The Climate Book: Greta Thunberg’s New Book on the Climate Crisis

Less than a week ago, at the London Literature Festival in the Southbank Centre, environmental activist Greta Thunberg announced the launch of her new book. "The Climate Book" has had the support of more than 100 experts on environmental issues to provide the information that everyone should know in order to mitigate the effects of climate change.

Thunberg, 19 years old, became known worldwide in 2018 after organizing school strikes in Sweden against various environmental problems. Gradually, she positioned herself on the international spectrum as one of the most outstanding and influential youth leaders on the issue of climate change and defense of the environment. Her character has led her to give lectures at multiple United Nations events in which she has shown a critical stance on the lack of international cooperation in the face of the difficult moment that the world is facing with climate change.

In the book, Greta Thunberg narrates from her experience in environmental activism all the lessons she has learned during these years. In addition, it exposes comments, research and projects by scientists, activists, writers and people from academia so that those who read it can become much more familiar with what is currently happening. Some reviews begin to call this work a "climate bible" due to its educational and critical content.

Characters like Margaret Atwood, Tedros Adhanom, Naomi Klein, Katharine Hayhoe, Michael Mann or Thomas Piketty have been part of the book. Likewise, several well-known personalities in the world of science or activism in Latin America have collaborated in the creation of the book, such as the Brazilian politician and indigenous Sonia Guajajara, the Colombian activist Laura Verónica Muñoz, the Brazilian scientist Carlos Nobre or the Mexican Felipe J. Colon-Gonzalez.

Something that has drawn attention is the strong criticism that Thunberg makes of the United Nations, accusing them of carrying out Green Washing. “Greenwashing” is a marketing practice carried out by entities or brands promoting environmental campaigns and projects, but which are really illusory or do not generate the impact and change that they have promised to make. That is why the environmental activist has decided not to go to COP 27 (United Nations Conference on Climate Change), which will take place in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, on November 18, 2022.

During the launch event for her book, Thunberg stated that holding COP 27 in a country like Egypt, where some human rights violations occur, only demonstrates the incoherence of the United Nations regarding climate change. "The space for civil society is going to be extremely limited," she said. "It is important to leave space for those who need to be there. It will be difficult for activists to make their voices heard," Thunberg said in a Reuters article.

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"The Climate Book" tries to show that a large part of the climate crisis has been caused by a lack of information. That is why you can find answers to basic questions such as: What is the environment? You can also find advice and criticism on how to develop environmental changes in a structural way in your neighborhood, city or country. Undoubtedly, although it is a work that encourages immediate action in the face of the current climate crisis, it also gives readers a touch of hope to seek a better future.

“I hope it's the kind of book that everyone feels, should buy, read and act on: if you've tried to recycle a coffee pod, bought an electric car or started using a reusable water bottle, this book knows the combination of fear, hope and duty that made you do it and has a million other suggestions. It should be a bookstore staple, like Stephen Hawking's A Brief History of Time or Yuval Noah Harari's Sapiens," noted British journalist Caitlin Moran told The Times.

All money raised from the sales of this book will go to the Greta Thunberg Foundation. The author pointed out on her social networks that the book is not intended to enrich her, but rather to educate and disseminate knowledge: "I want to use my platform to share the reality of the climate crisis, to communicate a holistic image of how the world is changing and what we must do to about it. That's why I created this book."