Full transparency: it took me several months to read this book. Not because it was not good, but because it is a lot of information to digest and it also made me really frustrated at points. In this handbook on climate change, Thunberg includes writings from all different kinds of scientists, mathematicians, economists, and historians. The problems, how we got here, and what is happened are presented, alongside ways to get ourselves out of this. 

This book really considers how multifaceted contributions to climate change and the environment are. One of the biggest takeaways I had from the book is this: the people who have contributed the least to climate change are the ones being impacted the most. 

I really had to sit with that. People living in less developed areas of the world are significantly impacted by air pollution, rising temperatures, and rising sea levels because wealthier nations and the global West are living like there are no consequences. Indigenous peoples all over the world, whose ways of life rely so heavily on the land, are not able to sustain their culture because of those who have moved in and taken over the land. 

The way we live and how we are affecting the planet is such a societal and systemic issue. To make change, we have to reevaluate how we live as not just individual nations, but on a global scale. Ecosystems, nations, animals, and people all over the world are affected in very significant ways because we (with ‘we’ being those living in developed/wealthy nations) *have* to all drive cars, buy lots of clothes, generally over-consume, and have things delivered the next day. 

This book made me angry at how much politicians do not care about making changes that will slow climate change. It made me sad for the people being affected the most who will likely not be able to adapt quickly enough to our changing planet. And it made me frustrated that is is very hard for me to do anything as a singular person. 

I think everyone should educate themselves on what is really going on in regards to climate change. Even if it is not reading this book (which is kinda long), watch a documentary! Read some articles! Do some research!

I did listen to the audiobook, but will be getting a physical copy because I want to see the photos and graphs as well. And want to easily be able to reference back to this! 

Fun fact: the lines in the letters on the cover represent the temperature charts for the last several decades as the planet has warmed.