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3.95 AVERAGE
3.95 AVERAGE
The essays in this book were short enough to keep my attention and keep me reading. There was some interesting ideas in the first half of this book about climate change and human response that I appreciated reading. An essay connecting making changes to save the Earth and drug addiction was particularly interesting. I also liked how clearly the essays showed that climate change is intertwined with all human issues and not its own separate issue. The second half of the book was not as great for me. It was meant to read as advice or a “how-to” for taking place in the rebellion and I found some of the advice slightly dramatic and impractical, while other bits were interesting and thought provoking.
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
A stirring collection of short essays on the climate emergency and on the action that Extinction Rebellion seeks to carry out and encourage others in. I likely could relate the most to Susie Orbach’s contribution on “Climate Sorrow,” because I find the enormity of the predicament we have put ourselves in so overwhelming. I also found the short chapter on “A New Economics” interesting.
I don’t know if gluing themselves to buildings will have the desired effect, and I’m not sure I’m ready to get out my own bottle of superglue and set of locks, but good on them. They’re also reasonably encouraging about people being supportive in ways short of superglue and arrests. I liked the comparisons the authors made to other years in which dramatic changes occurred quickly in the world (eg 1989) and to other times when society had mobilized quickly and collectively (eg WW2), which does leave you with the sense that - if the will is there - the necessary action is feasible.
I don’t know if gluing themselves to buildings will have the desired effect, and I’m not sure I’m ready to get out my own bottle of superglue and set of locks, but good on them. They’re also reasonably encouraging about people being supportive in ways short of superglue and arrests. I liked the comparisons the authors made to other years in which dramatic changes occurred quickly in the world (eg 1989) and to other times when society had mobilized quickly and collectively (eg WW2), which does leave you with the sense that - if the will is there - the necessary action is feasible.
This is an excellent book, concisely and accurately written to cover most of the key ideas around climate change and how we could avoid it. It consists of many different short articles by different people, which are quick to read and vary in subject enough to keep the book fresh and interesting at every turn. I also love the way these articles are compartmentalised into the "tell the truth" section (first part of the extinction rebellion slogan), which basically explains why the climate is a problem, and the "act now" section (part two of slogan), which outlines how we must change. I really appreciate the fact that this is not just a book of emotions and inspirational speeches with vague messaging of unity and equality and sustainability; it actually tells you exactly how the world would work in a way that saves us from catastrophic ruin. For me personally, the articles about our economies and the "economic growth fetish" we have come to have were particularly enlightening and useful. I also love the way that socioeconomic injustice is addressed, as environmental messages often have a bit of a consumer-blaming tinge to them, whereas in this book it was made very clear that it is only a part of the world population that is really contributing to the climate crisis, and ridiculously it tends to be the poorest and most sustainable parts of the world that first experience extreme damage from climate change! Also, it is made very clear that climate justice is inextricably linked to social and economic justice and a completely new way of politics; even the word "sustainable" is misleading because it implies that we should hope to continue our current way of life in some sense. Highly, highly recommend this book.
Everyone needs to be educated on climate change and if you’re not worried about it then you’re not educated enough! This book lays out the facts from IPCC (intergovernmental panel on climate change), stories from people living in the global south where the effects of climate change are already hitting communities with drought and heatwaves or flooding and extreme rainfall both of which can destroy crops leaving a village hungry or without water until it is delivered to them. This book also has statements from founders of XR, XR arrestees and British MPs who acknowledge the ecological and climate crisis we are in. This book gives voices to those fighting for their lives against climate change from a family in the Indian Himalayas to the president of the Maldives where climate change is a national security threat.
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
I think it must be a unique position that I agree with the goals of the movement and think they are justified in disruptive protest yet I find the book completely odious.
The book reads like someone soaked up too much Aaron Sorkin but does not have the talent to replicate it. Most of the chapters are rambling mix of words salad and vague references to every anti establishment movement going.
There is value to stating some things are right and wrong, but the book is replete with truisms that wouldn't do a lot to get anyone onboard that was not already onboard.
If the purpose of the book is to make a case for taking climate change seriously, it barely does that. If you have the surrounding context for climate change, then you'll probably already agree and the book won't do much for you.
So who is the book for?
I dont think it is for sceptics, deniers, or opponents. Nothing wrong with that
Maybe it is to broaden the tent? No. I think it would struggle to bring on anyone who doesn't already agree or who is the type already.
The book reads like a self congratulatory novella where activists are LARPing as a revolutionary force. It could have been a compelling series of essays but it feels more like a series of authors clapping themselves on the back for the beliefs they hold.
I would be happy for pretty strong government action around the climate and am there for the book to convince me of this, so this is part of why the book is so disappointing. Let's hope the main activists involved eventually get drowned out by a broader tent.
God knows if you put the authors of this book in charge, one of three things would happen.
1. Completely inept government that is turfed out after expensive and inefficient mistakes; climate crisis is not solved.
2. Inept government that just ushers in an authoritarian bloc that uses climate as a pretext for tyranny; climate crisis is not solved.
3. Realising they are inept, calls of "well we could fix things if only we had more power" and we see a rise in eco-socialist/eco-fascist groups for whom the ends justify whatever means they can think of; climate crisis is not solved.
The book reads like someone soaked up too much Aaron Sorkin but does not have the talent to replicate it. Most of the chapters are rambling mix of words salad and vague references to every anti establishment movement going.
There is value to stating some things are right and wrong, but the book is replete with truisms that wouldn't do a lot to get anyone onboard that was not already onboard.
If the purpose of the book is to make a case for taking climate change seriously, it barely does that. If you have the surrounding context for climate change, then you'll probably already agree and the book won't do much for you.
So who is the book for?
I dont think it is for sceptics, deniers, or opponents. Nothing wrong with that
Maybe it is to broaden the tent? No. I think it would struggle to bring on anyone who doesn't already agree or who is the type already.
The book reads like a self congratulatory novella where activists are LARPing as a revolutionary force. It could have been a compelling series of essays but it feels more like a series of authors clapping themselves on the back for the beliefs they hold.
I would be happy for pretty strong government action around the climate and am there for the book to convince me of this, so this is part of why the book is so disappointing. Let's hope the main activists involved eventually get drowned out by a broader tent.
God knows if you put the authors of this book in charge, one of three things would happen.
1. Completely inept government that is turfed out after expensive and inefficient mistakes; climate crisis is not solved.
2. Inept government that just ushers in an authoritarian bloc that uses climate as a pretext for tyranny; climate crisis is not solved.
3. Realising they are inept, calls of "well we could fix things if only we had more power" and we see a rise in eco-socialist/eco-fascist groups for whom the ends justify whatever means they can think of; climate crisis is not solved.
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
I thought the book was very powerful in it's first chapter "Tell the Truth", it was really "in your face" and sharp. The second chapter not so much, it talks mostly about what can we do to bring awareness to the impending climate crisis and rebel against the current system. Nothing wrong with it, but being someone from a "third world" country, the type of actions they suggest seem more like gardening than actual activism. I see value in the tactics described although I think it's important to take them with a grain of salt, never forgetting the point of view you're reading it from.
challenging
informative
fast-paced