“The best antidote to a feeling of despair is progress, and that’s what we are seeing now”
David Wallace-Wells is a Deputy Editor & climate change columnist with New York Magazine & the author of “The Uninhabitable Earth” a book which caused a tremendous stir around where our planet is heading due to climate change. We discuss overcoming complacency, why we should end fossil fuel subsidies, and the importance of progress and discussion to overcome despair. His sense of urgency and clarity of message is incredibly compelling!
Key Learnings
How the book has been received, and how it’s a reflection of how serious climate change is being viewed
Honing in on the impact the book and the response has had on David himself
The ripple effect from the UN Report on Climate Change using alarming and clear language and how his book has served as an accelerant
Being both a journalist and an activist
Reflecting on how we viewed climate change during the 1990s, how complacency reigned, and how complacency can be overcome
Data behind the horrifying trajectory of natural disasters including wildfires in California, the warming track we are on now, and the projected toll on human life
Why ending fossil fuel subisidies is David’s first step towards rapid change
Why we need to focus on large scale changes we can enact through new policies and the vital need for individuals to participate in driving political action around climate change
Resources for learning more and the importance of talking about climate change with one another!
Links
Twitter @dwallacewells
UN Report on Climate Change 10/2018 https://www.un.org/en/sections/issues-depth/climate-change/
New York Magazine article on California wildfires http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/05/los-angeles-fire-season-will-never-end.html
Carbon Brief: www.carbonbrief.org
350.org: www.350.org