tromatojuice's review
5.0
Very educatinal and well written. An extensive and honest look at climate change. Absolutely horrifying.
nellyyreads's review
3.0
This is a detailed exposition of the very real problem that is global warming and environmental degradation, but I was left wanting at the end of the book. The main thesis is this - if planet earth heated up by another 2 degrees (and projections are that we might hit up to 6 by the end of this century), we might not survive because of the host of interconnected problems and consequences that arise from global warming. Every facet is explored - overheating, food scarcity, climate refugeeism, plagues/wildfires/heat deaths, unbreathable air, conflict and wars... you name it. Earth is heating up faster than we think it is, clean/alternative energies and decarbonisation are progressing much slower than they promise. Above all, individual efforts are, as we know, a drop in the ocean - we need collective, systemic change on a global scale to effect any improvement at all. I was hoping that the book expounded more on what collectively has been done, or what we can do better, or maybe that’s the point of the book, and I’m naive to think that we’ve made meaningful progress in this area. I wasn’t sure if it warranted only 3 stars - I had hoped for a more positive conclusion to the book and didn’t get it, but perhaps that was the ultimate message that the author wanted to leave me with.
vaiomo's review
3.0
Had to read this quickly for school in order to make a cover design! It was quite interesting actually and a good book!
andrewlh91's review
4.0
Clear, concise, informative. That said, reading its grim pages may drive you to walk into the ocean wearing a weighted vest
roll_n_read's review
5.0
Frightful. Kind of inspiring? David Wallace-Wells covers a lot of the research about the things I hadn't considered about climate change. Beyond the commonly talked of rising sea levels or hotter summers (or my first-world/privileged problem of no snow to ski on), there are many ways in which the earth will dramatically change including many more fires in many more cities, hurricanes, malaria in first-world countries, poorer air quality, fewer nutrients in our foods, and likely increased violence.
DWW talks frankly about how little time we have to make changes to even stop the worst case scenarios, let alone the limited warming that now seems to be inevitable. And he focuses us on policy. Individual choices (to not eat beef or fly on fewer planes or reduce energy usage) are commendable, but will not make enough impact at this stage. We need real policy changes from countries around the world.
DWW talks frankly about how little time we have to make changes to even stop the worst case scenarios, let alone the limited warming that now seems to be inevitable. And he focuses us on policy. Individual choices (to not eat beef or fly on fewer planes or reduce energy usage) are commendable, but will not make enough impact at this stage. We need real policy changes from countries around the world.
alexvincoh's review against another edition
5.0
“If you strip out the perception of progress from history, what is left?” That is the biggest question raised in what is certainly the most bleak yet most brutally honest climate change book I’ve read (and I’ve already read 8-9 before this one). The descriptions of the likely impacts are nothing new, though seeing them all summarized one after the other in the first section of the book is unnerving – it really drives home how inescapable the impacts are.
What really sets this book apart is the discussion of what it means for us as a society (and a species) to live in a world where future generations will most assuredly be worse off than people today. And barring unforeseen technological miracles to pull gigatons of carbon out of the atmosphere, there is no endpoint.
Climate change is not like a war that comes to an end, or a storm that passes by – it will never stop as long as the laws of physics mean that greenhouse gases will remain in the atmosphere. It will persist for centuries and millennia, and it will stress our species (and all other life) to its breaking point. So, no time like now to make a change.
What really sets this book apart is the discussion of what it means for us as a society (and a species) to live in a world where future generations will most assuredly be worse off than people today. And barring unforeseen technological miracles to pull gigatons of carbon out of the atmosphere, there is no endpoint.
Climate change is not like a war that comes to an end, or a storm that passes by – it will never stop as long as the laws of physics mean that greenhouse gases will remain in the atmosphere. It will persist for centuries and millennia, and it will stress our species (and all other life) to its breaking point. So, no time like now to make a change.
wanderjas's review against another edition
4.0
The Uninhabitable Earth is my first book on climate change. It's alarming and terrifying. The book consists of 2 main sections: 1) the impacts of climate change across different sectors and 2) how politics and economics play into climate change.
Global warming, heat death, wildfire, hunger, drought, unbreathable air, plagues and eventually, economic collapse. The book clearly dictates where we're now and where we're heading in the (very) near future.
We often turn a blind eye to the catastrophes in front of us and assume that climate change is still far away. Malaysia has been experiencing high rainfall and floods these past years. The countries in South Asia (India, Bangladesh, Pakistan & more) face severe floods and suffer disruptions in daily activities. Even now, UK citizens are protesting the rising cost of necessities due to climate change. It doesn't matter whether you're privileged or not, climate change eventually impacts all of us.
As politicians and conglomerates work together for their benefit, news portals do not emphasize environmental issues. Also, our education system does not provide new, real-time information and keeps referring back to the good, old facts.
Truthfully, the book is traumatizing and did not contribute any answers to combat climate change. However, I found it insightful and pushes readers to reflect on the current situation. Climate alarmism is not enough, but it's necessary as the first step towards combating climate change.
Rating: 4 stars
Global warming, heat death, wildfire, hunger, drought, unbreathable air, plagues and eventually, economic collapse. The book clearly dictates where we're now and where we're heading in the (very) near future.
We often turn a blind eye to the catastrophes in front of us and assume that climate change is still far away. Malaysia has been experiencing high rainfall and floods these past years. The countries in South Asia (India, Bangladesh, Pakistan & more) face severe floods and suffer disruptions in daily activities. Even now, UK citizens are protesting the rising cost of necessities due to climate change. It doesn't matter whether you're privileged or not, climate change eventually impacts all of us.
As politicians and conglomerates work together for their benefit, news portals do not emphasize environmental issues. Also, our education system does not provide new, real-time information and keeps referring back to the good, old facts.
Truthfully, the book is traumatizing and did not contribute any answers to combat climate change. However, I found it insightful and pushes readers to reflect on the current situation. Climate alarmism is not enough, but it's necessary as the first step towards combating climate change.
Rating: 4 stars
lisaotto's review
2.0
I had the hardest time getting through this and admittedly I skimmed the final chapters. If you’re at all paying attention then I think you’ll find that there’s nothing new here (although I suppose there’s something to be said for compiling the implications of climate change.) I found those initial chapters on the effects more readable then the analysis in the last which for whatever reason I found both to be nothing new and hard to parse.