Resources

Here is a collection of some of our favorite podcasts, books, and websites.

I have learned over the years that when one’s mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does away with fear.

– Rosa Parks

Podcasts

Outrage and Optimism is by far our favorite podcast! It is “about solving the climate crisis and remaking the world. Hosted by Christiana Figueres, Tom Rivett-Carnac and Paul Dickinson”. We’ve been impressed by the range of topics and caliber of the guests. Best of all, they really do combine outrage about the climate situation with optimism about what our world can become. The podcast is part of the work of Global Optimism.

We also like the first season of Drilled. It “traces the corporate-funded creation and spread of climate denial, including interviews with former Exxon scientists, primary source documents, and an in-depth look at the history of fossil fuel-funded influence campaigns.” It’s a good way to begin to understand why there is so much denial of climate science in the U.S.

Hip Hop Caucus’s Think 100%: The Coolest Show on Climate Change! “We aren’t spending any time arguing the facts – we know the reality. It’s time to focus on solutions… No more is climate change a boring topic. No more is it depressing and scary. No more is it something you’d rather ignore. Think 100% is a show, an experience, and a community for sharing how exciting, inspiring, and powerful saving our climate really is.” This podcast is a good place to get started and to learn about what is happening in the U.S.

Books

The book “We are the Weather” by J. Foer is an easy-to-read, moving text on how we deal with climate change and how what we eat, especially meat, matters.

Climate change does not care which political party you support. We all need to change and all need to help. For that reason, we try to keep this website apolitical. Unfortunately, though, in the U.S. the issue has been politicized, and those on the right are generally in denial, hostile to the findings of climate scientist, and don’t themselves offer any solutions. In this political landscape, the only game going is The Green New Deal. In her book “On Fire“, Naomi Klein makes a compelling case for this proposal.

In her book, Doughnut Economics, Kate Raworth describes a new economic model, one that acknowledges the resource limits of our planet. You can get an overview of her ideas from her TED talk or this TED podcast interview.

The Future We Choose is a book we are in the middle of reading! It came out February 25th, just before Illinois began shutting down. It’s by some of the same people who created the Outrage and Optimism podcast. “WE CAN SURVIVE THE CLIMATE CRISIS AND THRIVE IN THE NEW WORLD WE CREATE. This book shows us how… Take a deep breath and decide that collectively we can do this. And you will play your part.”

Websites

Our World in Data is an amazing site if you are looking for clear graphics and numbers! Two pages of particular interest are the one on CO2 and greenhouse gas emissions data page and their UN Sustainable Goals Tracker.

World Resources Institute “is a global research organization that spans more than 60 countries. (We) work closely with leaders to turn big ideas into action to sustain our natural resources—the foundation of economic opportunity and human well-being.” They have many clear and interesting articles on climate change.

Of course we should include a link to the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)! Links to documents like the Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5° C can be found there. Going to the main site of any report will lead you to links to executive summaries, summaries for policy makers, FAQs, and the like.

Drawdown is a book and a website. It is a collection of research about how effective various changes are in reducing our emissions. Most useful is their list of “solutions” in order of how much impact each can have. Generally, the solutions are large scale, and not really for the individual, but it’s a great resource to check out to understand how we, as a planet, need to change.