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3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
Terrifying with great prose. I knew some of the problems that were likely to come with a warming climate, but I was not aware of the severity of some of the problems and I had not truly considered the issue of multiple catastrophes occurring simultaneously.
This book was the perfect nonfiction read for dystopian, speculative fiction and climate fiction readers. Covering a number of relevant natural and economical world topics The Unhabitable Earth was jam packed full of interesting yet terrifying facts.
However, I believe this book would of worked a million times better had it been a series of essays or half the size. I did find it to be quite 'info dumpy'.
I will definitely be purchasing when out in paperback, and will be armed and ready with my tabs because there were some really interesting facts throughout that I would love to remember.
However, I believe this book would of worked a million times better had it been a series of essays or half the size. I did find it to be quite 'info dumpy'.
I will definitely be purchasing when out in paperback, and will be armed and ready with my tabs because there were some really interesting facts throughout that I would love to remember.
not really sure how to review this book. five stars, we’re fucked. lots of great insights on the forecast of the future. everyone should read this. references Amitav Ghosh and William Vollmann’s books on climate change but is categorically different in that it simply presents facts about how fucked we will be. Not that it even seems appropriate to talk about weaknesses in a flimsy book but he often goes into fantastical asides about life on other planets which seem off topic, but maybe these are valuable as Silicon Valley seems enchanted by the fantasy of colonizing other planets when we cannot even maintain our own. Also seems mistitled, as “after warming” assumes a full stop, while the text never suggests a concrete end
Of the climate books I have read over the course of the past two years, this is probably the least novel and most prescient. It isn’t trying to have a new “take” on climate change - it’s just telling it as it is. Worth everyone’s time, and highly adaptable for a Netflix original series, although I would be truly horrified if a series was made and it simply added to the detritus of climate apathy.
Of the climate books I have read over the course of the past two years, this is probably the least novel and most prescient. It isn’t trying to have a new “take” on climate change - it’s just telling it as it is. Worth everyone’s time, and highly adaptable for a Netflix original series, although I would be truly horrified if a series was made and it simply added to the detritus of climate apathy.
...air pollution alone, each year-an annual Holocaust, pursued and prosecuted by what brand ob nihilism?
This book reminds with looming dread the inevitability of our predicament with global warming. Because the issue is so grand, and part of a slow, creeping process, we are prone to wave it off or postpone our adequate reaction and wait till it is way too late. And it is pretty late already. Like a sophomore student, used to power study a day or two before the finals. This student is the collective us, the free masons of planet Earth, propelling the destructive effects marked by the Industrial Revolution.
...we seem most comfortable adopting a learned posture of powerlessness...
One of the most startling —even unreal-sounding—facts is by far the Chinese contribution to inflating the problem:
China, which recently poured more concrete in three years than the United States used in the entire twentieth century.
Let that sink for a while.
The first half of the book is an excellent overview of the upcoming disastrous consequences of global warming. It goes far past what is shared in the mainstream media, but is still solidly grounded in science. The second half of the book is the author philosophically grappling with the facts presented in the first half and is much less interesting.
challenging
dark
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
This book took me almost a whole year to read because of how dense and depressing it is. It’s a great brutally honest depiction of how climate change will affect us in our lifetimes. Very important knowledge but it definitely won’t lift your spirits
I didn't ultimately find much new in the book but it's stark to have all the climate predictions drawn together in one place. It sometimes felt a little repetitive and that the structure/sections didn't exactly hang together naturally. Glad I read it though.
informative
slow-paced
A grim catalogue of all the ways climate change is already here and set to get much worse.
Uninhabitable Earth is an overview of the myriad of ways climate change will change the earth, almost always for the worse. It lists phenomenon after phenomenon, often acknowledging that much of this is almost here or unavoidable even in a best case scenario. I appreciated the serious tone, climate change is a serious, devastating crisis, but as someone who already has accepted climate change is serious, I didn’t get that much from this book. Doomsday after doomsday gets a little boring and little in the way of solutions are explored. It wasn’t a bad book, but perhaps I wasn’t quite the audience. I didn’t really enjoy this book. Recommended for those who are climate change agnostic and need a thorough exploration of climate changes consequences.
Uninhabitable Earth is an overview of the myriad of ways climate change will change the earth, almost always for the worse. It lists phenomenon after phenomenon, often acknowledging that much of this is almost here or unavoidable even in a best case scenario. I appreciated the serious tone, climate change is a serious, devastating crisis, but as someone who already has accepted climate change is serious, I didn’t get that much from this book. Doomsday after doomsday gets a little boring and little in the way of solutions are explored. It wasn’t a bad book, but perhaps I wasn’t quite the audience. I didn’t really enjoy this book. Recommended for those who are climate change agnostic and need a thorough exploration of climate changes consequences.