rmhreading's Book Journey

GODdamn I loved this. so difficult to get through the first part because it lays out a history of capitalism so thoroughly bleak and horrifying that I was shocked reading stuff I totally already knew about. but then hickel sticks the landing with truly convincing arguments about redirecting the economy instead of purely shrinking it, and democracy and decreasing inequalities as the essential prerequisites for a world where we can get ourselves out of this ecological disaster capitalism has gotten us into. and he proposed many, many plausible policy mechanisms to get us there. love a practical manual for change.

two big takeaways for me that I will remember forever. one: when we are environmentalists, we are fighting not just a few bad people at the top, but literally centuries of western cultural thought. we are fighting the deeply held western belief that we are separate and above nature. no wonder we're struggling and it's taking a while.

two: most people want climate action. a literal majority of the world's people want clean air and water, healthy ecosystems and access to nature. it is not a lack of wanting that is stopping us, it's the inherent capitalistic channeling of resources to the top and the inequalities in our political system that limits us in this moment. if we lived in perfectly democratic societies, we'd probably already be protecting our planet. the fight for democracy is the fight for our continued survival. we have all the will, and all the solutions!!! now we just need to topple the current power structure. easy right? 😂😂