What we've been reading - The Uninhabitable Earth
If you’re a stat loving number cruncher interested in the cause and effect of humankind on climate change, then this well-researched tome may be just the ticket for you.
It works through 12 uncomfortable chapters outlining a brutal apocalyptic future, based on current scientific modelling of the effects of climate change. The societal collapse it outlines is largely brought about by the industrialisation of the west and the increasing industrialisation of the rest. There’s a long list of ailments brought about by a fossil fuel diet…hurricanes, floods, droughts, wildfires, then on to less obvious factors such as political instability, war and economic ruin....
To get the reader to stand up and think, the book follows a scary and repetitive mantra at first, along the lines of:
If we have a temperature rise of [insert low number here], the consequences will be [insert really high number here], which is the equivalent to [insert terrifying simile here] – greater than [insert recent catastrophic event here] by a magnitude of [insert another high number here].
At times I felt numbed by the numbers and powerless by the sheer magnitude of the challenges ahead. It’s not an easy read. That point is recognised by the author halfway through, when he thanks you for making it so far!
Pretty much every eventuality leads to a devastating future Earth. Post human? Potentially.
Yet despite this, we have a mainstream media that chooses to ignore it. Surely every news programme should include a climate feature or a positive success story in an effort to encourage more? We live in a world where even the wives of ex-footballers have agents and publicists, so surely a climate-focused reality show could be created if only to get some of the social media masses talking more about it!
The author also makes it abundantly clear that climate change isn’t something that will happen. It is already happening and much faster than we think. While the technological solutions that many are pinning their hopes on are progressing much slower.
Silicon Valley tech leaders have largely outsourced their thinking on solving the climate change issue to tech itself – hoping that the speed of development with machine-learning and AI will come up with a solution in time. As the author notes: “Winning slowly is the same as losing.” It’s quite a gamble.
I’m not sure if there’s a direct correlation, but during the days spent reading this book I found my sleep was detrimentally affected. Fortunately, it was interesting enough that it didn’t take long to finish. Despite feeling disconcerted, I think it achieves the author’s aim of avoiding the tag of being considered climate alarmism.
Ultimately, climate change is a choice. However for our descendants to stand a chance, we’ll need the concerted efforts and economic might of global corporations and governments to ‘get a move on’ if we are to stand a chance. The costs – in terms of human power and money - is huge. But we have the power and resources to do it. It’s all there for us.
As this book kindly reminds us, the cost of inaction doesn’t bear thinking of. The Uninhabitable Earth isn’t an easy read, but the message and the warnings contained within it are a must read for all humankind. So please, get a move on!