A review by ks2_alwaysreading
The Future We Choose: Surviving the Climate Crisis by Christiana Figueres, Tom Rivett-Carnac

2.0

This book is really aimed for people who already believe in the science, and want to make a change. I had high hopes for this book, since the authors are quite famous in the climate change community--I mean, Christiana led the Paris COP! However, this book was really just a motivational tool. The two futures were just chapters in a book, and unrealistic chapters at that. The "bad" future is so doomsday-ish, and in my studies of climate change, I haven't even heard mention of some of these scenarios. That's not to say that it couldn't happen, but it seems a bit too ridiculous. And the "good" future, the one we want to/should choose, is too sunshine and daisies; they predict that the world bans gas-powered vehicles everywhere in only a few years from now (2020) is too ambitious. Also, the fact that electric trains and transportation track you everywhere so you don't have to wait in line to pay or carry a ticket is creepy. The authors also hope for a future in which no one really flies or travels--forget seeing the world and experiencing different cultures. "You might decide never to set foot on a plane again, if you do, we applaud and celebrate you" (pg 121-122). That's just sad. I get jet fuel is highly polluting, but to applaud never flying or traveling really is pathetic.