Tag Archive for: climate change

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The Long Heat | Andreas Malm and Will Carton

 

 

In a blistering follow-up to their best-selling Overshoot: How the World Surrendered to Climate Breakdown, Andreas Malm and Wim Carton pull no punches. Business as usual, they show, has pushed the planet so deep into the danger zone that all the risks to life on Earth are now exponentially multiplying. And yet it is still easier to imagine the end of the world than the end of capitalism. The Long Heat: Politics for When it’s Too Late is a wake-up call to anyone seduced by the hope that the Wild West frontier of “climate management” in the form of carbon removal technologies that promise (but have not yet delivered) viable, scalable solutions to the emergency. Indeed, the final, last-ditch spectre of largely speculative, high-risk geoengineering serves only to distract from the primary unaddressed task of bringing fossil fuel industry to a halt and keeping oil, coal and gas in the ground. Short of a global revolution that forces a new paradigm, Malm and Carton suggest, nothing can stop the death spiral of late-stage capitalism. Which leaves the reader to either throw up their hands on defeat – or say “Bring it on.”

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Future on Fire: Capitalism and the Politics of Climate Change | David Camfield

 

Climate change is already affecting millions of people. Governments talk about taking action to limit global warming to 2°C above pre-industrial levels, but the greenhouse gas emissions allowed by their policies have the Earth on track to far exceed that by the end of the century—a truly disastrous path. Visionary plans abound for how to slash emissions and improve society at the same time, including various Green New Deals, but how can we make these urgently needed changes?

Future on Fire argues that a just transition from fossil fuels and other drivers of climate change will not be delivered by business people or politicians who support the status quo. Electing green left leaders will not be enough to overcome opposition from capitalists and state bureaucrats. Only the power of disruptive mass social movements has the potential to pressure governments to change, so supporters of climate justice should commit to building them. Confronting the question “What if warming above 2° becomes unavoidable?” and refusing to despair, David Camfield argues that even a ravaged planet is worth fighting for—and that ultimately the only solution to the ecological crisis created by capitalism is a transition to ecosocialism.

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Parable of the Sower | Octavia E. Butler

Parable of the Sower

 

America is a place of chaos, where violence rules and only the rich and powerful are safe. Lauren Olamina, a young woman with the extraordinary power to feel the pain of others as her own, records everything she sees of this broken world in her journal. Then, one terrible night, everything alters beyond recognition, and Lauren must make her voice heard for the sake of those she loves. Soon, her vision becomes reality and her dreams of a better way to live gain the power to change humanity forever. This seminal cli-fi novel addresses climate change, social injustice, and corporate greed in a world that has, in the years since its publication, moved beyond fiction to reality.

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LOSING EARTH: The Decade We Could Have Stopped Climate Change | NATHANIEL RICH

Losing Earth Book Cover

 

“Nearly everything we understand about global warming was understood in 1979,” writes novelist Nathaniel Rich. His masterful analysis of how the oil industry has known for decades about the existential danger created by its core product, and actively buried its findings, makes for sombre but necessary reading. Based on an article the novelist wrote for the New York Times, it lays bare the hypocrisy of industry-funded scientists and the opportunism of a political system which puts profit before human life.  



Ice Rivers | Jemma Wadham

Ice River Book Cover

 

The story of one woman’s passion for glaciers. High up in the Alps, Andes and Himalaya, the glaciers are retreating. In Antarctica, thinning ice sheets are releasing meltwater into sensitive food webs, perhaps unlocking huge quantities of methane stored beneath them. The potential consequences for humanity are catastrophic.

Professor Jemma Wadham, one of the world’s leading glaciologists, guides us around the globe and the importance of ice to ecosystems and human life becomes clear. This is a memoir like no other: an eyewitness account from the frontline of the climate crisis and a love letter to glaciers.

‘Ice Rivers is a remarkable book. For those of us who have had the privilege of scrambling across glaciers around the world, this work will bring back sharp memories of their otherworldly beauty. For those who haven’t, this is the perfect introduction into a crucial and vanishing part of our planet. Jemma Wadham works to understand, to bear witness, and to protect – it’s hard to imagine a more fully human undertaking.’ – Bill McKibben, author of The End of Nature.



The Fish | Joanne Stubbs

 

‘There is a fish on the sand; I see it clearly. But it is not on its side, lying still. It is partly upright. It moves. I can see its gills, off the ground and wide open. It looks as though it’s standing up.’

A few decades into the twenty-first century, in their permanently flooded garden in Cornwall, Cathy and her wife Ephie give up on their vegetable patch and plant a paddy field instead. Thousands of miles away, expat Margaret is struggling to adjust to life in Kuala Lumpur, now a coastal city. In New Zealand, two teenagers marvel at the extreme storms hitting their island.

But they are not the only ones adapting to the changing climate. The starfish on Cathy’s kitchen window are just the start. As all manner of sea creatures begin to leave the oceans and invade the land, the new normal becomes increasingly hard to accept.

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Our Final Warning | Mark Lynas

Mark Lynas’ 2008 book Six Degrees soon became a must-read for anyone concerned about the speed and severity of global heating. In its 2020 incarnation, updated to reflect the most recent scientific research and projections, Lynas’ analysis of how the world will change with each degree of warming pulls no punches about what’s at stake. But in leaving space for optimism and hope, the evidence he sets out becomes a powerful call to action as well as a timely and terrifying warning.

Eco Rangers: Wildfire Rescue | Candice Lemon-Scott

Eco Rangers - Candice Lemon-Scott

Young readers who love mysteries and the environment will love the action-packed story of Ebony and Jay, best friends who love to rescue wildlife. After a devastating wildfire in the bushland, Ebony and Jay are doing their best to find and rescue injured animals. Readers will help Ebony and Jay search for clues and nurse a possum back to health.

 

Read our Librarian’s top climate choices for children here.

How to Bee | Bren MacDibble 

How to Bee - Bren MacDibble

Nine-year-old Peony wants to be a bee – but all the bees in Australia have died, and children like her have to pollinate the fruit trees with feather wands. It’s a great introduction to dystopian fiction for readers aged eight to twelve.

 

Read our Librarian’s top climate choices for children here.

The Lonely Polar Bear | Khoa Le

The Lonely Polar Bear - Khoa Le

A polar bear cub finds himself alone on an iceberg after a terrible storm. Without his mother, he befriends puffins, whales, and a mysterious little girl. Vietnamese artist Khoa Le has illustrated a beautiful and whimsical story that subtly introduces young readers to the impact of climate change.

 

Suitable for Children Age 6-12