The Future We Choose: Surviving the Climate Crisis

This last chapter presents 10 actions that the authors argue all people must do to combat climate change. They note that it’s time to make a decisive and intentional choice to move forward and do what’s necessary. This will require wholesale changes not only in mindset and environmental policy but also in terms of politics and economics. If the new system doesn’t work for everyone, the authors warn, reactionary voices spreading fear will work to sabotage the change. The European refugee crisis of 2015, during which Germany took in many Middle Eastern refugees, foreshadows what could happen. Far-right leaders capitalized on the migration to stoke fear and gain political power, weakening Angela Merkel’s centrist government.

The first action the authors recommend is “let[ting] go of the old world” (89). Change is hard because it involves entering a new life full of unknowns. People often cling to the past because it represents something familiar. What’s more, some people capitalize on this insecurity to foment tribalism and division. Change also can lead to blame, which the authors caution against. It does no good to blame others for the past, and it can come back to haunt us.