Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this title in exchange for an unbiased review.

3.75/5 stars

Nomad century was a super fascinating look at the future of the world based on all of the changes to the climate that have already happened and that are projected in the near future. I enjoyed the history of human migration over time-- it gave a great context to the role of immigration/migration in human history. This was a quick and easily-digestible book that's great for beginners in the topic of climate change. The speculation of what the future will look like and what areas of the world will be inhabitable were incredibly fascinating.

All of that being said, this book was simultaneously too long and too short. It didn't go into enough detail into some of the topics I think it should have (existing/future climate tech, the darker side of humanity re: why we won't actually save ourselves). At the same time, it went way into way too much repetitive detail about how optimistic we should be and how humanity will pull through and be successful.

I'm glad this book exists, but I think it's mostly a primer to other titles that go into more detail.

Thank you Celadon Books and Netgalley for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

Whew, this was a tough read. The opening chapter is enough to put someone on the edge of a panic attack (and I say this from experience).

Overall, I think this book presented an interesting viewpoint of our future due to climate change. I agree with the author's main points re: migration and borders. There was also a lot of research and data to expand on the arguments.

I will say that it did seem a bit repetitive at times, and certain points were discussed in, what I considered, too much detail. It was also difficult for me to view all of these suggestions through a reasonable lens, because I don't think the extreme political upheaval/change in the way countries have operated for centuries that's necessary to facilitate changes like the ones proposed is going to happen? That is a HUGE barrier to all of this, and I don't think it was really discussed enough in the book.

Overall, I think this is a good book to read for more information on the impacts of climate change and why migration is going to be necessary. But I think more emphasis was needed on the political aspects.

I'm not sure who this book is really for... The book is part explication of the dire consequences of a potential 4°C warming of global temperatures, part prediction of the ways human society will or may have to change due to migration, part suggestion of policies and plans that could or should be implemented to either slow the temperature rise or effectively deal with the migration ... with mixed results.

As a warning of the effects of climate change, it is grim and unreassuring, as it no doubt is meant to be; indeed, the book seems most effective as a piece of scaremongering to get people motivated to address the climate (and I say that in the most positive sense).

As a prediction of the changes to come, it is a mixed bag, sometimes intriguing (such as the discussion of projected changes in habitable zones in Greenland or Canada) and sometimes head-scratchingly pat (such as when the author flatly predicts that the greening of the electrical grid will have been accomplished by the time her children are in their 30s). The book also seems to entirely disregard predictions of any political ramifications of the predicted changes, including conflict; mass migration seems to be expected with tremendous peaceful cooperation between nations. I understand that prediction of such geopolitical factors is wildly difficult, but without them it raises questions of the utility of the entire exercise.

Likewise it is mixed as a collection of policy proposals. Many are quite reasonable, if vague, but they are often things that the reader cannot possibly affect unless they work specifically in the fields of public policy or urban planning, or in the government more generally; more to the point, much of the suggestions regard the author's theorized newly-built cities in the far north, which are decades or more away from reality -- hopefully these urban-planning or government-employed readers are quite young! In other cases the proposals are vague to the point of irrelevancy or seem unmoored from reality, such as when the author proposes that private aircraft be banned unless they are electric (with seemingly little regard to the energy-density problems that render cost-effective all-electric air travel a pipe dream with current technology).

In the end, the only real actionable takeaway the reader can get from this book is a broad "be more concerned about climate change!" (unless one is lucky enough to be a teenager who is dying to go into urban planning and has a really great memory). That's a fine lesson, to be sure, but reading 280-odd pages to get it is perhaps not worth the time commitment, and most people who are interested and receptive enough to the book's premise to actually pick it up are already going to be onboard.

The book made a huge impression. I found myself thinking about what I''ve read for weeks after. This book is about how rising temperatures would force millions of people to leave their homes and migrate. It will happen sooner than many anticipate. The author using examples from history and contemporary science facts makes a case proving that migration is inevitable and isn't necessarily bad. She says it is essential to the human progress and survival.. She also shows that there are ways to prepare and organize to prevent climate disaster. The book's timeliness is apparent.

NOMAD CENTURY by Gaia Vince (Transcendence; Adventures in the Anthropocene) is all about "How Climate Migration Will Reshape Our World," a topic which has been of high interest to our student researchers in the past few years. Her book has pre-pub blurbs from an impressive array of accessible non-fiction authors: Mary Roach, Bill McKibben, and Bill Bryson. Vince herself is an award-winning science journalist, author, broadcaster and speaker. Eloquently creating relevance, she states "Human movement on a scale never before seen will dominate this century and remake our world," further noting "you will be among them, or you will be receiving them." She begins with a look at the nature of migration – both for people and "stuff." A key point is the possibility of a "climate apartheid" where social inequality and poverty interact with climate change for even more devastating consequences. Vince devotes several chapters to outlining the problems, complete with shocking, but relatable, statistics (e.g., "the Welsh capital, Cardiff, is projected to be two-thirds under water by 2050"). The final chapters advocate for possible solutions (e.g., using technology like cloud brightening for solar reflectivity), including long-term efforts to restore areas for habitation by humans although many comments are rather general (e.g., "we must stop seeing the people who move as the problem, even if some of their reasons are"). Vince also includes an eight point manifesto, a few "further reading suggestions," notes, and a helpful index, together comprising roughly twenty percent of the text. NOMAD CENTURY received a starred review from Kirkus. It is a call to action - sobering, but hopeful reading.

Author's website is here:
https://wanderinggaia.com/2021/09/10/the-climate-question/

Nomad Century by Gaia Vince is an eye opening and for me sad read.
The main premise of the book is that rising temperatures and accompanying results will necessitate that large portions of the global population will need to relocate to survive. It is one of the first books that I've read which deals with things in a fairly pragmatic manor not arguing for a belief in Climate Change but instead addressing the ramifications of that change in an anthropological view.
The book itself is not all doom and gloom and the author gives some very good advice on ways that things can change and possibly recover, BUT we need to be prepared if things get worse. The author has hope that things can still be slowed or changed but as a reader, I'm sad to say, that I'm no longer sure I share that optimism. The author also offers suggestions for government and global changes that would help facilitate the Great Migration of billions of people over the coming decades.
Thank you to #NetGalley, #FlatironBooks, and Gaia Vince for the ARC of #NomadCentury.

I was really looking forward to this book but I found it very preachy. Not in the sense of disagreeing with the facts or ideas but like almost reading a gospel of doom and gloom, rather than the analytical approach I was expecting.