Worlds End is a new 52-page graphic novel exploring climate change, capitalism, and the links between the two.
A recurring theme is tipping points – in the climate system and in societies. Both ecological and social changes can happen quickly. Despite the enormity of the challenges facing our generation, the authors’ message is optimistic, without being sugar-coated: ‘The future is uncertain, it’s also unwritten’.
For anyone who aspires to reject societal norms, here is a salutary reminder that we have all absorbed ideas as simple as ownership, mine and yours. We remain cogs in a machine even when we act as a spanner in the works: ‘Capitalism is simultaneously forced on us and created by us’.
There is an invitation to question apocalyptic and pre-human-nostalgic thinking among activist communities. The authors points out that a negative view of humans is also capitalist, because capitalism is ‘based on the premise that we will make selfish individualistic choices’.
Ultimately, this booklet’s message is not only that empires fall but that we all have the power to help form how the future looks and that by working together we can and do shape the world we live in – even when further challenges remain for tomorrow.
Because the information is given in pictures as much as text, you may feel drawn to study it several times. The publication is beautifully-produced and printed on heavyweight paper. It is free to download a PDF version from the Corporate Watch website. Nonetheless, it is well worth buying a paper copy. You will want to pass it on to friends and relatives. Worlds End is a succinct exploration of the thinking which underpins a myriad of campaigns.