Saving Us - Book Review
I had the opportunity to receive a free book on climate change, through the company I am working for. I had not heard of that book before, it called Saving Us and is written by an actual climate scientist (Katharine Hayhoe). Unfortunately, written by does not mean that it is a scientific book, and it’s not. The author does not spend much effort explaining the physics or the reports, but focuses on how to convince people this is an important problem to tackle. It is mildly interesting at first, as it presents the problem from a psychological angle. But it becomes quickly repetitive. The method is always the same, connect with what’s important to an audience who initially rejects climate warming (mostly the phenomenon, sometimes proposals around it), and make them understand that climate warming plays a role in their life, in the very matters they care about. It is presented as a series of personal experiences of the author, a list of examples.
There is a small part on taxing carbon, it’s only 3 pages, and quite optimistic. It consists in a socialist approach (which I am not necessarily opposed to). There is no mention of carbon trades, no mention of what can go wrong with the taxing or the trade of carbon.
On the global warming subject, I much preferred the more controversial book Unsettled of Steve Koonin, sometimes quoted by climate warming deniers (who may have not read it at all) and often denounced by climate warming supporters (who may have read it too closely). The arguments made were clearer, more scientific. Even if the book was not that great either, I found it helped discovering the subject from various angles.
Overall it’s a bit strange that this kind of book is given away by companies. On one hand, I can see how it resonates with business values such as how to deal with antagonistic people, how to talk to people around you. On the other hand, it feels like a waste of time and money. There are much better books or courses that can teach you more in a shorter time. For example, I attended by accident two 4h courses around Myers-Briggs, and found it to make a much bigger impact.