“[A]well-reasonedandeye-openingtreatise...[KoheiSaitomakes]aprovocativeandvisionaryproposal.“--PublishersWeekly,(starredreview)“Saito’sclarityofthought,plethoraofevidence,andconversational,gentle,yeturgenttone...aresuretowinoveropen-mindedreaderswhounderstandthedirenatureofourglobal....Acogentlystructuredanti-capitalistapproachtotheclimatecrisis.“--KirkusReviews(starredreview)Why,inouraffluentsociety,dosomanypeopleliveinpoverty,withoutaccesstohealthcare,workingmultiplejobsandareneverthelessunabletomakeendsmeet,withnofutureprospects,whiletheplanetisburning?Inhisinternationalbestseller,KoheiSaitoarguesthatwhileunfetteredcapitalismisoftenblamedforinequalityandclimatechange,subsequentcallsfor“sustainablegrowth“anda“GreenNewDeal“areadangerouscompromise.Capitalismcreatesartificialscarcitybypursuingprofitbasedonthevalueofproductsratherthantheirusefulnessandbyputtingperpetualgrowthaboveallelse.Itisthereforeimpossibletoreverseclimatechangeinacapitalistsociety--more:thesystemthatcausedtheprobleminthefirstplacecannotbeanintegralpartofthesolution.Instead,Saitoadvocatesfordegrowthanddeceleration,whichheconceivesastheslowingofeconomicactivitythroughthedemocraticreformoflaborandproduction.Inpracticalterms,hearguesfor:theendofmassproductionandmassconsumptiondecarbonizationthroughshorterworkinghourstheprioritizationofessentiallaborovercorporateprofitsByreturningtoasystemofsocialownership,heargues,wecanrestoreabundanceandfocusonthoseactivitiesthatareessentialforhumanlife,effectivelyreversingclimatechangeandsavingtheplanet.
