How to Prepare for Climate Change

December 15, 2020
A preparatory guidebook on acclimating in the era of accelerating climate change. In agreement with scientists around the world, Pogue, an Emmy-winning science and technology correspondent for CBS Sunday Morning, argues that the deleterious effects of global warming are inescapable. "Even if we stopped burning fossil fuels and chopping down forests tomorrow," he writes, "we wouldn't stop climate change." The author's overall approach is less damning and more refreshingly proactive than many similar books, as he seeks to educate readers on important topics such as observable weather extremes, disease outbreaks, and resource shortages. Though adaptation measures have been enacted worldwide to counteract the encroaching climate chaos, Pogue's charts and graphs portend near-future calamities. This urgency makes the book an indispensable resource. The author encourages readers to act personally, arming them with sections on stress relief and mitigating the psychological effects of "eco-despair"; relocation options (aim northward) and household modifications (generators, storm-proofing); and sustainable organic gardening and simple water conservation tips. Pogue also offers information on evacuation plans for wildfires and hurricanes, sheltering during tornadoes, and the possible breakdown of social order (already underway). Given the persistence of the Covid-19 pandemic, readers will welcome the author's meticulously detailed chapters on protective protocols against the increasing prevalence of disease-spreading insects like mosquitoes, ticks, and other pests that are proliferating in changing climates. Even those who are somehow still skeptical about the planet's deteriorating condition will find useful knowledge, including action items that can be adopted regardless of one's level of denial. As he discusses the more catastrophic decades to come, Pogue provides an overview of pragmatic, optimistic, big-idea initiatives by corporations and citizens, which leavens his foreboding message but never diminishes its criticality. It's a long, comprehensive book perfect for reading in parts, one that consistently reminds us that while it's too late for a climate rewind, being prepared is the next best thing. Practicality, awareness, and survivalism converge in a sturdy cautionary handbook on enduring Earth's new realities.

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Starred review from December 15, 2020
After a depressing introduction on just how bad current conditions are, CBS Sunday Morning correspondent Pogue (Pogue's Basics: Money, 2016) devotes almost 600 pages to reasonable actions that individuals and businesses can take to mitigate the effects of climate change. Beginning with exhortations about becoming politically and socially active, topics include where to live, what to insure, and how to prepare for a variety of calamities ranging from droughts and forest fires to societal breakdown. Pogue cites an array of resources: national and international demographic analyses, topological studies, economic statistics, case studies, agricultural reports, medical data. He includes all sorts of maps, charts, and graphs, but he's not trying to prove anything; it's sort of assumed that anyone who picks up this book accepts that things are not going well. Pogue's tone is reasoned and nonsensationalized, and at times he's even reassuring as he offers best-practice survival tips. His final chapter is all about hope: successful interventions, large-scale cooperative movements, and promising innovations in everything from fuel sources to future foods. His final message? Prepare. That's one thing readers can control, and this extensive guide offers lots to think about and plenty of practical advice.

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