What do you think?
What If Solving the Climate Crisis Is Simple? (Resetting Our Future)
'Too often we encounter efforts to dismiss climate change as a “wicked” (that is, unsolvable) problem. But nothing could be more wicked than such unhelpful framing. As Tom Bowman explains in this inspiring, concise primer on climate action, we have the ability to surmount this mentality, if we simply make the commitment to not just try, but do.' Michael Mann, Distinguished Professor, Penn State University and author of The New Climate The Fight to Take Back Our Planet
Tom Bowman has never bought the idea that some problems are too complex to solve. With razor-like precision, he slices through the Gordian Knot of dispiriting misperceptions that lead to a sense of defeat. The result is an inspiring and practical narrative that will leave readers feeling uplifted and empowered to create a future they are eager to embrace.
Tom Bowman has never bought the idea that some problems are too complex to solve. With razor-like precision, he slices through the Gordian Knot of dispiriting misperceptions that lead to a sense of defeat. The result is an inspiring and practical narrative that will leave readers feeling uplifted and empowered to create a future they are eager to embrace.
- GenresNonfictionEnvironment
136 pages, Paperback
Published October 30, 2020
About the author
Tom Bowman
11 books1 followerTom Bowman is an advisor and speaker. He is the principal of Bowman Change, Inc.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 22, 2021
> Suppose, at least for a moment, that the climate crisis is not a wicked problem after all. Suppose we really believed this. What would we do differently? The answer is very simple: We would just stop burning fossil fuels.
This is an interesting little book about how to change the dialogue about climate change. Bowman argues that conventional approaches of presenting the climate crisis portray it as a 'wicked' problem where every decision one makes has far reaching effects that are beyond one's understanding. Bowman points to evidence by, for example, behavioural scientists, to show that this creates anxiety and diminishes feelings of self-efficacy in people. He thus seeks to reduce the complexity of the 'wicked' problem by giving people a simple premise they can use to guide decision making in their own lives:
> Stop burning fossil fuels well before mid-century and absolutely, positively do not fail.
> When viewed from this new perspective, reducing global warming appears to hinge on choices that are more local and easier for people, organizations, communities, and governments to make. This can transform the anxiety so many people feel about the climate crisis into an attitude of empowerment and increased confidence.
I very much like how this hands power back to the individual. Under this maxime, local knowledge and hard-won experience are not merely curious anecdotes, they become prized resources. As an example, Bowman gives an anecdotal account of how the premise helped his business to drastically reduce their carbon emissions by setting a 'stretch-goal' of 'making every decision a green decision' for themselves.
Overall this was quite an interesting read that I think should be read first and foremost by decision makers in science and government. That said, it also personally inspired me to pay more attention to my consumption of fossil fuels beyond the obvious.
This is an interesting little book about how to change the dialogue about climate change. Bowman argues that conventional approaches of presenting the climate crisis portray it as a 'wicked' problem where every decision one makes has far reaching effects that are beyond one's understanding. Bowman points to evidence by, for example, behavioural scientists, to show that this creates anxiety and diminishes feelings of self-efficacy in people. He thus seeks to reduce the complexity of the 'wicked' problem by giving people a simple premise they can use to guide decision making in their own lives:
> Stop burning fossil fuels well before mid-century and absolutely, positively do not fail.
> When viewed from this new perspective, reducing global warming appears to hinge on choices that are more local and easier for people, organizations, communities, and governments to make. This can transform the anxiety so many people feel about the climate crisis into an attitude of empowerment and increased confidence.
I very much like how this hands power back to the individual. Under this maxime, local knowledge and hard-won experience are not merely curious anecdotes, they become prized resources. As an example, Bowman gives an anecdotal account of how the premise helped his business to drastically reduce their carbon emissions by setting a 'stretch-goal' of 'making every decision a green decision' for themselves.
Overall this was quite an interesting read that I think should be read first and foremost by decision makers in science and government. That said, it also personally inspired me to pay more attention to my consumption of fossil fuels beyond the obvious.
May 8, 2023
Some valuable psychological insights and practical advice, yet also somewhat simplistic. For Bowman the singular root problem to global warming seems to be fossil fuel burning, which is an important cause indeed and a lot can be done on the local level to phase out polluting fuels as soon as possible. Bowman, however, doesn't mention biodiversity loss or the impact of deforestation and mining on the health of the ecosystem.
November 16, 2020
This brief book spurs action and offers hope and a new way of thinking and talking about climate change.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews