The Climate Book, Day 2

Day 2, of The Climate Book posts: “To solve this problem, we need to understand it.” -Greta Thunberg

1.1 is an introduction by Thunberg on Part 1 of the book, which focuses on how climate works and the science.

Key excerpts:

1. We think our societies can be a little bit more or a little bit less sustainable. But in the long run you cannot be a little bit sustainable - either you are sustainable or you are unsustainable. It is like walking on thin ice - either it carries your weight, or it does not.

2. To solve this problem, we first need to understand it - and to understand the fact that the problem itself is by definition a series of interconnected problems. We need to lay out the facts and tell it like it is. Science is a tool, and we all need to learn how to use it.

3. The richest 1% of the world’s population are responsible for more than twice as much carbon pollution as the people that make up the poorest half of humanity.

4. To stay in line with our international climate targets we need to get our individual per capita emissions down to somewhere around 1 tonne of carbon dioxide per year… In the US the current figure is 17.1 tonnes. And the idea that countries like the US will be able to achieve such enormous reduction within a couple of decades without major systemic transformation is naive.

5. Rather than having one or two “communication experts” or individual scientists drawing all the conclusions for readers, the idea behind The Climate Book is that taken together, everyone’s knowledge in their respective areas of expertise will lead you to a point where you can start to connect the dots yourself.

Tomorrow, we begin to dig in!