Summary

It is Klein’s opinion that at the height of the economic collapse in 2009, when President Barack Obama was just newly elected, there was an opportunity to take climate action like never before. The $800 billion stimulus bill that Obama proposed could have made substantial progress in addressing climate change issues. But, Klein adds, President Obama allowed the banks and the car industry to remain basically intact. It was a missed opportunity to invest in low-carbon infrastructure. Klein feels that it was not due to the lack of power and resources on Obama’s part. He had been convinced by powerful ideology that the government should not dictate how the private sector runs their businesses. Klein notes that it is all part of the market fundamentalism that Thatcher warned the world couldn’t do without: the market - not a Democratic president...