November 2019
“Als es uns gelungen ist, unsere Erde zu retten…”
“When we managed to save our Earth…”
Illustrated and released in 2019 after the publication of the IPCC Report 2018 on climate change, this book vividly illustrates two of the potential climate scenarios outlined in the report: one scenario in which >3° warming has taken place by 2080, in which we see extensive environmental degradation and species loss, and one in which we successfully limit warming to 1,5° by 2080 and avert a climate catastrophe. The book can be read from two sides, each side detailing one of the scenarios. In the middle of the book is a section that outlines how to get engaged to fight against climate change. The text was written by Marie Heitfeld and the book was published by Germanwatch e.V.
It is available for download or to order here (in German language only):
1,5ºC: When we managed to save our Earth
The first, “best-case” scenario outlines a journey into a future in which governments, NGOs and individuals have collaborated constructively and focused research into renewable energies and cleaner methods of agriculture, transport, and climate change prevention.
3ºC: When we failed to stop the climate crisis
The second, “worst-case” scenario outlines a journey into a future in which governments have failed to collaborate to prevent a climate crisis. We see a future in which greenhouse gas emissions are unregulated, extreme weather has led to a climate refugee crisis, and a loss of biodiversity in oceans and on land has led to a shortage of food availability.
Solutions?
The middle section of the book outlines solutions that readers can undertake to challenge and slow climate change at both individual and systemic levels. This includes reducing one’s own carbon footprint e.g. by recycling, avoiding air travel, or eating vegetarian or vegan, as well as advocating for changes at larger scales through activism, conscientious spending, and political engagement.
