Chris Sharpe

The title of this book promises so much more than its content, which comprises a series of straw man arguments and false claims, supported largely by references to blog posts and magazine articles, and occasionally a cherry-picked scientific paper. As a professional publicist and self-denominated 'environmentalist', Shellenberger seems to misunderstand much of the theory behind key scientific concepts, producing plenty of basic errors that should have been picked up by editors. Nevertheless, the presentation of his ideological views is slick and superficially persuasive, and he has a flare for the sort of click-bait-type controversial assertions that will generate social media comment and promote brand Shellenberger, not least the repeated strident claim that his ideas are being censored by 'main stream media'. It is no surprise then that he has found his vocation as a politico, running once again in the California gubernatorial elections—he certainly has a keen nose for media attention, the opportunist's gift for latching on to burning issues and the demagogue's vacuous promise that only he can fix the manifest failures of his opponents. Previously a propagandist for the Chávez regime, the author is a seasoned forger of counter-narratives, with a long history of attacking environmental scientists and those he deems "progressives". It is widely recognised that he did an excellent job in helping cut the despot Hugo Chávez years of slack that enabled him to successfully consolidate power and cause untold misery. But skilled as Shellenberger is as a propagandist and savvy social media influencer, his environmental knowledge is too weak to warrant sustained attention. For the intellectually curious, this narcissistic self-promotion will be a frustrating waste of time. For those who want to believe that evil liberal scientists control the world through a series of fiendish plots, here is their new Bible. Covid-deniers, anti-vaxxers, ecomodernists, QAnon disciples, climate change sceptics, Trumpistas, and those who stoke the culture wars and yearn for the pre-Enlightenment simplicities will find much in Shellenberger's personal and political manifesto to reinforce their beliefs.