The Future We Choose

 
Introduction

The Critical Decade

The world is on fire, from the Amazon to California, from Australia to the Siberian Arctic. The hour is late, and the moment of consequence, so long delayed, is now upon us. Do we watch the world burn, or do we choose to do what is necessary to achieve a different future?
 
Who we understand ourselves to be determines the choice we will make. That choice determines what will become of us. The choice is both simple and complex, but above all it is urgent.
 
In Washington, D.C., at ten a.m. on a Friday, a twelve-year-old girl marches with her friends, holding up a hand-painted sign of the Earth enveloped by red flames. In London, grown-up demonstrators dressed in black, wearing riot police headgear, form a human chain blocking traffic at Piccadilly Circus, as others glue themselves to the pave­ment in front of the headquarters of BP. In Seoul, South Korea, the streets teem with elementary schoolchildren sporting multicolored backpacks and carrying banners that say CLIMATE STRIKE in English, for the benefit of the media. In Bangkok, hundreds of teenage students take to the streets. With firm resolve and heavy hearts, they walk behind their defiant leader, an eleven-year-old girl carrying a sign: THE OCEANS ARE RISING AND SO ARE WE.
 
All over the world, millions of young people inspired by Greta Thunberg, the teenage girl who began a lone pro­test in front of the Swedish parliament are engaging in civil disobedience to draw attention to climate change. Students understand the scientific projections and are ter­rified about the diminished quality of life on their horizon. They demand decisive action now. They are helping to raise the level of outrage about the insufficiency of our efforts to address the crisis, and they have been joined by scientists, parents, and teachers. From the quest for independence in India to the civil rights movement in the United States, civil disobedience has erupted when a

Christiana Figueres and Tom Rivett-Carnac are cohosts of the leading climate change podcast, Outrage + Optimism, and are cofounders of Global Optimism, an organization dedicated to changing narratives and beliefs and inspiring governments, companies, and citizens to protect what they love from the damages of the climate crisis. Figueres is the former executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, where Rivett-Carnac served as her political strategist. They are known for a unique form of collaborative diplomacy, which led to the unanimous signing of the landmark Paris Agreement on climate change by 195 countries.

www.globaloptimism.com

"Tom Rivett-Carnac, have penned a book that shepherds climate activism from changing mental states to changing the world...the authors recommend a mindset for climate activism that rests on three attitudes: radical optimism, endless abundance and radical regeneration."
Forbes

"Inspiring... A practically minded manifesto for personal action in the face of climate change."
Kirkus Reviews

The Paris Agreement was a landmark for humankind. In this timely and important book, two of the principal creators of that agreement show us why and how we can now realize its promise. I hope it is widely read and acted on.
Jane Goodall, author of In the Shadow of Man

This is one of the most inspiring books I have ever read. The book takes a hard look at the frightening realities of climate change, but concludes that humanity can still deal with this threat. Moreover, the book presents the existential challenge of climate change as a unique opportunity to build a more just world and to make ourselves better people. Most importantly, the book adopts a very practical approach, and suggests 10 concrete actions that each of us can take in order to create a better future for all the residents of planet earth. I hope we all take this message to heart.
Yuval Harari, bestselling author of Sapiens and 21 Lessons for the 21st Century.

"There could not be a more important book."
Richard Branson

"This could be the most important wake-up call of our times."
Professor Klaus Schwab, CEO World Economic Forum

"Figueres and Rivett-Carnac dare to tell us how our response can create a better, fairer world."
Naomi Klein