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3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
A terrifying book and a depressing way to start my 2020 reading year but a necessary book that should be on way more TBR shelves. I think where The Uninhabitable Earth is most successful is in the author's own admitted skepticism. At first, it annoyed me, but upon completion, I now understand that it's what makes the book so important.
I am a very happy, relaxed person who has never had to experience mental illness. But I will say that while reading this book, I thought about killing myself for the first time in my life.
That is not because I didn't read about climate change before but because only very recently scientists and non-fiction authors have dared to start talking about non-ideal scenarios. About horrible things we might still avoid, but might also not avoid. This book collects a lot of those scenarios and made me wonder whether there really was even a one percent chance that we were not gonna kill most of humanity over the next few hundred years. I have recovered a bit, but certainly not because of this book.
While the first part is extremely strong (with one exception that I will discuss below), the second part is more of an afterthought - it feels like I read it while still in shock because I remember hardly anything from it, except for a weird sense that Wallace-Wells was faking even the little bit of optimism he displayed there. He talks about climate storytelling, capitalism, tech solutions, the circle of history and "crazy" climate alarmists who are most likely wrong but alarmingly less crazy than most people in politics today. Again, nothing really makes in impression here after the detonation that was the first part.
I did consider abandoning this very impressive book on page 6 because of an outrageous, and outrageously stupid statement I will quote to you in full here: Wallace-Wells tries to portray himself as a non-enviornmentalist (and succeeds): "I'm not about to personally slaughter a cow to eat a hamburger, but I'm also not about to go vegan. I tend to think when you're at the top of the food chain it's okay to flaunt it, because I don't see anything complicated about drawing a moral boundary between us and other animals, and in fact find it offensive to women and people of color that all of a sudden there's talk of extending human-rights-like legal protection to chimps, apes and octopuses, just a generation or two after we finally broke the white-male monopoly on legal personhood."
Wow. So, so much wrong in so few words. Aside from the fact that Wallace-Wells has apparently never read even a single article from the field that is animal ethics, in which 99% of all serious scholars agree that what we are currently doing to animals is fundamentally wrong and needs to stop because animals suffer. No, he also believes himself to be at the top of the food chain even though he thinks he cannot even bring himself to slaughter a cow. He thinks that women and people of colour should be insulted at the thought that another group could share their newly acquired rights (no, David), with his logic also implying that apparently women should have felt insulted when POC became legal persons in their country (no, David, just no).
Most importantly, this person that has spent years collecting and reading research on climate change, has still not understood that everyone's personal lifestyle will have to change if we want to avoid catastrophic climate change. We are wasting so, so many calories of plant food feeding it to animals living in unspeakable conditions. Fighting climate change means no animal products in the West, no flights, no cars in cities. What's with the cognitive dissonance, David? Or are you waiting for a politician to ban meat for you?
I don't understand why his editor let him keep that paragraph in the book. It's a deterrant to anyone who's read just about anything in the animal ethics department or about the factory farming industry's impact on our climate.
Also, on a side note, this is not an easy read because the syntax is often confusing and convoluted. Super unhelpful for a book that's supposed to be read by the masses.
That is not because I didn't read about climate change before but because only very recently scientists and non-fiction authors have dared to start talking about non-ideal scenarios. About horrible things we might still avoid, but might also not avoid. This book collects a lot of those scenarios and made me wonder whether there really was even a one percent chance that we were not gonna kill most of humanity over the next few hundred years. I have recovered a bit, but certainly not because of this book.
While the first part is extremely strong (with one exception that I will discuss below), the second part is more of an afterthought - it feels like I read it while still in shock because I remember hardly anything from it, except for a weird sense that Wallace-Wells was faking even the little bit of optimism he displayed there. He talks about climate storytelling, capitalism, tech solutions, the circle of history and "crazy" climate alarmists who are most likely wrong but alarmingly less crazy than most people in politics today. Again, nothing really makes in impression here after the detonation that was the first part.
I did consider abandoning this very impressive book on page 6 because of an outrageous, and outrageously stupid statement I will quote to you in full here: Wallace-Wells tries to portray himself as a non-enviornmentalist (and succeeds): "I'm not about to personally slaughter a cow to eat a hamburger, but I'm also not about to go vegan. I tend to think when you're at the top of the food chain it's okay to flaunt it, because I don't see anything complicated about drawing a moral boundary between us and other animals, and in fact find it offensive to women and people of color that all of a sudden there's talk of extending human-rights-like legal protection to chimps, apes and octopuses, just a generation or two after we finally broke the white-male monopoly on legal personhood."
Wow. So, so much wrong in so few words. Aside from the fact that Wallace-Wells has apparently never read even a single article from the field that is animal ethics, in which 99% of all serious scholars agree that what we are currently doing to animals is fundamentally wrong and needs to stop because animals suffer. No, he also believes himself to be at the top of the food chain even though he thinks he cannot even bring himself to slaughter a cow. He thinks that women and people of colour should be insulted at the thought that another group could share their newly acquired rights (no, David), with his logic also implying that apparently women should have felt insulted when POC became legal persons in their country (no, David, just no).
Most importantly, this person that has spent years collecting and reading research on climate change, has still not understood that everyone's personal lifestyle will have to change if we want to avoid catastrophic climate change. We are wasting so, so many calories of plant food feeding it to animals living in unspeakable conditions. Fighting climate change means no animal products in the West, no flights, no cars in cities. What's with the cognitive dissonance, David? Or are you waiting for a politician to ban meat for you?
I don't understand why his editor let him keep that paragraph in the book. It's a deterrant to anyone who's read just about anything in the animal ethics department or about the factory farming industry's impact on our climate.
Also, on a side note, this is not an easy read because the syntax is often confusing and convoluted. Super unhelpful for a book that's supposed to be read by the masses.
dark
informative
reflective
tense
This is not a comfortable and easy book. It's scary, full of darkness and - unfortunately - realistic forecasts of things to come.
It should be read everywhere to raise concern and to make people take a stand.
I don't think a review is enough to describe how much this book affected me, it would take pages.
A very good book, it will make you think and may be act.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to Penguin Books and Netgalley for this ARC
It should be read everywhere to raise concern and to make people take a stand.
I don't think a review is enough to describe how much this book affected me, it would take pages.
A very good book, it will make you think and may be act.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to Penguin Books and Netgalley for this ARC
Plot:
This book is not about science, but the experiences everyone is going to face as the planet warms, creating unpredictable weather, higher and harder droughts, and seeing 500-year storms every year. When people think of climate change, they think of the sea level rising, a change in the climate, and often the worst conditions happening to those in the developing countries. What they do not think of is the 2018 California fires, 2017 Hurricane Harvey and 2017 Hurricane Maria, or in Cape Town in South Africa when the entire city did not have access to freshwater. David Wallace-Wells is not an environmentalist, nor are they a scientist, but as a reporter, they have noticed the trends in how the climate is changing, and after years of research publish their findings in this novel - allowing everyone to know how bad things are getting for the climate. With no solutions, but only the facts, Wallace-Wells will take you through the steps of climate change, of what is actually happening to the planet, what the economy, politicians, and technology are going to do about it, and where Wallace-Wells claim themselves to be optimistic, it is hard to keep your own faith as Wallace-Wells leads you down this dark depression path of the fire, droughts, storms, and deaths. Lots of unnecessary deaths.
Thoughts:
Honestly one of the best climate change books I have ever read. David Wallace-Wells did their research, as this novel takes you through the steps of climate change, from the start, 12 things climate change is going to affect, and then a kaleidoscope of topics going into capitalism, politics, technology and how that can either save us or kill us when it comes to the planet. If you are a denier, this book will make you believe beyond a doubt that climate change is real. With easier writing, you can kind of tell Wallace-Wells is not a scientist but a journalist, as his writing was catching but relies on others reports and papers rather than making their own assumptions. Which is fair, as there is so much research out there, that Wallace-Wells connecting the dots makes this book accessible for anyone and not just those in the science community. Divided into three parts, what makes this book exceptional is part two titled “Chaos” Here, Wallace-Wells dives into twelve topics that climate change will affect, giving readers the data and predictions on what is going to happen. Where often climate scientists say climate change is going to affect everything, or name a system like air, ocean, or weather, here Wallace-Wells give those a name of “Hunger”, “Economic Collapse” and “Freshwater Drain”, as each branch of chaos is described. Also given that Wallace-Wells is not a scientist, but someone who knows their stuff, this book does not give you creative solutions or make you feel like things are going to be okay. Wallace-Wells spits the facts that we are in trouble, there is no simple solution, and gets prepared for the chaos that is about to happen. This book is not for the fright of heart as Wallace-Wells does not hold any punches. Instead, this book is for those who need a wake-up call, or a fresh source of climate anxiety, as this novel is well-deserving of its title “this generation's Silent Spring”, and a high recommendation for those planning on living.
This book is not about science, but the experiences everyone is going to face as the planet warms, creating unpredictable weather, higher and harder droughts, and seeing 500-year storms every year. When people think of climate change, they think of the sea level rising, a change in the climate, and often the worst conditions happening to those in the developing countries. What they do not think of is the 2018 California fires, 2017 Hurricane Harvey and 2017 Hurricane Maria, or in Cape Town in South Africa when the entire city did not have access to freshwater. David Wallace-Wells is not an environmentalist, nor are they a scientist, but as a reporter, they have noticed the trends in how the climate is changing, and after years of research publish their findings in this novel - allowing everyone to know how bad things are getting for the climate. With no solutions, but only the facts, Wallace-Wells will take you through the steps of climate change, of what is actually happening to the planet, what the economy, politicians, and technology are going to do about it, and where Wallace-Wells claim themselves to be optimistic, it is hard to keep your own faith as Wallace-Wells leads you down this dark depression path of the fire, droughts, storms, and deaths. Lots of unnecessary deaths.
Thoughts:
Honestly one of the best climate change books I have ever read. David Wallace-Wells did their research, as this novel takes you through the steps of climate change, from the start, 12 things climate change is going to affect, and then a kaleidoscope of topics going into capitalism, politics, technology and how that can either save us or kill us when it comes to the planet. If you are a denier, this book will make you believe beyond a doubt that climate change is real. With easier writing, you can kind of tell Wallace-Wells is not a scientist but a journalist, as his writing was catching but relies on others reports and papers rather than making their own assumptions. Which is fair, as there is so much research out there, that Wallace-Wells connecting the dots makes this book accessible for anyone and not just those in the science community. Divided into three parts, what makes this book exceptional is part two titled “Chaos” Here, Wallace-Wells dives into twelve topics that climate change will affect, giving readers the data and predictions on what is going to happen. Where often climate scientists say climate change is going to affect everything, or name a system like air, ocean, or weather, here Wallace-Wells give those a name of “Hunger”, “Economic Collapse” and “Freshwater Drain”, as each branch of chaos is described. Also given that Wallace-Wells is not a scientist, but someone who knows their stuff, this book does not give you creative solutions or make you feel like things are going to be okay. Wallace-Wells spits the facts that we are in trouble, there is no simple solution, and gets prepared for the chaos that is about to happen. This book is not for the fright of heart as Wallace-Wells does not hold any punches. Instead, this book is for those who need a wake-up call, or a fresh source of climate anxiety, as this novel is well-deserving of its title “this generation's Silent Spring”, and a high recommendation for those planning on living.
I listened to this book today at work. And while it was a good audio, I wish I had read it so I could take notes and flag passages because I had lots of thought while listening.
First of all I don't really know what to rate it because I think a lot of people would learn a lot and do good by reading it. However I had some issues with it. So I guess 3.5 rounded up to a 4.
Ignoring all the little points I think my biggest issue is the mix of doom and gloom and optimism without any reason for the optimism except that environmental nihilism will only increase apathy and will not lead to a solution. He states pretty early on in the book that he brought a child into this world and there is no reason not to because we have no way of knowing if the future will be worse than today. But then says by the time she is 50 there will be over a billion climate refugees. And one chapter he says technology is the solution to stopping climate change but all current ideas are mere fantasy.
My other issue with this book is the way he frames individual choices. At one point he even says that trying to eat and live low impact is moral posturing and you are not making a impact. BUT this argument always confuses and infuriates me. He does bring up collective action multiple times, but what is collective action if not individual action multiplied. And if change does come through policies what will your life look like? You won't be eating your cheap government subsided burger that is highly unsustainable. Or using lots of disposable plastics. Why not change now?
First of all I don't really know what to rate it because I think a lot of people would learn a lot and do good by reading it. However I had some issues with it. So I guess 3.5 rounded up to a 4.
Ignoring all the little points I think my biggest issue is the mix of doom and gloom and optimism without any reason for the optimism except that environmental nihilism will only increase apathy and will not lead to a solution. He states pretty early on in the book that he brought a child into this world and there is no reason not to because we have no way of knowing if the future will be worse than today. But then says by the time she is 50 there will be over a billion climate refugees. And one chapter he says technology is the solution to stopping climate change but all current ideas are mere fantasy.
My other issue with this book is the way he frames individual choices. At one point he even says that trying to eat and live low impact is moral posturing and you are not making a impact. BUT this argument always confuses and infuriates me. He does bring up collective action multiple times, but what is collective action if not individual action multiplied. And if change does come through policies what will your life look like? You won't be eating your cheap government subsided burger that is highly unsustainable. Or using lots of disposable plastics. Why not change now?
challenging
informative
slow-paced
Reading this book made me so incredibly angry and scared. It provides the most comprehensive and brutally honest picture of what a world ravaged by global warming will be like.
I like the first half of the book much more. He separates his chapters by different phenomena and paints a picture of each separately. Because of this, the book does feel like it is repeating itself a bit, but i did like this structure.
The second half felt a bit weaker to me, although it covered cultural and political things which are more interesting to me. It felt throughout that he was being unnecessarily wordy to the point where i had to reread sentences because I didn’t not take in what he was saying. This was such an annoying and consistent problem that i would rate this book a 3 star if it otherwise didn’t evoke strong feelings. For a book that would function well as a baldfaced call to action, the purple prose in here will surely take away accessibility because i struggled to get through the writing and this was only 230 pages.
I would still recommend this book to everyone - especially as something to be read slowly alongside another book. The information in here isn’t something to be rushed through and shelved away. It should seriously change the way you look at the present.
I like the first half of the book much more. He separates his chapters by different phenomena and paints a picture of each separately. Because of this, the book does feel like it is repeating itself a bit, but i did like this structure.
The second half felt a bit weaker to me, although it covered cultural and political things which are more interesting to me. It felt throughout that he was being unnecessarily wordy to the point where i had to reread sentences because I didn’t not take in what he was saying. This was such an annoying and consistent problem that i would rate this book a 3 star if it otherwise didn’t evoke strong feelings. For a book that would function well as a baldfaced call to action, the purple prose in here will surely take away accessibility because i struggled to get through the writing and this was only 230 pages.
I would still recommend this book to everyone - especially as something to be read slowly alongside another book. The information in here isn’t something to be rushed through and shelved away. It should seriously change the way you look at the present.
This should be required reading for everybody currently living on Earth.
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced