In search of the lost global warming debate

The political fallout from Fukushima and the deepening financial crisis appear to have eclipsed concern about climate change, relegating greenhouse gas emissions to a dangerous back burner. Bucking the trend are two books just published in France that put carbon and climate issues back into the sun. One argues against our "carbocentric" age and its blinkered technocratic take on the depletion of natural resources at the expense of social equality, while the other likens fossil fuels to 'energy slaves', abused and depleted with disastrous future consequences. Jade Lindgaard reviews two conflicting, compelling and ultimately complimentary works.