Chapter 1 of Bill McKibben's Eaarth is a collection of statistics and anecdotes arguing that humanity's huge impact on our planet has gotten so bad that the negative effects are no longer a looming threat - they're already here.
At first I was suspicious of a lot of McKibben's claims. I've heard both sides of the story he's telling - some say that climate change will doom us if we don't take immediate action, while others argue that such thinking is overly dramatic and climate change statistics are skewed to look more daunting than they actually are. I fell in the latter camp, either because I actually think they're overreacting or because I don't want the terrifying facts about climate change to be true. Or a combination of both.
By the end of the chapter, McKibben had me pretty much convinced that this is a big problem that many people, like myself, are uncomfortable facing. He presents so much research and has much more experience than I do, so I trust him when he says the Earth is changing fast and is already hurting from mankind's carbon footprint. Eaarth is well-written and easy to read, but the content is scary and difficult to digest.
I do think that McKibben is a bit overdramatic at times. In particular, renaming Earth to Eaarth because it's a "different planet" now. I understand what point he's making with the gesture, but it just comes across as a bit heavy-handed to me.
Jacob, I will be curious to see how your thinking evolves! Do include images and links in your blog posts.
ReplyDeleteI see your point about how McKibben seems to be a bit over dramatic but I believe that it is a well thought out plan on his half. Without those statistics and statements made in his book, issues about climate change might be pushed off to the side. This sort of tactic of "scaring people straight" with information seems to get his point across and leave these thoughts in people's minds to ponder about. With that, hopefully change will start in a positive way.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the statistics and other dramatic statements are one of the only ways to get people really concerned with this topic. The environment is so important and many people have and will continue to ignore it unless they get a true wake up call. Personally, this book has already had a major influence on how I act and think. My new outlook on this subject is mostly due to the shocking statistics that really opened my eyes.
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