Eaarth: A Review

Eaarth: Making  a Life on a Tough New Planet by Bil McKibben, is one of the scariest and one of the most inspirational books I have read in a while. This book is about climate change. The climate change that is already happening, and the climate change that is going to continue to happen. McKibben talks about how we have already surpassed the amount of atmospheric CO2 that our planet can safely handle (350ppm) and how that is continuing to rise. He demonstrates the changes that are happening, from droughts to hurricanes, storms to pest damage....and things are not going to get better, they are going to get worse. We are still spewing huge amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, and even if we did stop all emissions, right this instant, the planet would still continue to warm for many years to come.
McKibben addresses many of the problems that are going to arise in the not-so-far-away future: climate refugees, people starving, homes and land lost, diminishing water resources, floods and natural disasters. It's too late for us to fix things by installing a few solar panels and taking the bus once a week. The problems are way beyond that and will take a total revamping of our mentality and our society for the needed change to happen. The facts are simply depressing, and many times throughout the first half of this book I felt so terrible for my children because this is the future that I am passing along to them. They will be in the thick of it, and who knows what the future will hold for them. This is some seriously scary stuff. All so important to be reading, but really hard to come to terms with. When they say the truth hurts, I think this is what they meant.
Fortunately, halfway through the book, McKibben's writing takes a turn, and he starts to talk about what can be done. How we can (and will need to) change and shows some great optimism in how the human race can do this. There are going to be bumps and challenges, and life is going to be tough, be there is hope for a future. And the sooner we act, the better.
I was actually brought to tears at the end of this book when the author talks about the power of everyday people to make change. A few small steps can really push policy and the future into a new direction. But, this is about the people demanding change. The people being willing to curb our growth in exchange for the possibility of a less-bleak future. Cutting our emissions so that our children may enjoy some of the luxuries (like electricity and running water) that are so common in this day and age.
This book really made an impact on me, and despite how depressing the first half was, I feel like it is such an important topic. It's uncomfortable to read because it is the truth.. a truth that we do not want to face and a truth that we are mostly avoiding. I have decided to have my class next term read this book for the class literature review; I feel like it is a book that everyone should have to read, to remember and to act on.
Want to get involved? Check out www.350.org, Bill McKibben's global movement to solve the climate crisis. You can sign up for update, start an event in your city, and hear more about the truth.