About the Book
We've known for decades that climate change is an existential crisis. For just as long, we've seen the complete failure of our institutions to rise to the challenge. Governments have struggled to meet even modest goals. Fossil fuel interests maintain a stranglehold on political and economic power. Even though we have seen growing concern from everyday people, civil society has succeeded only in pressuring decision makers to adopt watered-down policies. All the while, the climate crisis worsens. Is there any hope of achieving the systemic change we need?
Dana R. Fisher argues that there is a realistic path forward for climate action--but only through mass mobilization that responds to the growing severity and frequency of disastrous events. She assesses the current state of affairs and shows why public policy and private-sector efforts have been ineffective. Spurred by this lack of progress, climate activism has become increasingly confrontational. Fisher examines the radical flank of the climate movement: its emergence and growth, its use of direct action, and how it might evolve as the climate crisis worsens. She considers when and how activism is most successful, identifying the importance of creating community, capitalizing on shocking moments, and cultivating resilience. Clear-eyed yet optimistic, Saving Ourselves offers timely insights on how social movements can take power back from deeply entrenched interests and open windows of opportunity for transformative climate action.
About the Author :
Dana R. Fisher is the director of the Center for Environment, Community, and Equity and a professor in the School of International Service at American University. Her books include Activism Inc.: How the Outsourcing of Grassroots Campaigns Is Strangling Progressive Politics in America (2006) and American Resistance: From the Women's March to the Blue Wave (Columbia, 2019).
Review :
... Useful insights into the increasingly disruptive climate campaigns spreading around the world.-- "Financial Times"
Offers useful insights into the increasingly disruptive climate campaigns spreading around the world. . . . A handbook for activists in a world facing more 'climate shocks, ' such as heatwaves, floods and wildfires.-- "Financial Times"
Excellent, powerful, urgent.--John Palfrey, President of the MacArthur Foundation
Important, accurate and clear eyed about the challenges we face and the big efforts needed to save our selves.-- "Irish Tech News"
Vital. . . . Fisher highlights a number of individuals and organizations modeling how we can collectively act, this Earth Day and every day, to fight for our planet and future, making her book as practically helpful as it is philosophically inspiring.-- "Saturday Evening Post"
Completely avoiding risk is not an option. Fisher's sober analysis of the climate crisis can help readers determine how much risk they can manage in meeting it.--Michael Svoboda, Yale Climate Connections
A clarion call to society at large. It's a reminder that the battle against climate change is not just about policy changes or technological innovations; it's about mobilizing a mass movement capable of driving the political and economic systems towards sustainability.--Hadeel Hashem "BNN Breaking News"
There's no denying Fisher's ultimate assertion: 'The future is up to us.'--David Vetter "Forbes"
Dr. Fisher has written an informative and thought-provoking work based on her research on climate activism, politics, geopolitics, and the climate crisis. The work is written in a style that is appropriate for scholarly and general readers. A description is provided on the vested interest activities of the fossil fuel industry and the poor reactions to the climate crisis of corporations and politicians. I especially enjoyed the detailed analysis of climate activism and the different types. The work is inspiring to take action, especially climate activism. As her work concludes: "As unfair as it might seem, the future is up to us."--Gerald Kutney, Canada's National Observer
At this dangerous climate emergency time, this book gives a path forward showing how necessary good quality social science is and how it can lead the climate activists and movements through the needed tricky and even thorny collective decision making. While living with heavy fossil fuel denial, scientists have stepped up to back up climate activists. Unfortunately, this book shows the complete failure of our institutions to also perform our democratically bestowed duty. For those of us living with the privilege of free press, (also established by civil disobedience), we have a moral responsibility to first listen to the science, acknowledge our public power and act!--Janine O'Keeffe, Fridays for Future
There's a growing number of books addressing the climate crisis and we now have a good technical understanding of what we have to do, as a society, to avoid the worst impacts. But there has been much less focus on the--more urgent--question of how to make the required changes happen. Fisher's illuminating and insightful book helps fill this critical gap in our knowledge, and is a must-read for anyone with an interest in a safe future.--Charlie Gardner, Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, University of Kent
In [Saving Ourselves], hope is a spur, a prod, an uncomfortable goad. And imagining a better future is a brave and even necessary act.-- "New York Times"
Fisher provides a comprehensive and thought-provoking overview of the current state of climate activism and, more importantly, what needs to happen for it to become massive and increase its leverage over political and economic powerholders...Saving Ourselves is likely to become a must-read for both observers and participants of climate activism in the coming years.--Alejandro Ciordia, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona "Social Movement Studies"
A no-nonsense look at what we're facing as a society... Breaks down some common misconceptions about climate activism.--Anya Kamenetz, author of The Stolen Year: How COVID Changed Children's Lives, and Where We Go Now
Saving Ourselves is about the great awakening that is happening right now to the risks we face on a rapidly warming planet. Read it and you will understand the history of the climate fight, the forces that are shaping it today, and the challenges the movement will confront as it grows in size and urgency. Saving Ourselves will inspire you take to the streets and fight for a better world.--Jeff Goodell, author of The Heat Will Kill You First: Life and Death on a Scorched Planet
In a crowded landscape of books about climate change, this one stands out by asking two key questions: Have we made enough progress? And what should we do going forward? The answer to the first question is clearly no. Despite three decades of climate negotiations, both the US and the world are far behind where we need to be on climate action, and going forward, we need to be much more organized. Taking a lesson from the history of the civil rights movement, Fisher suggests that we can create a stronger climate movement by building on existing community structures--such as churches and labor unions--and taking advantage of the climate shocks that are already occurring with increasing frequency to channel moral outrage into meaningful action. An important, original, and thought-provoking book.--Naomi Oreskes, coauthor of The Big Myth: How American Business Taught Us to Loathe Government and Love the Free Market
Few questions could be more important than how to quickly build an effective resistance to the fossil fuel industry; this volume offers some vital clues and insights, and will be a help to many activists!--Bill McKibben, author of The End of Nature
