This Changes Everything (book)
| Industry | Publishing |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | United States |
| Products | Books |
This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate represents Naomi Klein's fourth published work, released in 2014 through Simon & Schuster. In this book, Klein contends that the climate emergency cannot be effectively tackled within the framework of neoliberal market fundamentalism, which encourages excessive consumption and has facilitated large-scale corporate consolidations and trade deals harmful to the environment.
The writing process spanned five years, culminating in the book's debut at number five on the New York Times bestseller list in October 2014. It played a significant role in bringing widespread attention to the anti-extractivist movement known as Blockadia.
Reception
Roy Scranton, writing for Rolling Stone, commended the book for vividly illustrating how global capitalism propels a destructive carbon cycle while spotlighting activists’ resistance amid oppression.
Rob Nixon, in his review for The New York Times Book Review, described it as "the most significant and provocative environmental work since Silent Spring." Additionally, it was recognized as one of The New York Times' 100 notable books of 2014.
In The New York Review of Books, Eric Klinenberg observed that Klein's publication has become an essential touchstone for progressive climate activism, arguing that capitalism’s dependency on carbon-driven growth fundamentally clashes with ecological awareness and climate equity.
Mark Jaccard, author of the 2020 title The Citizen's Guide to Climate Success, challenges Klein’s assertion that dismantling capitalism is necessary to address climate change. He maintains that effective mitigation is possible within capitalist systems, which have historically facilitated all environmental advancements, and that while Klein favors abolition, it is not a prerequisite.
The book has received analysis from various academic fields. Christopher Wright, an Australian professor of business, endorsed it as valuable reading for those exploring the intersections of climate policy and capitalist contradictions. John Bellamy Foster and Brett Clark, writing in the Monthly Review, praised Klein’s transition into a vocal critic of capitalism, emphasizing that only a fundamental ecological transformation can sufficiently confront climate change.
Awards and honors
This work earned the 2014 Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize for Nonfiction and was shortlisted for the 2015 Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing.
Film
A documentary adaptation titled This Changes Everything was directed by Avi Lewis. Production credits include Alfonso Cuaron and Joslyn Barnes, with Seth MacFarlane and Danny Glover also listed as producers.