Climate Hope: Stories of Action in an Age of Global Crisis

Through extensive research and reporting, this boundary-crossing and highly readable survey of efforts to tackle climate change aims to replace our paralyzing fears with a restored sense of hope and determination.

Climate change is a problem so enormous and complex—with threats so frightening in their implications—that many of us fend off confusion and hopelessness by simply turning away. There are jobs to do, children to raise, bills to pay. Meanwhile, with delayed action, missed targets and increasingly dire reports at the international level, a notion that the crisis is intractable continues to spread.

And the proposed solutions can be just as daunting. They often involve jargon about gigatons of carbon and kilowatt-hours of electricity. In a deeply polarized political environment, any sense of the common purpose required to make these work seems to dissolve into denial or paralysis. With all this fear and conflict, the question must be asked: How do we find the tools and—equally important—the hope we need to tackle such a wickedly difficult issue?

In Climate Hope, journalist David Geselbracht blends in-depth research, expert interviews and on-the-ground reporting across Canada and in multiple countries, revealing remarkable efforts to identify the causes and impacts of climate change—and devise crucial ways to address them.

Geselbracht brings the reader to the chaotic 2021 UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, as well as to giant heating ducts below the city of Copenhagen and to wildfire-scorched landscapes in Western Canada, to name just a few sites. The scale of the challenge is clear in the range of fields he covers, from glaciology and climate science to law and diplomacy. But in drawing these approaches together, he shares stories of hope, awe and wonder that encourage us to confront this long-term, world-warping phenomenon with a renewed sense of purpose and possibility.

“A refreshingly positive look at the future! David Geselbracht takes us around the world to look not only at the science that defines climate change and technologies that could fix it but also at the more subtle social, cultural, political, economic and even religious sectors that will all play a role in cutting carbon emissions. David introduces us to positive leaders in all those aspects of society who have come up with real solutions. There is still much to do, but this uplifting book and the hope it provides is a good place to start.”

“Climate Hope provides a much-needed counterpoint to today's constant drumbeat of climate doom. The world is making real progress in combating climate change, and it’s important to highlight the successes we’ve had as well as how far we still have to go to meet our climate goals.”

“Climate Hope is a story of human resilience, ingenuity, and innovation. From evangelical Christianity to nuclear power, Geselbracht offers us an inspiring collection of essays outlining the power of individual leadership in advancing climate solutions. This pragmatic, realistic and thoughtful book does justice to both the scale of the global warming problem, as well as the incredible opportunity it affords modern society. It’s a refreshing read, particularly as we confront the stories of wildfires, heat waves, floods and drought so prevalent today.”

“To address this sense of hopelessness, Geselbracht tells the stories of climate champions throughout the world who are passionately engaged in the Herculean work of climate change mitigation and adaptation. Through the voices of paleoclimatologists, youth litigators, local glaciologists (including a Manitoban), Swedish nuclear scientists, First Nations communities, EV enthusiasts and the entire city of Copenhagen, Geselbracht speaks to the direct action that both individuals and communities are taking to cultivate confidence in the future: hope.”

“These and other inspiring stories Geselbracht shares remind us how the impacts of global warming can be mitigated or reduced—if not reversed—through collective and individual action. Unlike the doomsayers who seem to have given up, he sees the glass as half full. This alone makes Climate Hope a decent and worthy undertaking, as well as a good read.”

“Geselbracht’s stories of climate hope have much to offer a variety of audiences: environmental advocates looking for inspiration and motivation, curious nonfiction readers interested in learning more about climate change (with a different framing than the still-dominant gloom and doom genre), and college and university students studying climate change. The book could be particularly useful in introductory college courses, read either as a whole or using individual chapters.”

“This is an important and inspiring book. Highly, highly recommended.”