FACING THE APOCALYPSE – ARGUMENTS FOR ECOSOCIALISM
By Alan Thornett
Published by Resistance Books, and the IIRE
Available now; RRP £17, €20, $24; 342pages.
ISBN: 978-0-902869-91-2
For more information and to order, go to www.resistancebooks.org
We are facing a multifaceted threat to the planet. Crucial resources are running out. Pollution is choking the ecosystems. From a defence of the remarkable ecological content of classical Marxism – lost during the 20th century to the rise of productivism – the book is an appeal to the socialist left to take the ecological crisis far more seriously. The author engages with major debates that are unresolved on the left. He promotes a transitional approach, distinct from those that think capitalism will find a solution and those who think revolutionary propaganda is enough. Alan Thornett argues that defending the planet today requires the broadest possible movement.
WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT THE BOOK
This is an important book! One may disagree on this or that issue – e.g. population, which I do not see as a problem in itself – but Alan Thornett’s arguments are an outstanding contribution to ecosocialist thinking – and action. In clear and precise language, without academic jargon, Facing The Apocalypse is not only a powerful “civilisational wake-up call”, but also a precious compass for the socio-ecological struggles of the future. – Michael Löwy (co-author of the International Ecosocialist Manifesto of 2001 and the Belém Declaration of 2009).
Alan Thornett’s book is an essential read for all who wish to challenge climate change and other environmental threats, from ocean acidification to mass extinction, that put our future in question. It is inspiring that a former car worker is such a passionate advocate of ecological politics. This is an original and wonderfully engaging contribution to the practical politics of climate change action. Alan is not one for pat slogans, but engages in vital debates about how to make our action effective in the face of an ecocidal system of global capitalism. It is vital that we read this book, engage with its arguments and build a movement for ecosocialism. – Derek Wall, writer and a former principal speaker of the Green Party of England and Wales.
