The New Climate War: The Fight to Take Back Our Planet

by Michael E Mann

In The New Climate War Michael E Mann, Distinguished Professor of Atmospheric Science at Penn State, analyzes why we seem to be unable to move forward with combating climate change and pins the blame firmly on corporations. Like tobacco companies and gun makers in the past, fossil fuel companies deflect attention. A graphic novel by Mann book has been previously recommended on Five Books, by Professor Naomi Oreskes of Harvard, who recommended it among her books on ‘the politics of climate change’.

The implications of this latest book are critical for how we, as individuals, take action. As Mann writes, “Personal actions, from going vegan to avoiding flying, are increasingly touted as the primary solution to the climate crisis. Though these actions are worth taking, a fixation on voluntary action alone takes the pressure off of the push for governmental policies to hold corporate polluters accountable. In fact, one recent study suggests that the emphasis on small personal actions can actually undermine support for the substantive climate policies needed.”