The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable

Ghosh begins by agreeing with Naomi Klein and others who have argued that capitalism is a primary cause of climate change. To this list of climate drivers, he also adds empire and imperialism. He argues that the continent of Asia is at the center of the climate crisis and that global responses to the crisis must center on Asian people and landscapes.

Ghosh argues that Asia’s centrality in the climate crisis is a result of pure numbers: The majority of those living under threat of climate-induced disasters reside in Asia. He offers specific examples of people under threat, such as the 250 million people living in the Bengal Delta, at risk of flooding and storm surges as sea levels rise. Ghosh notes that landmasses in these regions are subsiding as a result of human activities such as dam building and oil extraction, allowing water levels to rise even more dramatically. He shows that climate change on the Asian continent is also affecting reserves of fresh water: As glaciers in the Himalayas melt, for example, rivers are rising, causing floods, and access to fresh water is dwindling. Ghosh concludes that no strategy to combat the climate crisis will work unless it works first in Asia and is widely adopted by Asians.