Climate Crisis and The Facts

These days it is hard to escape news of out of control forest fires, coral bleaching and the rapid rise of animal and insect extinction. We were feeling really climate confused: What exactly is the extinction rebellion? Why are plastic straws public enemy number one? What are the Friday climate protests are all about? At times all of this can at times feel pretty overwhelming.

To try and find out a bit more, we here at designist have been putting together a collection of books to help give context while also providing inspiration and practical steps to what we can do as individuals.

The first book in this collection is ‘No One is Too Small to Make a Difference’ by Greta Thunberg. If you recognise the name but can’t quite place it, Greta Thunberg is the Swedish schoolgirl who instigated the Friday climate strikes back in 2018. You may have heard some of her speeches where she has clearly, concisely and bluntly told politicians that climate change is a fact, not a belief, and that regardless of whether they like it or not or act or not, change is coming. This book, a small, slim volume with under 100 pages, continues in the same, matter of fact voice; making it a great first step into climate politics and activism.

If you are looking for some solid facts then we highly recommend ‘Climate Change: A Very Short Introduction’. What we love about this book is how it lays out a synopsis of some of the most relevant climate science to date in black and white. Using an assortment of graphs and visuals, we are shown how man-made activities have impacted the environment, the climate, water levels and global temperatures.

If you're feeling a bit depressed after these, Mary Robinson’s ‘Climate Justice’ is an inspiring and hopeful read. Full of personal stories by those directly affected by the first waves of climate change, this book shows us how important taking action as an individual is, and how action at an individual level can grow into a global idea to produce global change. As one of the women she speaks to says in the book, ‘If a million people did [one] small thing, it could change the world.’

It is Greta Thunburg’s actions that have inspired the international climate strike worldwide that has been declared for Friday the 20th of September 2019, where school children and adults alike will be calling out their governments to declare a climate emergency in their respective countries. If you are looking at joining, or instigating your own climate strike or social action, ‘This is Not a Drill’ is the ultimate handbook for how to do it.

Written by Extinction Rebellion, this direct, no-nonsense publication is divided in two: the first section begins with a collection of essays that give context to their manifesto, while the second section gives practical ideas on how to actively protest, with advice on how to do so. This includes chapters on banner making, physically blocking spaces, demonstrating in public and (not) getting arrested. This book is designed to shock, affect and spur you to action and its striking graphic design throughout helps to do just this.