How We Sold Our Future: New MPIfG Book by Jens Beckert

December 2024 saw the publication by Polity of the English translation of Jens Beckert's highly acclaimed book Verkaufte Zukunft: Warum der Kampf gegen den Klimawandel zu scheitern droht (Suhrkamp 2024). In How We Sold Our Future: The Failure to Fight Climate Change, Beckert explores why humanity is unlikely to be able to avert climate catastrophe, despite everything that is known about the growing dangers. With the centuries-old power and incentive structures of capitalist modernity blocking fundamental measures to protect the climate, the focus remains on short-term profits, winning elections, and consumption, rather than on safeguarding the future. As global temperatures continue to rise and social conflicts increase, Beckert argues that any realistic climate policy must strengthen social resilience to cope with the consequences of climate change. The book makes a groundbreaking contribution to the climate debate from a social science perspective and is a powerful call to action.