Enjoy a Climate Summer Beach Read
By Marie Caspard
As the temperatures warm up, the time to settle down at the beach for a good read is approaching. Here are some climate reads I’ve enjoyed over the last few years to throw into your mix.
‘Erosion: Essays of Undoing’
By Terry Tempest Williams
Many years later, these essays still sit with me for their reverent, poetic treatment of grief over the erosion of public lands. Essays offer the perfect format for reading in smaller spurts.
‘What If We Get It Right?: Visions of Climate Futures‘
By Ayana Elizabeth Johnson
Yes, climate reads can be joyful, fun beach reads. This book turns many tired climate narratives on their head by asking us to consider what our futures might look like, rather than mourn all that we have and will lose – though both have a place in the climate conversation.
‘Ministry for the Future’
By Kim Stanley Robinson
This is a climate science-fiction classic. This book explores what the 2020s through 2040s look like for characters ranging from bureaucrats, ecoterrorists, and refugees enduring climate disasters. A harrowing beginning that is worth hanging in there for.
‘Revolutionary Power: An Activist’s Guide to the Energy Transition‘
By Shalanda Baker
This book changed the way I think about the energy transition. It provides a framework for readers to expand their understanding of the energy transition beyond simply “greening” our energy. The energy transition is an opportunity to disrupt the systems, both physical and regulatory, political, etc., that are needed to meet the climate crisis. This book is somewhat academic in tone, so save it for when you’re feeling some back-to-school energy.
Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants
By Robin Wall Kimmerer
This is a poetic, mystical tour of natural phenomena and indigenous traditions that compelled me to notice and celebrate the natural world around me more deeply.
Bright Ideas is brought to you by PCAT, which meets the fourth Tuesday of the month, 6 to 7:30 pm. All are welcome! FMI:email Portlandclimate@gmail.com or visit http://facebook.com/PortlandClimateActionTeam.
