Books by Stan Cox

How the World Breaks: Life in Catastrophe's Path, from the Caribbean to Siberia

by Stan Cox, Paul Cox

We've always lived on a dangerous planet, but its disasters aren't what they used to be. How the World Breaks gives us a breathtaking new view of crisis and recovery on the unstable landscapes of the Earth's hazard zones. Father and son authors Stan and Paul Cox take us to the explosive fire fronts of overheated Australia, the future lost city of Miami, the fights over whether and how to fortify New York City in the wake of Sandy, the Indonesian mud volcano triggered by natural gas drilling, and other communities that are reimagining their lives after quakes, superstorms, tornadoes, and landslides.

In the very decade when we should be rushing to heal the atmosphere and address the enormous inequalities of risk, a strange idea has taken hold of global disaster policy: resilience. Its proponents say that threatened communities must simply learn the art of resilience, adapt to risk, and thereby survive. This doctrine obscures the human hand in creating disasters and requires the planet's most beleaguered people to absorb the rush of floodwaters and the crush of landslides, freeing the world economy to go on undisturbed. The Coxes' great contribution is to pull the disaster debate out of the realm of theory and into the muck and ash of the world's broken places. There we learn that change is more than mere adaptation and life is more than mere survival. Ultimately, How the World Breaks reveals why―unless we address the social, ecological, and economic roots of disaster―millions more people every year will find themselves spiraling into misery. It is essential reading for our time.

Any Way You Slice It: The Past, Present, and Future of Rationing

by Stan Cox

.

The Green New Deal and Beyond Ending the Climate Emergency While We Still Can

by Noam Chomsky, Stan Cox

A clear and urgent call for the national, social, and individual changes required to prevent catastrophic climate change.

"An iconoclast of the best kind, Stan Cox has an all-too-rare commitment to following arguments wherever they lead, however politically dangerous that turns out to be."--Naomi Klein, author of On Fire: The (Burning) Case for the New Green Deal

"Moving to zero net carbon emissions, and fast, is the point of Stan Cox's important new study, The Green New Deal and Beyond. Cox advocates on behalf of the GND as one step of several we need to take to stabilize the planet."--Noam Chomsky, from the book's foreword

The prospect of a Green New Deal is providing millions of people with a sense of hope, but scientists warn there is little time left to take the actions needed. We are at a critical point, and while the Green New Deal will be a step in the right direction, we need to do more--right now--to avoid catastrophe. In The Green New Deal and Beyond, author and plant scientist Stan Cox explains why we must abolish the use of fossil fuels as soon as possible, and how it can be done. He addresses a host of glaring issues not mentioned in the GND and guides us through visionary, achievable ideas for working toward a solution to the deepening crisis. It's up to each of us, Cox writes, to play key roles in catalyzing the necessary transformation.

"A strictly science-based plan for effectively addressing the dire realities of climate change. . . . Convincing, painful, and a long shot--but better than the alternative."--Kirkus Reviews

"His is a warning well worth heeding."--Raj Patel, co-author of A History of the World in Seven Cheap Things: A Guide to Capitalism, Nature, and the Future of the Planet

"In The Green New Deal and Beyond, Stan Cox presents a smart, sane, and plausibly optimistic alternative to abandoning all hope."--David Owen, author of Volume Control: Hearing in a Deafening World

"The teachings of Indigenous Peoples are still here, and it's up to the present generation to muster the courage and resources to follow those instructions. Stan Cox reminds us of this historic dialogue and development of the Green New Deal, and helps us find the path back to those instructions."--Winona LaDuke (Anishinaabe), author of All Our Relations: Native Struggles for Land and Life and LaDuke Chronicles

"Stan Cox suggests remedies that should ignite lively discussion and intense debate, which is sorely needed. A must-read for those who care about our shared planetary future."--Mary Evelyn Tucker, Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, co-author, Journey of the Universe

"An invaluable contribution to what must become an unprecedented international revolution."--Will Potter, author of Green Is the New Red: An Insider's Account of a Social Movement Under Siege

"Cox argues that this is not idealism, but necessity. By 2030 or 2040, if our aims and policies turn out to have been insufficient, as he points out, it will have been too late."--Natalie Suzelis, Uneven Earth

"In this important and readable book, Stan Cox moves the Overton window away from false hope and toward a more realistic path for avoiding climate catastrophe."--Dr. Peter Kalmus, NASA climate scientist and author of Being the Change

Anthropause The Beauty of Degrowth

by Stan Cox

A rallying cry to save the Earth with an “anthropause”—a term that can apply to any broad rollback of economic activity that gives nature room to recover and flourish.

“An iconoclast of the best kind, Stan Cox has an all-too-rare commitment to following arguments wherever they lead, however politically dangerous that turns out to be.” —Naomi Klein

In the spring of 2020, people worldwide found themselves confined at home in response to pandemic lockdown orders. Global carbon emissions suddenly plunged 8.8 percent. Air and noise pollution levels plummeted, and streams, rivers, and lakes noticeably became cleaner. Animal life quickly filled spaces that humans had deserted. Scientists documenting how quickly nature flourished in response to less human activity called the phenomena an “anthropause.” For a moment, humanity witnessed the beauty of degrowth.

In a world obsessed with getting and having more—more influence, more money, more fame, more stuff—the idea of degrowth seems counterintuitive. Yet, as environmental catastrophe becomes more widespread and severe, degrowth emerges as a necessary collective intervention to protect the living Earth—and civilization as we know it—from collapse.

In Anthropause, Stan Cox writes that by embracing degrowth, we are not turning our backs on progress. Instead, we are redefining it. We can produce enough goods to satisfy everyone’s needs, Cox argues, while liberating ourselves from ecocidal economies and the injustices they impose. This book lays out a clear vision of what we will gain and how as we embrace this revolutionary transition. We are seeing climate change happening all around us—2024 was the hottest year on record. Storms are stronger, droughts are longer, and wildfires are everywhere. As we approach the tipping point toward irreversible climate catastrophe, it’s clear that we must accept that endless expansion is destructive and reverse it through degrowth. Anthropause shows us how we and the living world will flourish if we succeed.