Such an insightful book that definitely made me rethink the way our society functions. The first couple chapters were less useful to me, mostly because this was published 12 years ago, but I really enjoyed the last couple chapters. The way energy is defined and applied is super interesting ( )

This is probably one of the best books I've read about agricultural environmentalism, especially as far as solutions for change go. Shiva doesn't pretend that global food exports or genetically modified crops are going to save us, because they're not. Instead she advocates for purely local, non industrial solutions to the future of agriculture.

Do you want to know what sustainability really is? Read this book. ( )

Vandana Shiva is the author and editor of countless books, including Water Wars and Stolen Harvest, and is a leader in the global movement towards sustainability. Her latest book Soil Not Oil: Environmental Justice in an Age of Climate Crisis gives readers an articulate and well-researched discussion of the politics of global warming.

While many contemporary books addressing global warming tend to focus on man-made vs. natural causes or “green lifestyle change”-oriented solutions, Shiva’s latest book is grounded in a deeper, more political context. Rather than discuss climate change in a vacuum, Shiva recognizes and explores the climate crisis’ intimate relationship to the compounding issues of peak oil and global food insecurity. The book adeptly shows how globalization, capitalism and industrialization worked together to directly produce a triple crisis that threatens our very survival as a species. Through impassioned prose and stark statistics, Shiva also demonstrates global warming’s disproportional impact on the global South, using her native India as an example. Rounding out her discussion of the underlying currents of climate change, Shiva critiques inadequate and counter-productive solutions to the problem, like carbon trading, nuclear energy and industrial biofuels.

Moving beyond a mere “doom and gloom” narrative of the woes of our current era, Shiva interlaces her sharp analysis with specific recommendations to counter the potentially devastating effects of climate change. Calling for a transition to local, post-oil economies rooted in ecological sustainability, Shiva clearly illustrates the logic of her philosophy of Earth Democracy. Insightful and eloquent as always, Vandana Shiva’s Soil Not Oil should appeal to anyone who wants to more fully understand the interlocking issues surrounding climate change, and anyone who wants to do something about it. ( )