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Race for Tomorrow: A Journey Through the Front Lines of the Climate Fight
In this compelling journey through twenty-six countries, Simon Mundy traces how the struggle to respond to the climate crisis is rapidly reshaping the modern world – shattering communities, shaking global business and propelling waves of cutting-edge innovation. Telling unforgettable human stories, meeting scientists and business tycoons, activists and political leaders, this is an account of disaster and survival, of frantic adaptation and groundbreaking innovation, of hope, and of the forces that will define our future. More praise ‘Urgent reading … A truly global journey’ SOPHY ROBERTS ‘Vivid and informed’ ADAM NICOLSON ‘I took a great sense of hope’ RICHARD POWERS ‘Reads like a thriller’ MARK LYNAS ‘An inspiring piece of work’ MICHAEL E. MANN ‘Utterly unlike any book yet written in this field’ ANAND MAHINDRA ‘Gripping … A must-read for every concerned global citizen’ NANDAN NILEKANI
416 pages, Paperback
Published May 23, 2023
45 people are currently reading
748 people want to read
About the author
Simon Mundy
1 book9 followersSimon Mundy began his reporting career in Johannesburg, where he covered Southern Africa for the Financial Times. After a stint writing on the London financial sector he spent seven years in Asia, as FT bureau head in Seoul and then Mumbai.
In 2019 he began a two-year journey across 26 countries to research Race for Tomorrow, a book exploring the global struggle to respond to climate change.
In 2019 he began a two-year journey across 26 countries to research Race for Tomorrow, a book exploring the global struggle to respond to climate change.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
November 29, 2021
What a whirl. From Greenland to Svalbard, over to Siberia. Then Southeast Asia and Pacific islands. Venice. Over to Chile and don't forget your hat.
Everywhere the author went, he walked, talked and interviewed, bringing us a portrait of how ordinary people are coping or despairing in the face of climate change. Ice melts and one man gets rich from mammoth tusks while another loses his home and hunting grounds.
Coral bleaches and islands see seawater rise through the land, into decay.
Fires follow drought or droughts blight crops.
Floods from glacial ice lakes or from storm surges wash away homes and family members.
Corrupt governments stall irrigation schemes or steal disaster response aid.
Brazil expansively destroys rainforest where people reside and trees store carbon for centuries, and sows grass for cattle. Blockchain helps a beef factory see which meat is coming from legal sources.
Where will the people all live? How will they live? All the Bangladeshi rice farmers who can't grow rice on salty ground, and are not needed by new shrimp farms, don't have a way to make a living. After the herd beasts die from drought in the Horn of Africa, some rain brings hope; then locusts descend. Insurers try to find ways to enable farm investors to continue farming, while winemakers move experimental crops into previously inhospitable locations. Bangladesh, which deforested 90% of its land and consequently experienced famine, now gets a tree planting great wall under way. And up in Greenland, someone's mining titanium, now the shipping lanes are open four months of the year and counting.
"In the year before Joanna’s protest at its Manila office, Shell paid out more money to its shareholders than any other company in the world: $20 billion, comfortably beating second-placed Apple. Its chief executive Ben van Beurden earned over $62,000 a day. Such fantastic rewards were possible only because the full costs of Shell’s products were being shouldered by others, who would continue to bear them − along with people yet unborn − far into the future."
This excellent work of journalism, concluded during the pandemic, deserves a wide audience. In the e-book, links under key phrases provide references.
Note P283 - 332 in my e-ARC. No photos or graphs, but they may be yet to come in the final version. And they would be welcomed.
I read an e-ARC from Net Galley. This is an unbiased review.
Everywhere the author went, he walked, talked and interviewed, bringing us a portrait of how ordinary people are coping or despairing in the face of climate change. Ice melts and one man gets rich from mammoth tusks while another loses his home and hunting grounds.
Coral bleaches and islands see seawater rise through the land, into decay.
Fires follow drought or droughts blight crops.
Floods from glacial ice lakes or from storm surges wash away homes and family members.
Corrupt governments stall irrigation schemes or steal disaster response aid.
Brazil expansively destroys rainforest where people reside and trees store carbon for centuries, and sows grass for cattle. Blockchain helps a beef factory see which meat is coming from legal sources.
Where will the people all live? How will they live? All the Bangladeshi rice farmers who can't grow rice on salty ground, and are not needed by new shrimp farms, don't have a way to make a living. After the herd beasts die from drought in the Horn of Africa, some rain brings hope; then locusts descend. Insurers try to find ways to enable farm investors to continue farming, while winemakers move experimental crops into previously inhospitable locations. Bangladesh, which deforested 90% of its land and consequently experienced famine, now gets a tree planting great wall under way. And up in Greenland, someone's mining titanium, now the shipping lanes are open four months of the year and counting.
"In the year before Joanna’s protest at its Manila office, Shell paid out more money to its shareholders than any other company in the world: $20 billion, comfortably beating second-placed Apple. Its chief executive Ben van Beurden earned over $62,000 a day. Such fantastic rewards were possible only because the full costs of Shell’s products were being shouldered by others, who would continue to bear them − along with people yet unborn − far into the future."
This excellent work of journalism, concluded during the pandemic, deserves a wide audience. In the e-book, links under key phrases provide references.
Note P283 - 332 in my e-ARC. No photos or graphs, but they may be yet to come in the final version. And they would be welcomed.
I read an e-ARC from Net Galley. This is an unbiased review.
December 29, 2021
Incredibly powerful book.
In the different chapters, Simon shows us both the effects of the climate crisis for normal people all over the world, as the innovative projects that entrepreneurs and researchers are running to combat this. The book gives a slimmer of hope in a world that is rapidly falling in dispair.
In the different chapters, Simon shows us both the effects of the climate crisis for normal people all over the world, as the innovative projects that entrepreneurs and researchers are running to combat this. The book gives a slimmer of hope in a world that is rapidly falling in dispair.
May 17, 2022
Fantastic book highlighting people on the frontline of the climate crisis and its solutions. Just the right balance of raising the alarm without being alarmist. Phenomenal journalism.
May 3, 2022
26 visits to 26 locations around the world to tell the story about what individuals are doing about climate change. There is great hope in this book for how humans can get get out of this mess that we created relatively recently. The most Imminent threats are caused by thawing ice caps and glaciers in Greenland Siberia and Nepal. Rising Tides in Nigeria Maldives Solomon Islands and Bangladesh are requiring action right now. As I was reading this I heard that the sea level is rising in Dublin at twice the rate of World sea level rise.
There's a review of storm frequency in Venice Philippines Nicaragua Bermuda and a study of how insurance companies are reacting. Also there's the prospect of fossil fuel companies being sued for causing those storms.
There's three stories of how agriculture is adapting in Chile Ethiopia and India to drought.
Increased meat eating by seven billion people is causing massive forest clearance in Brazil. Mongolian cattle herders are affected by colder weather. Then there's a review of two very different research projects to replace meat in Israel and California.
There's a chapter on fossil fuels in Saudi Arabia and Australia and then stories of alternatives to those fossil fuels in Iceland Switzerland and Germany.
Finally there's a survey of alternative non fossil fuel initiatives in China and USA. Last chapter is a visit to the Congo to see how people dig up the cobalt needed for all those batteries for electric cars.
A whirlwind tour which shows over and over that the world doesn't have to be the way it is. And it's not going to stay as it currently is. Then again it never did stay as it was up until now.
There's a review of storm frequency in Venice Philippines Nicaragua Bermuda and a study of how insurance companies are reacting. Also there's the prospect of fossil fuel companies being sued for causing those storms.
There's three stories of how agriculture is adapting in Chile Ethiopia and India to drought.
Increased meat eating by seven billion people is causing massive forest clearance in Brazil. Mongolian cattle herders are affected by colder weather. Then there's a review of two very different research projects to replace meat in Israel and California.
There's a chapter on fossil fuels in Saudi Arabia and Australia and then stories of alternatives to those fossil fuels in Iceland Switzerland and Germany.
Finally there's a survey of alternative non fossil fuel initiatives in China and USA. Last chapter is a visit to the Congo to see how people dig up the cobalt needed for all those batteries for electric cars.
A whirlwind tour which shows over and over that the world doesn't have to be the way it is. And it's not going to stay as it currently is. Then again it never did stay as it was up until now.
October 8, 2021
An amazing book. Tells the Climate Crisis how it is and gives hope for the future - if new technologies in the pipeline can be made soon enough. We hear of melting glaciers - but where does the water go? So many are very, very high up in mountains a long way from the sea. What happens when underground ice melts in areas it's been in for millennia? And that's only thee first few chapters. I could go on - so many questions, so much devastation, destruction and so many possibilities to change it.
We can only hope, pray and support technologies that may save us all yet.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I read a free advance review copy of the book. This review is voluntary, honest and my own opinion.
We can only hope, pray and support technologies that may save us all yet.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I read a free advance review copy of the book. This review is voluntary, honest and my own opinion.
October 18, 2021
I absolutely loved Race for Tomorrow by Simon Mundy. Well written, incredibly well researched, it's a book that connects the climate crisis to the life of people most impacted by it.
I devoured it in two sittings unable to stop reading Mundy's telling about the impact of global warming in Siberia, Tibet and Greenland. What I most admire of this book is that speaks about the people in a way that makes the abstract feels real and relevant. An absolutely must-read - 5 stars !!
I devoured it in two sittings unable to stop reading Mundy's telling about the impact of global warming in Siberia, Tibet and Greenland. What I most admire of this book is that speaks about the people in a way that makes the abstract feels real and relevant. An absolutely must-read - 5 stars !!
May 3, 2022
Books about climate change can often be depressing to read, filled with heartbreaking and terrifying stories about the catastrophes haunting our planet’s future. Race for Tomorrow by Simon Mundy is not one of those books. Instead, this frequently uplifting book looks at the amazing projects currently taking place all over the world from Siberia to Bangladesh, Italy to Australia.
To write Race for Tomorrow, journalist Simon Mundy spent two years traveling to 26 countries meeting people on the “front lines of the climate crisis.” He met with a scientist building a home for genetically engineered mammoths, the team behind a fake meat startup in Israel, and the inventor of one of China’s most popular electric cars. All their stories are different, often coming from opposing viewpoints, but all of them are caught in the same global climate change war. The innovations covered range from the technologically advanced to the simple, and the legislation is not always as simple to enact as it might seem, but we’ll need every bit of it working together if we want to make a real difference.
One thing I found eye-opening in Race for Tomorrow was the way it presented different sides to many stories. Take, for example, the chapter based in Brazil. In this chapter, we meet two men: Awapy and Enzio. Awapy is a member of the Uru-Eu-Wau-Wau, an indigenous tribe that calls the Amazon rainforest home. He has spent his life defending the land denoted by the Brazilian government as the Uru-Eu-Wau-Wau Indigenous Territory from illegal clearing, moving on from the bows and arrows used by his father to more technological solutions such as using his cell phone to take pictures of illegal tree felling and sending them to the police, forcing them to take action. On the other side of the coin is Enzio. Living in the tiny town of Boca do Acre with virtually no prospects, the author catches up with Enzio when he is illegally burning a section of the Amazon to create a clearing for cattle grazing, the only option he has to make a living. Should he be doing it? No. But if you were in his shoes, then what’s a dozen fewer trees if the other option is starving? Stories like these throw into sharp contrast how difficult the fight against climate change will be. When there are options on the table, most people will pick the more environmentally friendly choice, but when poverty is forcing their hands, who will choose a lifestyle better for the planet and see their children starve?
Politics is another key factor in the fight against and something discussed in detail in Race for Tomorrow. A section that stood out to me looked at Greenland. Rising temperatures mean that more and more of the ground there is no longer frozen, opening it up for mining ventures unthinkable just a few decades ago, and all sorts of valuable deposits have already been uncovered. It’s this untapped treasure that caused Donald Trump to make comments about buying Greenland from Denmark, but for policymakers in Greenland itself—a country with a long-term ambition of independence—the mines are opening up new economic opportunities, and the possibility of gaining that long-sought independence through new self-sustainability through trade deals with countries like China and Russia that could change the global political landscape. Meanwhile, over in the Democratic Republic of Congo mining is causing other political challenges. Many of us would be horrified to learn that the cobalt in our electric car batteries was illegally mined and possibly by children. However, the book explores the reality of the situation on the ground with the government swooping in to take land rich in cobalt from local residents and sell it to international corporations, with rampant corruption ensuring none of the profits made it back to the people forced from the villages to make way for the mines. Some residents have fought back by maintaining illegal mines underneath their own homes so as to hold onto a slice of the wealth being generated beneath their feet, and who can blame them?
Race for Tomorrow is a fascinating book filled with equally fascinating people and stories. It’s the sort of book that you’ll be thinking about for a long time after you’ve read the final page and one you’ll find yourself sharing anecdotes from during casual conversations, “well did you know that the Ganges River dam might be responsible for increased rates of miscarriage in Bangladesh?” If you only read one book about climate change this year, make it this one.
To write Race for Tomorrow, journalist Simon Mundy spent two years traveling to 26 countries meeting people on the “front lines of the climate crisis.” He met with a scientist building a home for genetically engineered mammoths, the team behind a fake meat startup in Israel, and the inventor of one of China’s most popular electric cars. All their stories are different, often coming from opposing viewpoints, but all of them are caught in the same global climate change war. The innovations covered range from the technologically advanced to the simple, and the legislation is not always as simple to enact as it might seem, but we’ll need every bit of it working together if we want to make a real difference.
One thing I found eye-opening in Race for Tomorrow was the way it presented different sides to many stories. Take, for example, the chapter based in Brazil. In this chapter, we meet two men: Awapy and Enzio. Awapy is a member of the Uru-Eu-Wau-Wau, an indigenous tribe that calls the Amazon rainforest home. He has spent his life defending the land denoted by the Brazilian government as the Uru-Eu-Wau-Wau Indigenous Territory from illegal clearing, moving on from the bows and arrows used by his father to more technological solutions such as using his cell phone to take pictures of illegal tree felling and sending them to the police, forcing them to take action. On the other side of the coin is Enzio. Living in the tiny town of Boca do Acre with virtually no prospects, the author catches up with Enzio when he is illegally burning a section of the Amazon to create a clearing for cattle grazing, the only option he has to make a living. Should he be doing it? No. But if you were in his shoes, then what’s a dozen fewer trees if the other option is starving? Stories like these throw into sharp contrast how difficult the fight against climate change will be. When there are options on the table, most people will pick the more environmentally friendly choice, but when poverty is forcing their hands, who will choose a lifestyle better for the planet and see their children starve?
Politics is another key factor in the fight against and something discussed in detail in Race for Tomorrow. A section that stood out to me looked at Greenland. Rising temperatures mean that more and more of the ground there is no longer frozen, opening it up for mining ventures unthinkable just a few decades ago, and all sorts of valuable deposits have already been uncovered. It’s this untapped treasure that caused Donald Trump to make comments about buying Greenland from Denmark, but for policymakers in Greenland itself—a country with a long-term ambition of independence—the mines are opening up new economic opportunities, and the possibility of gaining that long-sought independence through new self-sustainability through trade deals with countries like China and Russia that could change the global political landscape. Meanwhile, over in the Democratic Republic of Congo mining is causing other political challenges. Many of us would be horrified to learn that the cobalt in our electric car batteries was illegally mined and possibly by children. However, the book explores the reality of the situation on the ground with the government swooping in to take land rich in cobalt from local residents and sell it to international corporations, with rampant corruption ensuring none of the profits made it back to the people forced from the villages to make way for the mines. Some residents have fought back by maintaining illegal mines underneath their own homes so as to hold onto a slice of the wealth being generated beneath their feet, and who can blame them?
Race for Tomorrow is a fascinating book filled with equally fascinating people and stories. It’s the sort of book that you’ll be thinking about for a long time after you’ve read the final page and one you’ll find yourself sharing anecdotes from during casual conversations, “well did you know that the Ganges River dam might be responsible for increased rates of miscarriage in Bangladesh?” If you only read one book about climate change this year, make it this one.
November 10, 2021
Race for Tomorrow is a great read about the efforts the human race is making to fix our planet before we utterly destroy it. There was plenty of information about new scientific and technological advances which I wasn't aware of previously and this book took a long time for me to read and absorb because of the detail.
The book gives what feels like a realistic view of the progress of the fight against climate change. Mundy doesn't sugarcoat the bad news but also leaves me with a feeling that it's possible to turn it around if there's the political will to do so.
A recommended read.
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing a review copy in exchange for honest feedback.
The book gives what feels like a realistic view of the progress of the fight against climate change. Mundy doesn't sugarcoat the bad news but also leaves me with a feeling that it's possible to turn it around if there's the political will to do so.
A recommended read.
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing a review copy in exchange for honest feedback.
April 13, 2022
This is a great book to start to understand the full ramifications of global warming and some of the amazing innovations that are being created to halt the impact. The writer is a journalist for FT and picks a series of stories to tell around seven different themes - glacial melting, rising sea levels, power, meat - and gives you just enough to understand and emphasize while keeping it interesting and informative. It gives you a good understanding of devastating ecosystem impact but leaves you with hope that there are some actions and solutions that can help if we can just all change our behavior like we did during Covid.
June 23, 2022
A seriously excellent read on both how people are impacted by climate change and the adaptations they take to respond to the realities of ever-increasing climate-related threats.
December 21, 2024
As someone who is at the start of their studies for the management of the environment and the climate, this book was an incredible eye opener and first book to really get into. The stories from locals to CEO’s from all over the globe is both inspiring and terrifying, I think everyone should read this book to really get an understanding of what’s happening on this planet, especially in the regions you don’t hear of or even expect. Like Simon himself explained at the very end of the book, he is just a reporter, I believe he did a great job at that, of course always being for the science of helping and reducing climate change, we hear stories for example in Brazil, of both sides of the one plate that’s being dished.
Incredible book, definitely worth the read if you’re up to date with the impact of climate change or not.
Incredible book, definitely worth the read if you’re up to date with the impact of climate change or not.
August 30, 2022
Fascinating, insightful, and ultimately troubling. Mundy surveys a variety of issues at the sharp edge of climate change. He is an engaging writer and does a good job of untangling the many complexities and factors impacting different regions and people. Highly recommended.
February 3, 2022
loved it, so factual and thorough, so thought-provoking and well-balanced in the viewpoints shown. not ur typical ‘the world is dying and we need to save it’ book. what it does is report on the impacts and the befores and afters of a climate disaster-striken world. GO FOR IT
February 25, 2022
This was a book I picked up randomly off the shelf at the library. Am I ever glad I did. There are a lot of valuable perspectives from all around the world about the varying issues of climate change. I'd recommend this to anyone who wants a better understanding of climate change.
January 9, 2022
One of the most eye opening books read on the topic. Exceptional and absolutely a must read
January 23, 2023
A must read account to better understand the biggest challenge of our generation (climate change), how it is already disrupting civilization at the frontlines, and how humanity is gearing up to tackle the upcoming challenges.
Book is compiled as a string stories where each story leads to the next one. Through this unique string of stories, we find out the dire consequences of our actions awaiting us in near future, major lifestyle changes already being adapted to be people living in very delicate ecosystems, and ending with a glimmer of hope for the future.
In short, climate change is no longer something that might happen, it is already happening with frightening consequences.
Book is compiled as a string stories where each story leads to the next one. Through this unique string of stories, we find out the dire consequences of our actions awaiting us in near future, major lifestyle changes already being adapted to be people living in very delicate ecosystems, and ending with a glimmer of hope for the future.
In short, climate change is no longer something that might happen, it is already happening with frightening consequences.
February 23, 2023
A superb book that should be required reading for govt around the world. We are already in a race against time to make sensible change. Communities around the world are already severe impacted by climate change. Wealthy countries worrying about border control now will be faced with much larger refugee crisis if we don't help poorer nations now. The wealthy countries have contributed the most to the issues of climate, they therefore have a moral obligation to help those suffering the most from the lifestyle of wealthy countries.
One of the few books on climate change that does end with hope due to the new innovative entrepreneurs currently working on alternative forms of energy.
One of the few books on climate change that does end with hope due to the new innovative entrepreneurs currently working on alternative forms of energy.
June 27, 2023
👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
_________
What a book! It takes me back to the time when I used to study the scientific theories and concepts about climate change and sustainability issues from textbooks and lecture slides and now this book presents the bitter reality from all those theories. It got me thinking afterwards: how ambitious should we be and how long should we wait until the next significant move is made? Is it possible to recover from this? What kind of world will we leave to the next generation?
Very well written, can only recommend! 👏
_________
What a book! It takes me back to the time when I used to study the scientific theories and concepts about climate change and sustainability issues from textbooks and lecture slides and now this book presents the bitter reality from all those theories. It got me thinking afterwards: how ambitious should we be and how long should we wait until the next significant move is made? Is it possible to recover from this? What kind of world will we leave to the next generation?
Very well written, can only recommend! 👏
May 18, 2022
Interesting collection from 26 dofferent countries that depict the challenges, devastion, hope and opportunities inherent in our climate crisis. One thing to note is that this feels more like an essay collection - a collection of several articles from a magazine rather than a cohesive piece of non fiction that builds upon arguments as we progress through the book. Nevertheless, it is very thought provoking, humbling, devastating and inspiring.
January 5, 2023
This book never claimed to be a guide to Carbon neutrality and it isn't one.
It's real stories of gain, loss and pain that people across the world face due to climate change and the economics that drive the engine towards clean, green energy sources.
It exposes the dirty and dark side to what is otherwise referred to as future technology (batteries, carbon sinks etc. ).
A proper journalist's account.
It's real stories of gain, loss and pain that people across the world face due to climate change and the economics that drive the engine towards clean, green energy sources.
It exposes the dirty and dark side to what is otherwise referred to as future technology (batteries, carbon sinks etc. ).
A proper journalist's account.
May 26, 2025
Normally books on climate change talk about the same things, how its happened and how we need to change our lives to reduce the impact (important stuff), but this book explains what is happening on the front line right now with stories from people already affected and how they are coping. I found it really interesting. It's not 5 stars because I found the accents and impressions in the audiobooks slightly ridiculous to listen to.
July 11, 2022
Interesting. The best parts is when he speaks of companies actually seeking to tackle change in the key segments of our lives, food, energy, transport. Some of the other takes from Siberia, Mongolia or the Congo, are interesting but don’t help the reader to understand how improvements can happen. And the truth is a lot of improvements are happening.
March 11, 2025
I have read plenty of climate books and this is by far my favorite. Mundy is blunt and concise, but the stories still shine with poignance - real stories about vulnerable people affected by climate change, the efforts to mitigate those affects, and the technological advances we’re relying on to save us. The book isn’t patronizing about what we are facing while still maintaining hope.
October 18, 2022
Great diverse short stories on climate change
To read a.book.about climate change seems kinda boring but not when it is broken down into real life negative effects of what are the consequences of what we are doing today. Does not read as depressing but rather invigorating.
To read a.book.about climate change seems kinda boring but not when it is broken down into real life negative effects of what are the consequences of what we are doing today. Does not read as depressing but rather invigorating.
November 23, 2022
Extremely well researched and beautifully written. Simon Mundy shares the realities climate change is having on communities around the world, and whilst not advocating complacency, ends with some hopeful insights on how emerging technologies can help mitigate rising carbon emissions.
Read
March 10, 2023It's a fantastic understand of where we are headed...and its going to be a rollercoaster. Simon Mundys hard work at compiling research in the field of climate change is extraordinary. A must read if you want to know how quickly our planet is dying.
November 5, 2024
Really good
+’s
Climate change science, policy etc told through super interesting, well written and personal stories
-‘s
Guy with posh voice presumably flying round the world to do that is slightly annoying
+’s
Climate change science, policy etc told through super interesting, well written and personal stories
-‘s
Guy with posh voice presumably flying round the world to do that is slightly annoying
September 15, 2022
Excellent stories from around the globe of climate change solutions, issues, and effects,
September 21, 2022
Excellent book, written like a novel. Also very informative!
February 17, 2024
interesting stories of the industries, communities and lives impacted by a changing climate - provides some of the nuances of real life stories that are often lacking from the cc narrative
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews