The environmental emergency is the greatest threat we face. Preventing it will require an unprecedented political and social response. And yet, there is still hope. Academic, physicist, environmental expert and award-winning science communicator Paul Behrens presents a radical analysis of a civilisation on the brink of catastrophe. Setting out the pressing existential threats we face, he writes, in alternating chapters, of what the future could look like at its most pessimistic and hopeful. In lucid and clear-sighted prose, Behrens argues that structural problems need structural solutions, and examines critical areas in which political will is required, including women's education, food and energy security, biodiversity and economics.
Staff Choice: Ailish
If you are in any way interested in the climate crisis, you'll probably hear a lot of different opinions on whether we're all going to die. Some people are bright-hearted optimists, certain that human ingenuity will save us from ourselves; others have already admitted defeat. Most books take one of these positions, but what makes Behrens' book unique is that it takes both sides and explains the reasoning behind them. Alternating chapters between positive and negative outlooks on topics like food and energy, this book will make you in equal parts scared and hopeful- and given that the climate crisis will be what makes or breaks humanity, those seem like pretty appropriate emotions. I would highly recommend picking this book up- it's superbly written, nuanced, and really informative.
ALSO, this book makes you very good at arguing with people. So what's not to love?
Staff Choice: Tiemen
If you are interested in climate change in the slightest this is a book you should read. Behrens is a scientist working at the University of Leiden. In this book he explains all the challenges we face at the moment regarding our planet. All of those problems mostly created by ourselves, but because the environment is a complex system of feedback loops we might soon create a future that we can no longer adapt to or live in.
Alternating between chapters describing the worst-case scenario and the best-case scenario, it is the kind of science book that unflinchingly tells you how it is - but at the same time also shows us that if we make the necessary changes, we can still preserve the world for future generations.