If you don't already see how climate change is an emergency and causing an existential crisis, literally threatening human life as we know it and thus requiring substantial and immediate action from every possible direction, this book is for you.
If you're already aware and over the age of 30, this book can still open your eyes to the extent of the danger and the negligence of world leaders over the course of your lifetime. For example, in essay 4.22 "The Myth of Recycling", Nina Schrank describes how Coca-Cola was part of a lobbying group that re-framed the problems posed by single-use plastics as a personal rather than corporate or government responsibility, making recycling "the greatest example of greenwashing on the planet" (p. 296); though in principle recycling is good for the environment, this lobby used the idea of recycling to justify corporations maintaining the status quo of using plastic instead of committing to more sustainable packaging practices. Perhaps understanding what opportunities have already been lost will enrage you and fuel you to redouble your efforts in climate activism, as it did for me.
If you're already in a state of panic about the looming climate catastrophe, and particularly if you're a young person who has known no other world, reading the first half of this book might send you into a spiral of despair. As the book progresses, though, essays do become more hopeful, and you begin to see some encouraging pieces, such as essay 3.9 "Life at 1.1°C" by Saleemul Huq about successful climate leadership in some communities from which we can all learn. There are also some practical pieces, like essay 4.19 "The Cost of Consumerism" by Annie Lowrey about how it's worth it for us to individually curb our materialism and consumerism because even though "it will take governmental and corporate action to help heal the planet" (p. 281), "household action is a crucial predicate for broader action." (p. 283) Essay 5.3 "Towards 1.5°C Lifestyles" by Kate Raworth goes even further, offering concrete suggestions on what a "1.5°C lifestyle" would look like, both publicly and privately, to put us on a better track to stay within 1.5°C of global heating. Overall, the book starts by laying out the alarming facts and daunting reality of climate change and ends with solutions, ultimately leaving us with a sense of purpose that's found in Indigenous philosophy, "dreaming of a time when we are propelled not by fear of what is coming towards us, fearsome as it is, but by love for a beautiful vision of a world whole and healed." (p. 420) We are invited to imagine that we "can live in such a way that the Earth will be grateful for us." (p. 420)
Okay, I'm getting ahead of myself. First, a couple notes on the physical book, which I found disappointing but did not factor into my rating. There are many graphs, charts, maps - all kinds of fantastic infographics - but they are all printed in black-and-white, some with shades of grey that are hard to distinguish. Interspersed among the essays, there are powerful photos from around the world, also printed in black-and-white. A full-color printing would have been much more expensive, but I really think all the images would have been vastly more effective in color. (Does a full color edition of this book exist?) Also, I'm sure my aging eyesight was a factor, but the parts written by Greta Thunberg were black text printed on gray paper, a combination I found difficult to read in anything less than full light.
Now, the content. Being fully aware of the extent of the climate emergency and eager to have a sense of agency, I followed a tip from another reviewer and started by reading the very last section first, essay 5.22 "Hope is something you have to earn", and also the "What Next?" piece about what can and must be done. Thus armed with a modicum of hope, I went back and started the book from the beginning. For a stronger buttress of hope, you could read all of part 5 "What We Must Do Now" first.
Most essays are just a few pages, very accessible, written succinctly while still being chock full of straightforward facts, data, and revelations. The content is essentially a mile wide and an inch deep. Individually and together, they explain climate science, describe the changing climate's effect on human life and other species, and explore the history and current state of climate action and inaction. Though each essay is written by a different expert, the information is carefully scaffolded; one article may introduce a concept and define specific terminology, which is then used in a later piece that explains a part of that issue in greater detail. As a science-based book, it's clear words are chosen carefully; instead of simply saying "climate change", which has been twisted by some to mean "naturally occurring climate change", many authors purposely refer to "anthropogenic climate change" to make clear that the climate is being changed by human activity.
This book covers a huge range of topics just enough to illustrate how the climate crisis isn't just one thing, but many, many interconnected issues. CO2 emissions are a big piece of the puzzle, but other pieces include methane emissions, aerosol emissions, microplastic pollutants, and deforestation. And the consequences of global warming isn't just about warmer temperatures, it's also about altered atmospheric circulation, extreme weather events, ocean acidification, and changing ocean currents, and all of that leading to wildfires, poor air quality, possible extinction of insects and animals that would cause dysfunction in our ecosystems, food and water shortages, increased spread of diseases, increased likelihood of human conflicts and violence, and globally destabilizing climate migration. And that's just a sampling of topics covered. In short, climate change is "deteriorating the conditions for life on our planet." (p. 115)
Many of the essays follow a similar pattern: information is presented, the magnitude and gravity of the situation are made clear, and then we're given a final remaining shred of hope in the concluding paragraph(s). We are not doomed, our planet and species can still survive, if only we commit ourselves to making the necessary changes. Of course, that is a collective "we", though the bulk of the responsibility lies with the richest 10% who cause 50% of the world's CO2 emissions. (p. 132) The countries of the Global North are "most responsible for this crisis" (p. 154) while the most affected people in the most affected areas "are overwhelmingly poor people of colour, even in rich countries." (p. 159) This means "wealthy nations must eliminate their use of fossil fuels by around 2030 for a likely chance of [not exceeding] 1.5°C" of global average temperature rise (p. 206), and, in doing so, "make space for the poorest 50 per cent of people in the world to realize their essential consumption needs." (p. 331) In replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy, governments must, at the same time, "protect and help those who are collateral damage in the energy transition." (p. 227)
The climate crisis is, at its core, a worldwide equity issue. Heat-related health issues are more likely to affect vulnerable populations such as "the elderly, pregnant women, children and people with chronic conditions" (p. 138), and vector-borne diseases (such as malaria and dengue, whose prevalence depends in part on the climate) "are disproportionately linked to poverty." (p. 143) "The fact that 3 billion people use less energy, on an annual per capita basis, than a standard American refrigerator gives you an idea of how far away from global equity and climate justice we currently are. " (p. 154) As Nicki Becker writes in essay 5.17 "What Does Equity Mean to You?", "Climate justice is not only about preventing climate catastrophe, it is about building a world that is just and equal. We do not want to 'conserve' the world as it is now but to create a fairer one." (p. 396)
So why are we still not treating the climate as the emergency that it is? Thunberg writes, "We have solid unequivocal scientific evidence of the need for change. The problem is, all that evidence puts the current best available science on a collision course with our current economic system." (p. 21) She quotes a WHO executive director who said that "economic growth... [is] becoming a malignancy... driving unsustainable practices." (p. 133) "The key is to scale down less necessary forms of production and organize the economy around human well-being rather than capital accumulation. This is known as degrowth." (p. 312) We need to immediately prioritize people over profits and implement climate-saving solutions even when there is no money to be made, with one author urging that "climate change must be averted at any price because its ultimate cost can be neither imagined nor calculated." (p. 193) We need to be implementing solutions like "rapidly expanding public transport, developing a massive programme of electrification, changing town planning, rolling out e-bikes in cities" (p. 209), regardless of any lack of financial gain.
So how do we make these changes happen? According to Thunberg, "the most effective way for us to get out of this mess is to educate ourselves and others... [T]he moment we do go into full crisis mode we will consider every possible individual detail... [W]e as individuals should use our voices, and whatever platforms we have, to become activists and communicate the urgency of the situation to those around us... and hold the people in power accountable for their actions, and their inactions." (p. 326-327) Thunberg's writing is direct and unapologetic, and she doesn't mince words. To media and TV producers who have the power to inform and shape public perceptions, she says straight up, "unless the reason you became whatever you are today was to silently support the destruction of the living planet, then I suggest you start doing your job." (p. 435)
I appreciate that this book makes clear that yes, our individual lifestyle choices do matter. In essay 5.2 "Individual Action, Social Transformation", Stuart Capstick and Lorraine Whitmarsh write: "There is a troubling mismatch between the enormity of climate change and the smallness of the response asked of individuals... If this is a disheartening viewpoint, the good news is that it also represents a false dichotomy. Focusing attention at the two extremes - the individual versus the systemic - overlooks the vast territory in between... One way in which our actions matter... is through providing cues and examples to others... Many studies have shown that the extent to which people make environmentally friendly choices is affected by their assessment of what others are doing... Personal action... has the ability to spark wider transformations of the contexts that underpin our everyday choices, including by influencing business activity and shifting the sense of what represents a normal or desirable way of life... [I]ndividual action... is the vital building block from which social transformation is made possible." (p. 328-330)
One final point I found enlightening. After graduating college, I had a career-oriented job for a while, then ultimately decided to stay home after having kids. When my kids were little, I spent an inordinate amount of time feeling guilty and conflicted for not having a "real job". In essay 5.16 "A Just Transition", Naomi Klein writes that "teaching and caring for kids doesn't burn a lot of carbon... In a just transition, we would recognize this labour as green and prioritize it because it makes our lives better." (p. 392) The principle is called "care work is climate work" and indeed, looking back, it is easy to see how the things I considered a financial wash (the savings I brought to the household were balanced out by not having an income) were also compatible with that "1.5°C lifestyle", e.g., I didn't have a daily commute and I didn't need to maintain a work wardrobe. Anyway, it's all good and fine for me to find peace with my decisions, but the point is, this overhaul to make our societies more sustainable is an opportunity to "invest in more care-sector jobs and... ensure that women's labour is fully recognized and appreciated in the next economy." (p. 392)
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