No Option But Sabotage
Thomas Zeitzoff, Oxford University Press, £22.99

THIS book is an in-depth study of both the climate crisis and the radical environmental movements that have since developed. 

Thomas Zeitzoff interviewed more than 100 experts and activists from today and the past including Alice, climate justice and anti-capitalist organiser; Jack, long-time law enforcement officer; Kevin, union organiser; Earth First, a radical environmental advocacy movement; and Ross, a former prisoner.

Many had spent time behind bars for the action they had taken. For this book, in order to protect identities, the author has changed their names. That alone reveals the dark side of the US’s so-called democracy. People who have been brave enough to take radical action to draw attention to the continued destruction of our planet, got thrown in jail, served their sentence, have to remain invisible for fear of reactions.

Zietzoff is a professor at American University, the very country where, after the September 11 2001 attacks, any radical action was considered a domestic terror threat, and this included action against climate change. 

Blocking roads, shutting the entrances to banks that fund fossil fuel projects, tree sitting: are these really sabotage compared to the activities of an energy sector which accounts for about three-quarters of all global greenhouse gas emissions, who do not have to pay anything towards cleaning up the pollution they create, yet continue making record profits of roughly £140,000 per minute? Yes, per minute!

The US is the largest contributor to climate change in terms of historical, cumulative emissions and still ranks second (behind China).

Here in Britain we also continue to make a significant contribution. British climate activism has included school strikes sparked by Greta Thunberg, traffic and infrastructure blockades. For this, many British activists faced jail time for relatively minor acts of civil disobedience.

This book explores how governments work against citizens who put community before profit and are willing to demonstrate vociferously for their beliefs and convictions, something which has seen ever stricter law enforcement.

Sabotage means deliberate damage to prevent certain organisations from both proceeding and succeeding. The suffragettes had for years campaigned peacefully but were basically ignored, which drove them to violent acts on property and government infrastructure that attracted huge attention, and put over one thousand of them in prison between 1907 and 1914. But their militant campaign eventually succeeded in winning votes for women.

The title of this book, No Option But Sabotage is not a statement. It’s an open question that activists themselves discuss and consider. Consisting of nine chapters, discussion includes What Makes a Movement Radical (Chapter One), Repression and Operation Backfire (Chapter Five), Soup and Disruption (Chapter Eight), and To Rise Again (Chapter Nine).

In reality, so many people feel helpless, and any action is just a drop in the ocean. But every ocean is comprised of drops and if we all act together the effect of the drops will be felt. This book demonstrates how we must once again take to the streets in a way that strikes at those responsible for most of the climate devastation. Every action, no matter how big or small, is important. Sea. Land. Air. Give Earth a chance.

Zeitzoff explores previous actions alongside the perpetrators and the title of the book reveals the conclusion. If we want to save our planet, in today’s political and economic climate we have no option but sabotage.