The radicalization of climate politics is here
Democracy works by compromise, but climate change is precisely the type of problem that seems not to allow for it. As the clock on democracies' own self-imposed climate timelines continues to tick, a structural mismatch between politics and science is becoming increasingly exposed. And those concerned by climate change-some already with political power, others grasping for it-are now searching for new ways to close that gap, by any means necessary.
As politicians in Germany and the United States try to rally the public in support of ambitious climate policy-each in their own, very different ways-climate activists are expressing their desperation using ever more radical methods. In Climate Radicals, journalist Cameron Abadi reports on the West's most embattled frontiers of climate politics, from the legislative struggles in the halls of U.S. Congress to strategy sessions among climate activists contemplating the use of violence.
Democracy works by compromise, but climate change is precisely the type of problem that seems not to allow for it. As the clock on the direst climate timelines continues to tick, this structural mismatch is becoming increasingly exposed. Those concerned by climate change-some already with political power, others grasping for it-are now searching for, and finding, new ways of closing the gap between politics and science, by any means necessary. Climate Radicals is an examination of the democratic dilemma that climate policy finds itself in-and asks whether there are any plausible ways out.
Industry Reviews
"Climate action may seem obvious, but that doesn't make it easy. Cameron Abadi's illuminating case study is also a distressing reckoning: why, as the crisis of warming intensifies, are those calling attention to its urgency increasingly mocked, vilified, and marginalized? This book is a necessary accounting." -David Wallace-Wells, author of The Uninhabitable Earth
"Why does radical protest not lead to policy change? How can real policy change happen without movement on the streets? As a highly original guide to climate politics, Abadi's Climate Radicals, comparing Biden's United States and climate-friendly Germany, spurs us to think afresh about democracy, science and the climate crisis. Abadi's new book is essential reading." -Adam Tooze, professor of history, Columbia University, author of Crashed: How a Decade of Financial Crisis Changed the World
"Climate Radicals is an eye-opening book. When reading it, I had an almost physical sensation of the most popular cliches of climate politics starting to melt down." -Ivan Krastev, author of The Light That Failed
"Climate Radicals is a concise, accessible, and revealing study of the dilemmas climate activists face as they seek to rally public support and pressure overly cautious leaders. Democratic governments must face pressure to act, but confrontational tactics and calls for radical change risk provoking a public backlash and leaving the status quo unchanged. The book is a sobering reminder that successful climate action requires a political solution, and that success is far from guaranteed." -Stephen M. Walt, Robert and Renee Belfer Professor of International Affairs, Harvard University
"Once seen as anti-establishment radicals, green campaigners in Europe and the US now seem to be stuck. Should they work within the Establishment or fight against it? Should they advocate sweeping change or incrementalism? In this powerful assessment of climate change activism in Germany and the US, Cameron Abadi describes the many dilemmas it is facing. Mixing vivid on-the-ground reporting with deep research, he describes a movement facing resistance on a number of fronts, while retaining resilience about its future." -John Kampfner, author of Why Germans Do It Better and In Search of Berlin
"Abadi's close-up study of German climate politics reveals an obsession with performance over policy." -Kirkus Reviews
