Max Wilbert's 3 favorite reads in 2023

We’re living in the 6th mass extinction of life on Earth, while key ecological systems like oceanic currents and weather patterns are being destabilized by climate change. What will happen as ecological collapse accelerates and as governments and corporations continue to fail in their responses?

Kim Stanley Robinson’s book explores a near-future scenario in which, as millions die in climate disasters, organized groups of “climate militants” begin assassinating fossil fuel company executives and sabotaging key industrial facilities. This catalyzes transformations in the entire global economy, shifting the course of the world.

While Robinson has more faith in the role of technology and finance than I do, this book is a fascinating thought experiment, especially in regard to the new, emerging revolutionary potential of climate refugees.

This book tackles the phenomenon of socially responsible corporations, ESG (Environmental and Social Governance), and business sustainability efforts.

Bakan argues that while corporate messaging has changed, global capitalism continues to be built on the destruction of the natural world, exploitation of workers, inequality, and pollution.  

This book explains why Hawaii is not a US state but rather an illegally seized foreign country occupied in violation of international law.

My friend Anne Keala Kelly has been an activist and filmmaker on the front lines of the Hawaiian sovereignty movement for many years, and her book provides a brilliant, engaging, and easily accessible overview of the history of Hawaii's invasion and annexation.