Class & Climate: The Sustainability Class with Vijay Kolinjivadi and Aaron Vansintjan

Does the so-called green consumption of the “sustainability class” really work to help save us from climate catastrophe? Without challenging capitalism, can everyone afford the cost of living, reduce emissions, and achieve climate justice?

Aaron Vansintjan and Vijay Kolinjivadi are the authors of The Sustainability Class, published by The New Press. Their book is a sharp—and often funny—takedown of lifestyle environmentalism among the middle and upper-middle classes, which goes to absurd lengths to consume its way out of the climate crisis. But the authors don’t just critique—they point toward something better. They argue that the genuine concern motivating the sustainability class can be transformed into collective action, especially by working with unions and community groups to improve public health, affordability, and quality of life.

This is the fifth episode of Class & Climate: Perspectives on a Green Economy, a short series from the Perspectives Journal and the Green Economy Network mapping how climate action can deliver jobs and long-term affordability for workers—while debunking myths that these goals are a zero-sum trade-off with a clean environment. In this episode, Sebileau makes the case for connecting the cost of living crisis with sustainable transportation. 

Show notes and further reading:

• The Trouble With the Ultra-Rich’s Environmentalism
• How One of Montréal’s Poorest Neighborhoods Became Ripe for Green Gentrification
• End of the Line? Saudi Arabia ‘forced to scale back’ plans for desert megacity