An Update on Climate Change

The BLOGGER people are making such a mess of my posts that I've decided to experiment with a pdf version of this post. Just click!

https://u.pcloud.link/publink/show?code=XZVng30Z1xsqE4KBGR79cWwhlB4GlY9JRo6y

The first 2 books in the undernoted list came to my attention yesterday and made me realise that 5 years have elapsed since I offered my first ‘’RESOURCE’’ on climate change – so here’s an update

• The Arrogance of Humanism David Ehrenfeld (1978) An early critique of the belief 

in human omnipotence and the accompaning hubris

• Overshoot – the ecological basis of revolutionary change WR Catton (1980) 

an early and powerful attack on the damage we’re doing to the planet

• “The End of Nature – humanity, climate change and the natural world”; Bill McKibben 

(1989). McKibben was one of the early environmental writers – and this is his classic book

• Governing the Commons – the evolution of institutions for collective action 

Elinor Ostrom (1990). Ostrom earned the Nobel prize for her work

• “Slow Reckoning; the ecology of a divided planet”; Tom Athanasiou (1996) by an activist 

and writer. Still worth reading almost 30 years on for the breadth of its references“

• The Carbon War – global warming and the end of the oil era”; Jeremy Leggett (1999) 

from an entrepreneur and writer passionately committed to alternative energy

• “The revenge of Gaia – why the earth is fighting back – and how we can still save humanity”; 

James Lovelock (2006). One of our most famous scientists (just turned 100) who coined 
the Gaia concept

“Six Degrees – our future on a hotter planet”; Mark Lynas (2007) A detailed 

examination by an environmental journalist of what happens when the planet heats up

Blessed Unrest - how the largest social movement in history is restoring grace, 

justice and beauty to the world; Paul Hawken (2007); Beautifully-written history of 

the environmental movement, with particular emphasis on the contemporary aspects. 

Very detailed annex.

• “Storms of my Grandchildren – the truth about the coming climate catastrophe and 

our last chance to save humanity”; James Hansen (2009). A powerful story of how one scientist has tried to warn us

• Why we Disagree on Climate Change – understanding controversy, inaction and opportunity;

Mike Hulme (2009). An environmental scientist Professor takes a rare and deep look into our cultural disagreements – using anthropological insights

• Requiem for a species – why we resist the truth about climate change Clive Hamilton 

(2010) . 

• Living in Denial – climate change, emotions and everyday life” Kari Norgaard (2011) A researcher returns to her Norwegian roots to spend a year exploring what one town felt about climate change

• “Active Hope – how to face the mess we’re in without going crazy”; Joanne Macey and Chris Johnstone (2012) A philosopher and social psychologist team up to develop an important idea about hope (about which St Augustine did not say - "Hope has 2 beautiful daughters – anger about how things are – and courage to ensure they do not remain so)

• This Changes Everything – capitalism v the climate; Naomi Klein (2014). This book by 

the Canadian journalist is written for those who are already convinced about the need for urgent action.

• The Wizard and the prophet – science and the future of our planet; Charles Mann (2014) A detailed study by a journalist of two figures at opposite ends of the climate debate.

• “The Carbon Crunch; how we’re getting climate change wrong – and how to fix it”; 

Dieter Helm (2012). This by an economist – and the subtitle is the giveaway

• Drawdown – the most comprehensive plan ever proposed to reverse global warning; 

ed Paul Hawken (2017). The title may be a bit over the top but the scale of research undertaken for a superbly-designed book was impressive

• Come On! Capitalism, short-termism, population and the destruction of the planet; 

Club of Rome (2018). This is the definitive text for anyone who wants an up-to-date 
overview of the point we’ve reached. These are the people who first alerted us in 1972 
and were pilloried mercilessly by the corporate elites for their audacity. The report 
probably falls into the category of “not give up hope completely” and the technical options 
described in detail in the last part of the book do give the impression that things might still be fixed….But the politics suggests otherwise

• How to have impossible conversations; Peter Boghossian and James Lindsay (2019) a rather formulaistic book

• Change – why we need a radical turnaround; Graham Maxton (2019). Written to try 

to persuade the ordinary citizen of the need to take this issue more seriously – and therefore without the copious referencing of an academic book.

• The Uninhabitable Earth – life after warming; David Wallace-Wells (2019) 

This highly readable book from a journalist who has compressed his extensive reading into a series of short, very punchy chapters can be accessed by clicking the title.

• Extinction Rebellion and Climate Change Activism O Berblund and D Schmidt 2020 

An excellent short book which critically appraises the arguments used by the activists

• “Climate Change and the Nation State – the realist case” (2020) by geopolitical 

strategist Anatol Lieven 

• “Commanding Hope – the power we have to renew a world in peril” Thomas Homer-Dixon 

(2020) which is one of the very few books I’ve seen which takes the crisis as read - 
and chooses instead to use our own reluctance to change our habits as the key with 
which to explore the values and worldviews lying at the heart of the different sense of identity we all have. In the absence of a link to the book itself, I offer this video

• “Still Hopeful – lessons from a lifetime of activism”; Maude Barlow (2021) an admirable activist in issues such as water and globalisation offers some lessons from her work

• “Saving Us – a climate scientist’s case for hope and healing in a divided world”; Katharine Hayhoe (2021)

• Power – Limits and Prospects for Human Survival Richard Heinberg (2021) Heinberg 

has been writing about our overreliance on fossil fuels for a couple of decades - 
but I find his book a bit too glib - see the video

and this is a quite excellent little article on why we have chosen to ignore the climate crisis

• Earth for All Club of Rome 2022

• Five Insights for avoiding global collapse Gaya Herrington (2022) 

• Limits and Beyond – 50 years on, what did we learn and what’s next? ed U Bahri and 

E Pereira (Club of Rome 2022) A review of the lessons from the 1972 “Limits to Growth”