Environmentalism of the Rich

In the emerging climate justice movement, frontline communities and vulnerable people are at the head of the fight all over the world. That's because they understand that 'green consumerism' won't conquer the problems we face; we need much deeper shifts in paradigms.

Bill McKibben, author of Deep Economy

Dauvergne offers valuable insights on how the environmental movement has become increasingly co-opted and corrupted. This is required reading for anyone wanting to help ram the movement off its current dead-end path and build a new deep green movement.

Erik Assadourian, Senior Fellow, Worldwatch Institute

The environmental movement has expanded its reach and deepened its influence and yet the world's ecological systems continue collapsing, species are going extinct at an alarming rate, the world's old growth forests are rapidly vanishing, and the climate is still on course for massive changes. Dauvergne's starting point is the provocative question: How is it that despite the mounting impact environmentalism is having on everyday citizens, the business sector, and governments the ecological crisis persists? His answer: Environmentalism of the Rich. A must read for anyone concerned about the well-being and flourishing of current and future generations.

Adrian Parr, Professor of Environmental Politics and Cultural Criticism, University of Cincinnati, author of Hijacking Sustainability

Environmentalism of the Rich is a great book that makes an important contribution to the literature critiquing the contemporary environmental movement. The focus on key personalities and their particular journeys and experiences as a way of telling the history of environmentalism and exploring its contemporary contradictions is effective and enticing, as is the use of examples of household corporate brands to explore the tensions of big brand sustainability. The book is set to make an important and lasting contribution to debates about environmentalism and sustainability.

Peter Newell, Professor of International Relations, University of Sussex, author of Globalization and the Environment

In this important new book, Peter Dauvergne lays out the rich world's limited understanding of global environmentalism. The great strength of the book is that it focuses on people, from those at the forefront of global capitalism to the contemporary environmental activists pushing for more far reaching environmental change.

The International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation

Dauvergne does not fall into a trap of oversimplifying the people or organisations in his book into black and white categories. Indeed, the strength of his storytelling lies in his capacity for communicating nuance. Aware of the complexities inherent in living sustainably Dauvergne also discusses his own messy and often hypocritical existence. By acknowledging his privilage and how he undoubtedly perpetuates unsustainability while also fighting against it, he invites readers to reflect on their own place in the world and their responsibility to fight for change.

Environmental Values