, and capitalism - have not only precipitated the climate crisis but made its resolution difficult in ways that reveal the paradoxical nature and the limitations of each of these pillars of our world. It is a story of how the complexity and slowness of scientific research, the short-term interests of global capitalists, the pandering of politicians and the short-term interest of a public often confused by the rapidly changing state of the science and outright misled by disinformation have so far thwarted all efforts to understand and cope with climate crisis. To me, the most fascinating aspect of Linden's story was the key role he gives to the insurance industry - an industry that should have - and, indeed, to some degree *did* - take the financial consequences of future crisis to heart from the start but how the very genius of the financial industry in displacing and commodifying the risks inherent in the economic chance-world of late capitalism ultimately meant they did not take their own risk models as seriously as they should. It also throws to light how much the very states whose officials - like Governor DeSantis of Florida - deride the supposed "socialism" of the left have only managed to prosper thus far given their climate precarity by the socialization of risk . Despite some occasion repetition (but then again, what has this past 50 years been if not repetitive on this issue?), this is a great political history of the past 50 years if you can stomach one depressing read.
cook_memorial_public_library's review against another edition
5.0
A 2022 staff favorite recommended by Jenn. Check our catalog: https://encore.cooklib.org/iii/encore/search/C__Sfire%20and%20flood%20linden__Orightresult__U?lang=eng&suite=gold
annarella's review against another edition
4.0
Linden is an excellent populizer and this book is compelling and informative, a story of climate and people.
I appreciated it and it's recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
I appreciated it and it's recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
thebookcoyote's review against another edition
5.0
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
This book traces the current climate crisis through the last four decades of history. For each decade, the author looks closely into four areas - the FACTS of climate change, the SCIENCE of climate change, POPULAR OPINION towards climate change and the sometimes reactionary responses of BUSINESS and GOVERNMENT towards climate change.
By doing this, Linden makes it clear how many chances we have already passed up and how much harder our desire to ignore climate change has made our future.
The book isn't entirely without hope, but it's a very narrow hope.
Ultimately, this book is terrifying and disturbing. It's also important, since climate deniers still exist and companies all over the world are still trying to push forward on fossil fuels even though renewable fuels are just as easy and just as cheap.
I learned a lot from this book, and I recommend it to anyone who lives on this planet and cares about the future.
This book traces the current climate crisis through the last four decades of history. For each decade, the author looks closely into four areas - the FACTS of climate change, the SCIENCE of climate change, POPULAR OPINION towards climate change and the sometimes reactionary responses of BUSINESS and GOVERNMENT towards climate change.
By doing this, Linden makes it clear how many chances we have already passed up and how much harder our desire to ignore climate change has made our future.
The book isn't entirely without hope, but it's a very narrow hope.
Ultimately, this book is terrifying and disturbing. It's also important, since climate deniers still exist and companies all over the world are still trying to push forward on fossil fuels even though renewable fuels are just as easy and just as cheap.
I learned a lot from this book, and I recommend it to anyone who lives on this planet and cares about the future.
cylz's review
challenging
informative
medium-paced
4.75
Very logically organized book and a natural, easy read. I've been reading a lot of books about climate change and I needed something to structure where we came from and put the past in order, which this does magnificently.
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