A brief but important book from former Taoiseach Mary Robinson, this book doesn't get too deep into the science of climate change, but focuses instead on giving voice to the voiceless who are directly impacted by it.

Author Mary Robinson was the first woman president of Ireland, serving from 1990 to 1997; afterward, she served as United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights from 1997 to 2002. She was also an honorary president of the global development charity Oxfam.

In November of 2016, Robinson was in Marrakech for UN climate change talks; Donald Trump’s election seemed like proof that America was retreating into apathy about the environment. She was determined to “forge ahead, with or without the United States,” and in Climate Justice she and journalist Caitríona Palmer profile admirable individuals who are coping with climate disasters in vulnerable areas and pointing the way to a sustainable future.

From cattle farmers in Chad to the Yupik people who fish Alaska’s west coast, the people most affected by climate change are generally those who are least equipped to deal with it due to poverty and a lack of political representation. Robinson and Palmer highlight inspiring stories of ordinary people who are making a difference for the environment—especially women who have become “agents of change.”

These include women like Vu Thi Hien, who works on forest preservation in Vietnam, and Australian skincare entrepreneur Natalie Isaacs, who tackles plastic waste. After Hurricane Katrina, Sharon Hanshaw of Biloxi, Mississippi, became an “accidental activist,” founding Coastal Women for Change to draw attention to the unfairness of how low-income survivors were treated.

Robinson always keeps one eye on the future. She ponders how climate change will affect her grandson’s generation and regrets her own carbon footprint. Instead of blaming governments, she believes we must all take responsibility for our environmental impact; she offers simple strategies such as cutting meat consumption. Living sustainably is a universal goal in Robinson’s envisioned “‘people first’ platform.”

American environmentalists could really use a shot in the arm right now, and this story-telling book by the former president of Ireland and climate change activist may be just the ticket. She has the experience to lend international context to the effort to mitigate climate change, and she shares the stories of 11 individuals from all over the world who are experiencing climate change first hand. In so many ways, individual stories of suffering but also empowerment are more effective at inspiring activism than statistics. I hearken from the land of science and statistics (for instance, I really want to tell you that only 2 of the 11 people featured in the book are male), but we must never lose sight of the fact that climate change is a fundamentally human topic. It's man-made, and humans stand to lose the most from it. Mother Earth is gonna do just fine -- she has survived many catastrophes before. Humanity is far more frail. So these stories focus on climate justice, the social implications of climate change and why it's so important to fight the rising tide.

It's a wonderful and timely font of inspiration. This December, there will be another climate summit focused on implementing the Paris Accord, and our federal government will be, let's say, underrepresented. But they are not the only players. The voices that matter are those who are engaged in this fight for justice. And there are a lot of us.

I got a copy to review from Net Galley.

I really enjoyed this accessible and inspiring look at climate change, its affects around the globe, and its intersection with poverty and inequality. Told mostly through stories on how various "everyday people" around the world are doing their own work to halt and reverse the devastating effects of climate change, Mary Robinson (former president of Ireland and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights) makes this issue personal and relatable, and while she does raise the alarm at the current and potential future issues arising from climate change, she also highlights solutions both big and small.

A timely and powerful read about the state of the world - literally. Former President of Ireland, Mary Robinson, uses her extensive political and diplomatic experience to implore readers to think of people we will never meet, but whose very lives and livelihoods are in jeopardy based on how we conduct our own. If you feel conflicted while and after reading this book, it's time to assess our complicity and make lasting changes to reverse what harm we've already done.

This is a powerful look at climate change from the perspective of a leader who has had the opportunity to speak with the marginalized people most impacted by this global threat. What I loved most about this book is that she tells the story from a variety of powerful perspectives, highlighting the critical need to act immediately. More importantly, the author offers a voice for people who have routinely been ignored but are directly and negatively impacted by climate change. These inspiring individuals lack the resources the rest of us take for granted, but they've all take steps to speak up and seek help to preserve the health and well-being of their people and cultures.

This book will encourage you to do more as an individual, but it will take communities, corporations, and leaders to make the changes that are necessary for true progress. This book asks us to remember the poverty-stricken people in all areas of the world most impacted by these choices, and acknowledge we can and should do better starting now.

I received an e-copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.