Planet Can Survive the Age of Humans, by Mark Lynas, Fourth Estate 2011
This book is the latest in a series of "confessions of past sins" by environmental activists. In Mark Lynas' case, the sins included being a leading activist in the movement that trashed genetically modified (GM) crop field-trials several years ago. Lynas has also converted to the now-familiar uncritical advocacy of nuclear power. The God Species explains why he has come to see the light. The God Species achieved a certain notoriety on its release in July, when its Amazon page was scrambled by hackers, probably environmental campaigners understandably pissed off by its egregious attacks on them. The author initially explains the book's title by referring to the "second creation of life" by microbiologist and venture capitalist Craig Ventner, who replaced the DNA in a bacterium with an artificial sequence that still allowed replication. However, he quickly abandons this metaphor: most of the original bacterial cell was retained, so the "second Genesis" was partial at best. Instead, he goes on to make the more important point that, for the first time, a single species - humanity - has become capable of modifying the environment to such a degree that it controls its fate and that of many other species. He then discusses nine "planetary boundaries" whose crossing threatens environmental catastrophe. The boundaries concern biodiversity loss, climate change, nitrogen (fertiliser use), land use, freshwater use, toxic chemical pollution, aerosols (connected with climate change), ocean acidification (due to carbon dioxide emissions) and stratospheric ozone loss. An assessment of how close we are to these nine boundaries was published by a group of scientists in the journal Nature in September 2009. They concluded that the first three had already been crossed (with the current rate of flow of nitrogen compounds through the environment being four times its safe value) and that four were close to the threshold, with the boundaries for chemical pollution and atmospheric aerosol loading (mainly pollution by particulates from fossil fuel use) being too unclear to quantify. The authors concluded that these nine boundaries were "tightly coupled" and that "we do not have the luxury of concentrating our efforts on any one of them in isolation from the others". Lynas' discussion of the threat that these nine phenomena pose for the environment and human survival is interesting and thorough. He is not a climate change denier, and he outlines the scientific issues clearly. This makes the book all His remedies really boil down to nuclear power to eliminate carbon dioxide emissions and GM of crops so that they need advocate these technologies, he overstates their safety and glosses over issues of control by multinational corporations. crude attacks on greens and other environmental activists, holding them responsible for many environmental problems by delaying the deployment of nuclear power and GM technology. These attacks signal the wholesale acceptance by Lynas of the neo-liberal agenda. His view of humanity is that it is genetically programmed to be selfish and acquisitive and so a system has evolved that suits our genes. Fortunately, that system is becoming less and less "carbon intensive". If environmental groups stopped their misguided campaigning, then capitalism will rescue us. With a huge mass movement developing worldwide against neoliberal austerity, this is a fine time for an environmental campaigner to abandon all semblance of opposition to the capitalist system.
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These are just some of the titles we have published to date, and more are in the pipeline. They can be bought from Socialist Resistance, at the address below; or ordered online through Amazon.co.uk Books from Resistance Books Socialist Resistance PO Box 62732 London SW2 9GQ
Mexico's Zapatista rebels and the Seattle demonstrators were the tip of an iceberg of social and political revolt against the injustices of corporateled globalisation. In 2002 John Holloway, working in Puebla, Mexico, published Change the World without Taking Power. This book debates the implications of that slogan. £6 €7 $10
Documents of the differences which developed last year in how Respect should be organised and built, and which led to the split promoted by the SWP following criticism of its leadership role by almost everyone else, including Socialist Resistance. £3.50 €4 $6
Since World War Il the Middle East has suffered a seemingly unending period of war, foreign domination, environmental devastation and mass resistance to the region's ruling classes. In this book, that resistance speaks in its own words, in a collection of some of the most powerful articles written in the last sixty years by socialist, ecologist and anti-Zionist activists across the region. £10 €11 $17
A collection of important contributions to the debate on ecology and global warming, and the limits of capitalism's ability to control the resulting destruction of the environment. This reprinted second edition is essential reading for anyone getting to grips with ecosocialism. £6 €7 $10
elia Hart Celia Hart came from
La family of veteran Cuban revolutionaries who fought with Fidel Le against the Batista dictatorship. Celia was an outspoken defender of the political and revolutionary heritage of Leon Trotsky. Her recent articles on this subject provoked an intense debate on the question of Trotsky internationally. £6 €7 $10
Ron Ridenour's CUBA: follow-up to his Cuba BEYONDTHE CROSSROADS at the Crossroads,
written while he was livng and politically active in Cuba. £10 €11 $17 lan Angus, who wrote several of the articles in this book and selected the others from a wide range of authors and movements, is one of the world's best-known ecosocialist activists. He is editor of the online journal Climate and Capitalism, which has been described as 'the most reliable single source of information and strategic insights for climate justice! lan is also Associate Editor of Socialist Voice, an Advisory Editor of Socialist Resistance, and a founding member of the Ecosocialist International Network. He lives in Ontario, Canada. £10 €11 $17
Trotsky's writings on the permanent revolution are the theoretical mainspring The of proletarian Permanem Revolution revolutionary strategy
and are an obligatory study for all who aspire to lead the working-class in the struggle for socialism, whether in the capitalist countries of the West or in the backward colonial countries. £9 €10 $15
The credit crunch italist of 2008 produced an international recession in 2009. In Socialists and the Capitalist Recession, Claudio Katz and Michel Husson, fellows of the International Institute for Research and Education, and SSP activist Raphie de Santos, describe the present crisis, construct a socialist analysis of its causes, and propose socialist solutions. £6 €7 $10
The account of his life and struggle by a black activist in South Africa. It records the founding and growth of the revolutionary left, and includes a stern, reasoned critique of the ANC and SACP. Nikani describes his exile, a clandestine mission back into South Africa, his escape to and imprisonment in Swaziland, and his final exile to Sweden, where he died in 1999. £10 €11 $17
Kautsky's 1908 Marxist classic is an account of how what began as a minor sect in Palestine became the state * religion of the Roman Empire. There was a time when Kautsky was in the true sense of the word the teacher who instructed the proletarian vanguard: - Leon Trotsky £12 €13 $20
Brazilian socialists André Passos Cordeiro, Ubiratan de Souza, Pepe Vargas, Raul Pont and João Machado describe in The Porto Alegre Alternative how Porto Alegre's participatory budget was born and developed with popular movements and local Workers' Party (PT) victories, and how it promises a radically democratic alternative in the interests of the poor to top-down political and economic decision-making. £12 €13 $20
39 Venezuela has THE REAL become a huge VENEZUELA
source of hope and inspiration for the Left throughout the world. Some see it as a shining example of how to begin building a successful socialist state, but Western leaders see it as a dangerous enemy and accuse Chávez of being a dictator. This book reveals the truth by examining the country from the ground up. £12 €17 $25
The international movement of women fighting their IN **FEMMES oppression has IALISME reached a new level ATION **FEMM Since the 1960s.
The resolutions collected here are a product of that movement. Women's oppression and exploitation of women must be understood in the context of class society will end only when we get of class society. Socialist organisations need to take positive actions used by socialist organizations to develop their feminist work and profile. £7.00 €8.00 $11.00
In 2007, French fascist Le Pen won almost four million Germany's fascist NPD won over 750,000. In 2010, fascist-led Defence League and Italy's Future and Freedom party emerged. To help activists understand these developments, this book gathers together some of the most important analysis of fascism in the 20th century. Read Zetkin, Trotsky, Guerin and Gramsci and £5.00 €6.00 $8.00
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Episode 1 (shorter and full versions) Dr John Lister provides a witty insight into the true intent of the government's plans to reform the health service - a privatised, unaccountable NHS.
With the danger of Andrew Lansley's cosmetically "amended" reforms slipping through in a fog of jargon and marketing spin, John Lister talks us through why Episode 2 - A Betrayal of Trust: Sugar Coating the Louise Irvine is a GP in the deprived area of Deptford's New Cross. She believes that trusted local GPs are being used to sugar coat a radical denationalisation of the NHS.
Dr Irvine explains, with compassion, how this bitterly unacceptable bill will Giving reasons to be fearful, this film graphically shows how Lansley's proposals, despite amendments, will vandalise the NHS and bring back "The Return of Fear". Acclaimed thinker on health policy, Professor Allyson Pollock joins with other leading health campaigners to show why we must rage now against these coalition plans, to avoid despair later. The film shows the deadly parallels with other privatisations, especially the privatisation of elderly care.
"The Return of Fear" is essential viewing: the core values of the NHS, markers of UP
Bitter Bill HEALTH,L EMERGENCY WAKE
THREE FILMS BY ANNE-MARIE SWEENEY CALL they will be disastrous for NHS patients and staff. harm patient care and break up 'the NHS family! Episode 3: The Return of Fear a civilised society, face a shocking attack.
NHS." - Allyson Pollock (Professor of Health Policy and Author of NHS PLC) www.healthemergency.org.uk www.keepournhspublic.com "This film should be seen by all who care about their
NHS+ Keep our NHS public