Lesson #4: Turning the cycle.
Klein draws direct lines between fossil fuels, climate change and war. “When oil prices go down, instability increases in oil-dependent countries such as Venezuela and Russia,” she writes. “Conversely, when conflict breaks out in countries with considerable oil assets – whether Nigeria or Kuwait – the price of oil shoots up as markets anticipate a contraction in supply.”
Needless to say, climate chaos, whether it be in the form of natural disasters, heat waves, drought or rising sea levels, also contributes to instability. “In a very real sense, preventing war and averting climate chaos are one and the same fight,” Klein concludes. The change agent is our relationship with fossil fuels.