Falter

by Bill McKibben
Falter cover
Good Books rating 4.0
Buy online
Waterstones
Paperback • £10.99
Amazon
Format/Price Check
Technical
  • ID: 2499
  • Added: 2025-10-15
  • Updated: 2025-10-16
  • Formats: 1
  • Reviews: 4
Reviews
jacobin.com · Unknown · 2025-10-17
urgent 4.00

Falter by Bill McKibben is a compelling call to action on climate change, highlighting the urgency of the crisis and the need for collective effort. The book is praised for its accessible writing and powerful arguments, though some may find its solutions underdeveloped.

Falter by Bill McKibben is a timely and urgent exploration of the climate crisis. The book effectively communicates the severity of the situation and the need for immediate action. McKibben's writing is accessible and engaging, making complex issues understandable for a broad audience. However, while the book excels in diagnosing the problems, some readers might find the proposed solutions less comprehensive. Overall, it serves as a powerful wake-up call and a reminder of the collective effort required to address climate change. The reviewer appreciates McKibben's passion and the book's ability to inspire action, but notes that the solutions could be more detailed and actionable.

Quick quotes

    The fight against climate change is not just about science and technology, but about power and politics.

    McKibben's book is a clarion call to action, urging us to confront the existential threat of climate change.

    While Falter is a powerful diagnosis of our problems, it falls short in offering concrete solutions.

marxandphilosophy.org.uk · Unknown · 2020-03-19
urgent 4.00

Falter by Bill McKibben presents a stark warning about the impact of human activity on climate change, emphasizing the role of corporations in accelerating environmental degradation. The book highlights alarming statistics about the rapid warming of the Earth's oceans, the decline in wildlife, and the severe health impacts on populations, particularly children.

Falter by Bill McKibben is a compelling read that delves into the critical issue of climate change and its far-reaching consequences. The book underscores the significant role that corporations play in exacerbating environmental problems, often prioritizing profit over planetary health. McKibben presents a wealth of staggering statistics, such as the rapid warming of the Earth's oceans, the drastic decline in wildlife populations, and the severe health impacts on children due to pollution. The narrative also highlights the exponential economic costs of global warming, which are already taking a toll on the global GDP. McKibben's work serves as a wake-up call, urging readers to recognize the urgent need for action to mitigate the devastating effects of climate change.

Quick quotes

    The physical changes we’re currently making by warming the climate will extend longer than the entire history of human civilization thus far.

    A third of the planet’s land is now severely degraded, with persistent declining trends in productivity.

    Climate change is a negotiation between human beings and physics, and physics don’t compromise.

friendsjournal.org · Unknown · 2019-11-01
hopeful 4.50

Falter by Bill McKibben is a comprehensive and engaging exploration of the environmental crises we face today. While the book presents scary facts about climate change and its impacts, it also offers hope through the power of resistance, renewable energy advances, and the dedication of millions of people working to ensure a safe and healthy planet.

Falter by Bill McKibben is a compelling read that delves into the environmental challenges we are currently facing. The book starts with a thorough and somewhat frightening overview of the issues, providing new and important facts that even well-informed readers may not be aware of. McKibben's ability to contextualize these facts within our lives on this beautiful planet makes the information more relatable and impactful. He also explores the thinking and beliefs of climate deniers, many of whom are influenced by the philosophy of Ayn Rand, which emphasizes individual rights and rejects faith and religion. The book addresses pressing issues such as economic inequality, the decline in wildlife, and the potential collapse of human civilization. Despite the grim outlook, McKibben offers rays of hope in the latter part of the book, highlighting the power of resistance, the global advances in renewable energy, and the efforts of millions of dedicated individuals working to turn the tide and protect our planet.

Quick quotes

    We are messy creatures, often selfish, prone to short-sightedness, susceptible to greed. In a Trumpian moment with racism and nationalism resurgent, you could argue that our disappearance would be no great loss. And yet, most of us, most of the time, are pretty wonderful: funny, kind.

    Even if you are well-versed in the crises we face, you will learn many new and important facts.

    That chance includes the power of resistance; the advances of renewable energy worldwide; and the millions of dedicated people, like you, doing all they can to turn the tide and assure a safe and healthy planet for all that lives.

greengroundswell.com · Unknown · 2019-08-12
mixed 3.50

Bill McKibben's 'Falter' provides a compelling account of the urgent climate crisis but falls short in proposing effective solutions. The book excels in detailing ecological collapse but fails to address systemic issues, instead advocating for green capitalist solutions that may not be feasible.

Bill McKibben's 'Falter' is a powerful account of the current climate crisis, highlighting the dire ecological breakdown we face. The book effectively communicates the urgency of the situation, detailing how rising temperatures, ocean acidification, and other environmental changes threaten human survival and ecosystems. However, while McKibben's analysis of the problem is strong, his proposed solutions are less convincing. He attributes the roots of climate destruction to bad ideas and policies, such as neoliberalism and individualism, rather than systemic issues inherent in capitalism. This leads him to advocate for green capitalist solutions, like solar power and nonviolent protest, which may not be practical given the profit-driven nature of capitalism. The book's emphasis on changing the minds of capitalists and promoting 'good business' solutions seems utopian, as it relies on unwilling and hostile agents to alter their behavior and the functioning of the entire system.

Quick quotes

    Falter excels in its account of ecological collapse.

    While he sometimes references powerful actors, he mostly points to attitudes and beliefs.

    Failing to understand the systemic character of capitalism and its relation to climate change also leads to the two technologies of change McKibben advocates: the entrepreneurial potential of solar power to remake capitalism’s energy system, and the politics of nonviolent protest, not as a way to take power from rulers but as a way to change their minds.

Appears in Lists