Greta Thunberg is the outspoken poster child for the environmental movement that’s found great support in the upcoming generation of young adults. Worldwide contributors and climate change activists came together to collaborate in her latest novel, The Climate Book . The book itself acts as a mural of what climate change looks like in the world today, as well as a prospective plan for adapting to these global changes.
Greta Thunberg- A Controversial New Player
Thunberg came into the media spotlight with her speech at the 2019 U.N. Climate Action Summit. Her powerful words ignited hope and hatred alike. Many climate change skeptics criticized Thunberg almost entirely on the basis of her youth. That she, as a teenage girl, would have the audacity to shame world leaders on their inaction rocked popular convention.
However, Greta has made great strides in elevating the climate change conversation, an indication that those who seek to bring her down have failed. She and her peers continue to inspire children, teens and young adults to be emboldened by the cause and act assuredly in the face of mass condescension. The alternative, as many with their lives ahead of them recognize, is mass extinction.
The Climate Crisis as a Fight Against Apathy
Less than a decade ago, it was popular to disregard and demonize activists like Greta. Yet now, as the 19 year old activist points out, the topic of climate change is the biggest story in the world. The effects of our rapidly heating planet are inescapable, and the consequences of ignorance and apathy have become even deadlier. Modern pop culture struggles to provide a productive take on climate change, one that embraces the facts of the matter without fueling the increasing despair about humanity’s future.
As acknowledgement of this reality becomes widespread, The Climate Book is a beacon in the dark to those shaken by the snowballing environmental crisis. The book is a collaboration of meteorologists, philosophers, climate scientists, economists, indigenous leaders, and other professionals in the field all sharing their expertise. Thunberg and her fellows speak candidly on the dire aspect of climate change while describing the path forward, the course of action supported by years of collective research. Greta speaks of her own experiences as an activist. She shares her eye-opening journey uncovering the extent of the climate crisis that world leaders have swept under the rug.
The design on the front of blue and red stripes, representing the steady rise in average temperatures over time, is indicative of the book’s tone. It’s an unabashed call to action for readers to take responsibility as the denizens and keepers of Earth. The power is in the hands of the individual to create their own hope, by taking action in a crisis that has affected and will continue to affect every aspect of human life.
Focusing on the Future
Thunberg is by no means alone. Youths around the world are now some of the strongest voices in the fight against climate change. The time has come to set pride and precedent aside for the sake of the future, and to take Greta’s message not as accusation, but as opportunity.
Greta’s other books, including No One is Too Small to Make a Difference and Our House is On Fire: Scenes of a Family and a Planet in Crisis strike a similar chord. Now is the time to dive into her previous works while we wait for The Climate Book’s release on February 14, 2023.
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