The Value of a Whale - by Adrienne Buller (Paperback)

About the Book

This book shows that beyond the fossil fuel industry, it is the lesser-known but vastly more powerful world of asset managers and shadow banking which is inhibiting our ability to pursue climate and environmental justice. Those with the influence to effect global change increasingly see commodifying nature as the only way to do so.

Book Synopsis

This book shows that beyond the fossil fuel industry, it is the lesser-known but vastly more powerful world of asset managers and shadow banking which is inhibiting our ability to pursue climate and environmental justice. Those with the influence to effect global change increasingly see commodifying nature as the only way to do so.

From the Back Cover

Tracing the intricate connections between financial power, economic injustice and ecological crisis, Adrienne Buller examines the biases, myopic economism and market-centric thinking that undermine our ability to secure a future where all life can flourish. From the false allure of 'sustainable finance' to the creeping commodification of nature, Buller unravels the logic of a global response to environmental crisis based on creating new opportunities for profit, showing it to be at best a distraction, and at worst a fatal deception. Both honest and optimistic, The Value of a Whale asks us - in the face of an unprecedented crisis - what we really value.

Review Quotes

As featured in The Guardian and The New Statesman.
One of the Financial Times' 'best new books on climate and the environment'.
One of WIRED's Best Books of 2022.
Winner of the 2024 Eric Zencey Prize in Ecological Economics.
Longlisted for the 2023 Bread and Roses Award.

'Why do so many of the alleged solutions to climate crisis fail to deliver? In this tightly-argued, precise and deeply-researched book Adrienne Buller looks inside the heads of 'green' capitalists, exposing how non-solutions proliferate. Read this brilliant expose if you want to understand not only how some of the world's most powerful people think and act but also how their solutions differ from what is really needed to secure a safe and abundant future for everyone.'
Amelia Horgan, author of Lost in Work

'This is a witty, lucid and beautifully written critique of that contradiction-in-terms, 'green capitalism'. It explains why, despite the farcical diminuendo of climate denialism, so little has changed. Its searching inquiry into the puritanical reduction of all living matter to economic value, which underpins most government responses to ecological catastrophe, incisively debunks one of the most dangerous illusions going. This is the book we have long needed.'
Richard Seymour, author of The Twittering Machine

'A wonderfully readable attack on the worldview that argues for adding a dollar value to nature in order to save it. An accessible account of a new phase of capitalism that we all need to understand.'
Professor Simon Lewis, author of The Human Planet

'At last! A wonderfully refreshing antidote to the notion that market forces can solve the climate and nature crises, and the deadly assumption that every idea must be evaluated in terms of markets, finance, property or profit. Elegant, incisive and fierce, Buller systematically takes apart the false solutions that dominate mainstream analysis, from carbon offsets to the commodification of nature, and gives us the tools to challenge their dominance and to broaden our understanding of what's both possible and necessary.'
Caroline Lucas MP

'Buller offers essential context for understanding how economic dogmas and market-driven statecraft have warped our understanding of and responses to the climate crisis-or lack thereof. Crucially, she also presents a practical roadmap for course-correction. The Value of a Whale is an accessible and expertly curated guide to the increasingly slick, green face of capitalism in the 21st century. This book should be required reading for everyone from climate activists to policymakers and concerned citizens looking to salvage our collective prospects for a liveable future.'
Kate Aronoff, author of Overheated

'This is a book for anyone troubled by our lack of progress on the climate crisis, from young activists to hard-headed CEOs and investors that face losing control of companies as the climate breaks down. In her persuasive analysis of net zero policies that narrowly prioritise efficiency, market pricing and offsetting - and with unusual clarity and scrupulous integrity - Buller comes to unsettling conclusions. Read this before it is too late.'
Ann Pettifor, author of The Case for the Green New Deal

'The Value of a Whale is an urgent and honest intervention, casting a magnifying glass over the institutions, insider groupthink, and non-solutions distracting and deflecting from the radical ideas and compassion we need to secure a safe planetary future. For too long, our response to ecological crisis has been steered by mainstream economic thinking that is not fit for purpose, to the exclusion of other vital perspectives. As Buller compellingly argues, we are long overdue a reset.'
Farhana Yamin, Visiting Professor at UAK, Associate Fellow, Chatham House

'A sorely needed corre

About the Author

Adrienne Buller is a Senior Fellow at Common Wealth, a progressive think tank focused on building a democratic economy. Her research and writing have featured in The Guardian, The Financial Times, Bloomberg, and The New Statesman, among others. She is the co-author of Owning the Future (Verso, 2022).