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Being the Change

Live Well and Spark a Climate Revolution

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Being the Change

By: Peter Kalmus
Narrated by: Nate Drury
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About this listen

Life on one-tenth the fossil fuels can be awesome.

We all want to be happy. Yet as we consume ever more in a frantic bid for happiness, global warming worsens.

Alarmed by drastic changes now occurring in the Earth's climate systems, the author, a climate scientist and suburban father of two, embarked on a journey to change his life and the world. He began by bicycling, growing food, meditating, and making other simple, fulfilling changes. Ultimately, he slashed his climate impact to under a tenth of the US average and became happier in the process.

Being the Change explores the connections between our individual daily actions and our collective predicament. It merges science, spirituality, and practical action to develop a satisfying and appropriate response to global warming.

Part one exposes our interconnected predicament: overpopulation, global warming, industrial agriculture, growth-addicted economics, a sold-out political system, and a mindset of separation from nature. It also includes a readable but authoritative overview of climate science. Part two offers a response at once obvious and unprecedented: mindfully opting out of this broken system and aligning our daily lives with the biosphere.

The core message is deeply optimistic: Living without fossil fuels is not only possible, it can be better.

Peter Kalmus is an atmospheric scientist at Caltech/Jet Propulsion Laboratory with a PhD in physics from Columbia University. He lives in suburban Altadena, California, with his wife and two children on one-tenth the fossil fuels of the average American. Peter speaks purely on his own behalf, not on behalf of NASA or Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Please note: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2017 Peter Kalmus (P)2020 New Society Publishers
Environment Personal Development Sustainable & Green Living Happiness Sustainability Palaeontology California Pollution Ecosystem

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Essential reading

A thorough overview of the climate emergency and what needs to be done at both a global societal level and an individual level. The suggestions for individual actions are practical and varied, acknowledging that what is possible for some people might not work for others. I appreciated that while the stark reality of the situation wasn’t diluted, there was a strong thread of hope woven throughout the book. I will definitely read it again.

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Being the change

I really enjoyed Peters descriptions of a combination of hard atmospheric science, human psychology, spirituality and frank comedy with the incredibly serious and pressing issue of climate breakdown. Even though I am reasonably scientifically literate I had to concentrate hard in certain sections to understand. Overall an excellent scientific overview as well as great approaches to practical navigation of life in the climate change era. Highly recommend.

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