By Frank Schätzing
There are countless books out there summarizing the impacts of climate change on our planet, that explain causalities and suggest solutions to the daunting threats. The clock is ticking, but it is not too late – that is the message of most. However, despite the undeniable fact that extreme weather occurrences get more frequent, all of us are only slowly reacting and adapting, if at all.
For a small moment, I had the impression that things started to move. But then the Covid-19 pandemic hit, Russia invaded Ukraine, the world faced new, immediate threats and it feels like the world stopped paying attention again. As if we could just put a pause button on the rapidly occurring changes caused by the climate crisis. But the effects won’t disappear if we just ignore them for long enough. And some solutions to the climate crisis may also help to handle other threats better. For example, by lowering our dependency on fossil fuels, we are less vulnerable when faced with international crises.
While there are many books out there, such as the very few mentioned on my webpage already, Frank Schätzing takes a whole new angle: He makes us active characters in the thriller that many of our lives currently are, have been at some point, or will be in the future if we don’t decide to change anything. He takes us on a journey to show us, how we can meet the challenges that climate change is forcing on us if we start paying attention again. We CAN make this world a better place, but this means we all have to do our part. And we all can do something.
If you want to learn more about how humanity’s future could look in different scenarios, get insights into the interplay between different (political) actors and decision-makers, or the pathways and solutions toward a better future, this book is a good starting point. While evidence-based, it still makes you giggle every now and then. It is definitely not boring and offers a refreshing new angle from which many of the long-known facts about climate change and our role in it are presented.