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3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
Het slechte nieuws: het is onomkeerbaar, onze planeet wordt onleefbaar. Het goede nieuws: hoe lang dat duurt hebben we enigszins in eigen hand. Af en toe murw gebeukt met het enorme aantal manieren waarop we de lul zijn, maar mooier wordt het gewoon niet. Goede wake-up call.
I read this for the 2020 Booktube Prize quarterfinals. I’ll be able to rate it once the results for this round are announced.
I started this book before Nevada went on lockdown for COVID 19. The air quality in China improved while the country was laying low. Now it's getting bad again. It's too bad that those who have control over eliminating dirty energy aren't using this opportunity to do so.
This book has 5-star material, but a 1-star execution. As someone who is incredibly concerned about our planet and our future, I had such high hopes for this book, but I’ve been left frustrated and disappointed. I knew going into it that the topic wouldn’t make for an easy read, but the writing was so dry and repetitive that I had a hard time focusing. What could have been said in a couple sentences was instead stretched out into several pages – and then repeated using different words shortly after. I also knew that this would be a depressing read, but I found it excessively depressing because Wallace-Wells chose to present all the panic-inducing information without offering concrete solutions (he even goes so far as to say that personal changes are completely trivial, and while I agree that significant changes are needed in politics, I would argue that if enough individuals made the commitment to change their consumption patterns, the results would not be trivial at all). I also hated Wallace-Wells' tone, which often came across as condescending.
All of that said, there were pieces of information that I bookmarked/highlighted and found quite interesting, including information on weather changes, microplastics, the impact of climate change on mental health and suicide rates, and more. The information in this book is vitally important and necessary, and is scarier than any horror novel, but I wish it was presented differently. As it is, I (a self-proclaimed environmentalist) struggled to read it, and if that’s the case, I doubt it book would sway any climate change deniers. Admittedly, I haven’t read many books on climate change, having learned about it primarily through scholarly articles and online sources, but I’m sure that there are many other books about the topic that are well-articulated, thorough, and more worthy of your reading time.
All of that said, there were pieces of information that I bookmarked/highlighted and found quite interesting, including information on weather changes, microplastics, the impact of climate change on mental health and suicide rates, and more. The information in this book is vitally important and necessary, and is scarier than any horror novel, but I wish it was presented differently. As it is, I (a self-proclaimed environmentalist) struggled to read it, and if that’s the case, I doubt it book would sway any climate change deniers. Admittedly, I haven’t read many books on climate change, having learned about it primarily through scholarly articles and online sources, but I’m sure that there are many other books about the topic that are well-articulated, thorough, and more worthy of your reading time.
It took a hot minute to finish it but I finally did!
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
informative
slow-paced
Informative but unnecessarily verbose and difficult to read in longer sittings.
challenging
informative
slow-paced
A very rich and informative book about the range of consequences climate change will produce over the coming decades. It is a confronting read and makes clear the necessity for immediate action - thinking we can leave it up to the next generation to deal with climate change will simply be too late. If this book doesn't terrify you about what lies ahead and shakes people out their complacency about the tremendous, life-threatening challenge climate change poses, I don't know what will.
challenging
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
**For western readers who believe climate change only took off a few years ago.**
To the Global South,
Skip this nonsense.
Kindly,
The In-betweener.
To the Global South,
Skip this nonsense.
Kindly,
The In-betweener.