[P2P-F] Fwd: My new book from MIT Press, They Knew: The US Federal Government's Fifty-Year Role in Causing the Climate Crisis

Thu Sep 9 20:39:16 CEST 2021

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Gus Speth <gus at speth.com>
Date: Thu, Sep 9, 2021 at 11:10 PM
Subject: My new book from MIT Press, They Knew: The US Federal Government's
Fifty-Year Role in Causing the Climate Crisis
To: Gus Speth <gus at speth.com>

Friends –

I have a new book out with MIT Press, one I hope will interest you.

The title says it all, They Knew: The US Federal Government's Fifty-Year
Role in Causing the Climate Crisis
<https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/675983/they-knew-by-james-gustave-speth-foreword-by-xiuhtezcatl-martinez/>.
It covers the period from LBJ through Trump, documenting what the
government knew, when they knew it, and how they played a leading and
affirmative role in bringing about today’s climate crisis.

This book took shape when *Our Children's Trust* (OCT), a great advocacy
for children, asked me to write up the Carter Administration for the
children’s climate lawsuit, and I said sure. A busy period, I thought, but
just four years. When I was done, or so I thought, they said, "now, will
you do the other administrations?" I picked my aging body up off the floor,
and started in on the assignment with the help of an amazing documentary
research team at OCT. That was 2018, and I subsequently added the
disastrous Trump finale and did some updating.

I am grateful that *Julia Olson* and *Philip Gregory*, legal counsel for
the seminal case *Juliana v. United States*, have contributed an
introduction to the book. And thankful also for terrific early reviews and
endorsements from *Naomi Klein, Bill McKibben, Van Jones, Elizabeth
Kolbert,* and *Catherine Flowers*. There have been positive reviews also
from *Nature* and *Science*. See below.

I have described the book as the saddest story ever told, but if you are
reality tolerant you will find it an important story of vast governmental
malfeasance, surely one of the greatest derelictions of civic
responsibility in the history of the Republic.

I hope the book spurs people to act in small and big ways. Please consider
ordering a copy from your favorite bookstore and sharing the word with
others who may be interested. My publisher has also provided a discount
code that will give you *20% discount and free shipping** on direct orders
with Penguin Random House
<https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/675983/they-knew-by-james-gustave-speth-foreword-by-xiuhtezcatl-martinez/>
.

*All royalties go to Our Children’s Trust.*

All the best to you,

Gus

James Gustave Speth, gus at speth.com Distinguished Next System Fellow, the
Democracy Collaborative, thenextsystem.org

*Necessary information about the discount code: Customers based in the USA
can order with discount code TheyKnew20 and receive a 20% discount. Orders
should be placed on the Penguin Random House website. This discount code is
valid on this website only. This offer is valid while supplies last. Limit
one discount code per person. Valid for one transaction. Discount code is
not redeemable for cash, is non-transferable and cannot be used in
conjunction with any other offer or discount. Discount code expires
10/15/2021.

*Praise for They Knew*

“A rousing condemnation of a system bent on short-term gain against
long-term health.”
*—Kirkus Reviews*

“Drawing on first-hand knowledge from his time as chair of the US Council
on Environmental Quality during the administration of president Jimmy
Carter (1977–81), and his founding role in several major environmental
non-governmental organizations, Speth gives a clear and concise account of
the scientific evidence available to successive US presidents and
Congresses over five decades. He provides a chilling description of the
gulf between the safer course of action recommended by scientists and
advisers, and the reality of federal policy.”
*—Nature*

“Working pro bono [for Juliana v. United States], Speth produced a lengthy
report tracing nearly 60 years of federal action on climate change and
fossil fuel development. That report is the foundation for this book. Parts
of the story have been told before… but Speth’s volume covers a broader
period of time, says more about federal encouragement of fossil fuels, and
as befits a legal filing, is richly documented.”
*—Science *

“Devastating. Enraging. Indispensable. Would that the world had more heroic
elders like Gus Speth. He has produced a damning record that will become a
potent tool for justice.”
*—Naomi Klein, Gloria Steinem Chair in Media, Culture, and Feminist Studies
at Rutgers University; author of This Changes Everything, The Shock
Doctrine, and No Logo*

“With skill and dedication, Gus Speth has documented precisely what we knew
and when we knew it. This book is a shocking reminder of the chances for
action we've already missed, and a spur to finally move with the vigor the
climate crisis demands.”
*—Bill McKibben, Schumann Distinguished Scholar in Environmental Studies at
Middlebury College; founder, 350.org <http://350.org>*

“Wondering how in the world the catastrophe of climate change could be
happening and whom to hold responsible? Look no further than They Knew—Gus
Speth’s enlightening and infuriating new book.”
*—Van Jones, CNN commentator, author, and founder of the Dream Corps*

“Gus Speth has written a history of federal action and inaction on climate
change that spares neither Democrats nor Republicans. They Knew is at once
a searing indictment and a fascinating read.”
*—Elizabeth Kolbert, staff writer, New Yorker; author of Under a White Sky
and The Sixth Extinction*

“Speth reveals the smoking gun of the climate crisis in the US government’s
unholy alliance with the fossil fuel industry. The history presented in
They Knew makes clear that democratic action is needed now to ensure a
future for seven generations to come.”
*—Catherine Flowers, Founder and Director, Center for Rural Enterprise and
Environmental Justice; Professor of Practice, Duke University; 2020
MacArthur Fellow; author of Waste*

-- 
James Gustave Speth, gus at speth.com
Distinguished Next System Fellow, the Democracy Collaborative,
thenextsystem.org

My recent books:
*It’s Already Tomorrow: Poems*, Shires Press (2020),
amazon.com/Its-Already-Tomorrow-Poems-Speth/dp/1605714976
<https://www.amazon.com/Its-Already-Tomorrow-Poems-Speth/dp/1605714976>

*They Knew: The US Federal Government's Fifty-Year Role in Causing the
Climate Crisis, *MIT Press (2021)
mitpress.mit.edu/books/they-knew
amazon.com/They-Knew-Federal-Governments-Fifty-Year/dp/0262542986/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

-- 
Check out the Commons Transition Plan here at: http://commonstransition.org

P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net  - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net

<http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation>Updates:
http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens

#82 on the (En)Rich list: http://enrichlist.org/the-complete-list/
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