Billed as “the first hopeful book about climate change.” Holthaus, a meteorologist turned climate journalist, explores several major scenarios under which we could get to carbon-zero over the next three decades and save the planet. Along the way he also encourages another radical idea: that we relearn how to embrace the Earth and our relationship with it — and maybe our relationship with ourselves along the way.

Usually when I read books about climate change I get into a place of ecological grief and depression about what we've done to our planet and the future outlook. Holthaus' book did provide an element of this but his writing is incredibly well researched and he offers encouragement which mitigates some of that despair. Definitely one to recommend.

I shouldn't've slept on this ARC (thanks NetGalley for the book for an honest review): this is an inspirational and deep look at the future through the eyes of a meteorologist and his friends and his fantastic sources. Eric and I follow each other on Twitter! I asked his help for a project a year ago, and he's always nice. This book is a clear culmination of years of work and is one of the best introductory books for the climate crisis. This is an especially good read for those less informed about the crisis and the scale of it: Eric takes his time to explain the hyperobject horror while also explaining how our lives will have to change. This is the beginning of a conversation, not the end, but think about it especially for a holiday present, I'd say.

Reading this book right now was an interesting experience. This author is very optimistic - too optimistic in my opinion. To readers who already share his views, he's just preaching to the choir. He lays out how we can save our planet by mapping out what we need to change by 2050. Decade by decade, he tells us how the world will come together, how capitalism will be ended in favor of a more communal economy, how government leaders will spontaneously do the right thing. I do believe him that if the steps he describes do happen, then we can save our planet.

However, I get the sense from reading this, and especially from the more "woo-woo" sections at the end, that this author has had very little contact outside of a bubble that already shares his views. If I were to show this book to any conservative or republican they would be horrified. This book and it's plans do not take into account the real world. Reading this right now when we have people protesting masks, how can I take it seriously that people all over the world, and in the US especially, are going to do the right thing? I wish this author had really addressed that there are rural Americans who rely on coal and non-climate friendly jobs that will be hurt by this, and how he would fix that. Or just addressing that there would be opposing views at all.

Maybe I'm too skeptical, but I just don't think this author is being realistic.

A realistic picture of the state of the environment, plus optimistic speculation about how new technologies and models of governance could reverse some of the damage. Holthaus breaks the middle part of the book into three chronological sections, covering the decades between 2020 and 2050. Some of his proposals would be considered radical by current political norms. There is much to admire in this vision of the future. However, there are flaws in how it is delivered. The content feels repetitive and unstructured in places. The first part is an overlong introduction to the meat of the book. Chapters on the future involve yet more recent history and science before switching into speculative fiction. The combination of fact and fiction is unusual. Still, the ideas are well worth engaging with.

I’ve been following Eric Holthaus, a prominent voice on climate Twitter, for some time now and was excited to read something more than tweet length from him. I was pleased to find this book matches the at once visionary and deeply researched nature of the insights I have grown to expect from Holthaus. A must, must, must read for anyone shaping policy, and for anyone wondering what our options are.

Thanks so much to Netgalley and the publisher HarperOne (Harper Collins) for providing me with an early copy of this book in exchange for my honest review! The Future Earth is out June 30.

It felt a bit odd to be finishing this book at this present moment given everything that's happening (<i>i.e. covid-19, the murder of George Floyd and the events following</i>) as right now climate change seems to be the least of our worries; however, the hopefulness of this book also made this a phenomenal time to read this book and garner the optimism to imagine a more environmentally, economically, and socially just world for all.

In Future Earth, Eric Holthaus spends the first third of the book situating his readers with the state of things regarding the climate crisis, including discussion of the increasing levels of destruction caused by hurricanes due to changing weather patterns, the activism work by Greta Thurnberg and other young adults like her, the history of colonialism and exploitation that got us to this point, and what has already been lost due to warming. The second two-thirds of the book tracks, as the subtitle suggests, the next three decades (2020-2030, 2030-2040, and 2040-2050) imagining--with the help of various experts in a variety of fields, including law, climate science, and indigenous activism--the changes we need to make (as well as us, globally, making them) and what that will mean for the rising average global temperature.

In these visions, Holthaus implements the resurgence of train and ship travel (although at hyper-speeds); subsistence and regenerative agriculture that focuses as much on restoring the land as on growing the crop; laws criminalizing the burning of fossil fuels; a globalized, circular (or restorative) economy; and so many other ideas that would make most anyone excited about the possibilities and eager to get started on implementation. Although the book does sometimes feel slightly too optimistic, Holthaus continues to remind the reader of the strong possibilities of greed and violence taking over the wheel and sending us back towards impending doom. This helps to reinforce the importance of the work that needs to be done, as well as its urgency.

The last ten percent of the book includes resources for starting dialogues with your friends, families, or even strangers (<i>at one point in the resources section, Holthaus suggests potentially starting an environmentally-focused small business, wherein you could talk with your potential customers about climate change and its impacts</i>) about climate change, which I really appreciated and definitely want to use in the future.

All in all, I think this will be a great resource for many people and hopefully will be the push we need to finally take action in reimagining what our world could look like if we really cared for one another and our planet.

I was completed enthralled by this book. From the outset, the author's passion for this topic and his work is evident. His knowledge of climate science is encyclopedic. That said, he distills everything (and there's a lot!) using language very easily understood by the average layperson. Not once was I bored or mystified. I did think the first section was slightly dry but I was still able to get through it without a problem. Once the personal stories started, and then his vision for what happens next and in the near/far future in so many distinct parts of the world, I was sucked in hard. All the information presented was coherent and easy to follow. And I could not help but be excited about what is possible if humanity gets their act together and pulls in the direction of justice. I loved how he kept coming back to several geographical locations he had mentioned in the first part of the book, so we feel like we know them and are following their progress throughout this incredibly challenging process. I was especially taken in by the mention of Puerto Rico (actually, the very first line of the book mentions Puerto Rico). I lived in Puerto Rico for 25 years and still have close family living there. Everything he wrote about the island was true then and is true now. His depiction of the horrors of Hurricane Maria and its aftermath is spot on. I felt more and more hopeful about the island's future the further into the book I got.

All in all, this is an excellent book, and I will definitely recommend it to all my friends and online acquaintances.