What a fascinating read about climate change, and its effects on both the natural world and the man made one.

This is a deep, dense, and slightly too dry read for me. I was fascinated by the science and the data which were presented clearly, but the style of writing resulted in me not feeling inclined to pick it back up after putting it down. I do appreciate that he provided examples of both sides of the aisle and their efforts to help mitigate the climate crisis. From President Obama to Governor DeSantis.

And unfortunately, most of the advice for how to combat climate change is aimed at those with more power than your average reader. Verchick’s advice was very light on volunteering or learning about the at risk areas around you, and heavy on the higher up government leaders and legislation making the most difference. Which isn’t wrong, by any means, but it is a little dispiriting.

Thanks to NetGalley and Columbia University Press for this arc.

Rob Verchick makes the case for climate resilience rather than hammering on about net zero and large-scale efforts for net zero. Resilience is the ability to absorb adversity, recover and carry on. It often involves growth. He believes there should be more focus on mitigating local effects by building flood defences or the like and ensuring everyone, especially the poorest, lives in safe areas, which may mean abandoning flood plains, etc. He reckons people are more likely to agree to measures that make them feel safer. Sadly I didn’t quite finish it before it expired on NetGalley, so didn’t read his final conclusions.

The book gives lots of good examples and also cites some of the thinkers who have inspired the practical solutions. I’m not sure if the increasingly forced octopus metaphors throughput the book are necessary, though it’s fun spotting them. The tone also swings between occasional academic impenetrability and and over-familiar internet speak (“Dunno. […] Something something science.”) On the whole, however, this is a very readable and hopeful look at things that might actually work to keep our planet liveable while the politicians and big business are debating and twiddling their thumbs.

While the title grabbed my attention, the book overall felt more geared towards individuals with more voice. I learned a lot while reading this book - especially from the stories the author used to explain various climate-impacts and the in depth discussions of large scale systems that we live within. The concept of Resilience however is less talked about at an individual or community level and more at the systemic/policy level. The author talks a lot about the impacts of climate change on a national/global scale - and advocates for the government to intervene and make changes, but doesn’t really provide a call to action to the individual reader. While this book is important and is definitely worth a read, it was lacking just a bit for me to feel the impact of this book - and that’s why this book is a much better read for policy-makers and community leaders. What we as readers can do with this information is use this book to discuss those systems that are affected by climate change and push for changes to ensure resilience against climate events. 3.5 Stars

Rob Verchick tackles the grim realities of climate change head-on, beginning with the hook of a literal octopus in a parking garage, then weaving through the people and areas currently impacted to the ones in the future. These narratives shed light on the stark divide between those committed to minimizing harm and those in denial of looming consequences. He aims to provide hope that collaborative action might empower current and future generations to figure out a solution. At times it feels like the goal doesn't go far enough, attempting to keep some sort of status quo instead of committing entirely. Overall, an informative and easy enough read to get an overview of climate change and a potential future.

I was astounded to learn that THE OCTOPUS IN THE PARKING GARAGE is titled for a real-life event. Written by Rob Verchick, a climate law scholar associated with both Loyola University New Orleans and Tulane, this new text is subtitled "A Call for Climate Resilience." Verchick quickly grabs readers' attention with the story of the octopus and then devotes several chapters, including one called "Climate and Caste," to understanding resilience. He defines that term as "the capacity to manage and recover from a climate impact in a way that preserves a community's central character..." While Verchick agrees that reducing carbon emissions is key, he strongly supports devoting more resources to planning and notes that "the federal government spends more than $45 billion recovering from disasters, about seven times what it spends on preparing for climate change." The second section of Verchick's text is about doing resilience. There, he does an excellent job of outlining protective innovations. As he says, some are technological, "but the meat of this book involves governance and social cooperation." His travels have taken him to places like the Louisiana Bayous and the Mohave Desert and he introduces readers to the efforts of local activists and citizen scientists. Verchick caps those stories with a final chapter with the mantra: Learn. Talk. Do. THE OCTOPUS IN THE PARKING GARAGE serves as both primer and call to action.

The argument in favor of climate resilience was already convincing for me, and is what initially drew me to this book, but the author fails to really prepare us for much by way of what we are to face. Instead, Verchick appeals to an elite audience that has a desire to protect their private property against all odds against them - be it a natural disaster or social uprising. Ignoring the polarity of our political climate, he acts as though Biden (or other democratic politicians and lawmakers) can simply undo all of the climate damage that president's like Trump or other conservative lawmakers wreak. He literally sprinkles in Biden's catchphrase "build back better" unironically in multiple instances throughout the book. It read as satire to me, though I think the author legitimately believes that we can vote our way out of this.

To claim this book is a call for climate resilience is a bit of a stretch - it feels more like this is a desperate attempt to maintain the status quo in the midst of dramatic climate changes. Instead of confronting social upheavals and the inevitability of dramatic changes to community structures, the author chooses instead to focus on how litigation, renewable energy, and funding for programs that could *potentially* benefit historically oppressed people will give us some degree of security. Not that those are bad things, necessarily, but I think they overlook the scale of the threats humans face.

I feel less than inspired, less than prepared for what a hotter climate and rising sea levels will entail. People who are displaced, lose their homes to natural disasters, or who are targeted by right-wing militias or over-militarized governments are not going to benefit from this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with an early copy of the book in return for an honest review.

The author attempts to deal with the realities of climate change by addressing the efforts to mitigate the effects that we are currently facing and that are predicted. He uses a variety of stories from various people and projects that are on the front-line. He discusses frankly the disparity between those who want to prevent as much damage as possible with those who want to pretend nothing is going to happen. I do think that he does an admirable job in the hopes that if enough people pitch in with mitigation, then our future population will be able to come up with solutions to turn things around, or at least prevent the end of humanity. It’s just too damn bad that we weren’t able to stop the fossil fuel industry form letting things get to this point.

Thank you to Net Galley for providing me with an early copy of the book in return for an honest review.

The title was enough to grab my attention. An educational illuminating and hopeful read about the challenges we are going to be facing in the world in the future.