I Want a Better Catastrophe

An existential manual for tragic optimists, can-do pessimists, and compassionate doomersWith global warming projected to rocket past the 1.5 DegreesC limit, lifelong activist Andrew Boyd is thrown into a crisis of hope, and off on a quest to learn how to live with the "impossible news" of our climate doom.He searches out eight of today's leading climate thinkers - from activist Tim DeChristopher to collapse-psychologist Jamey Hecht, grassroots strategist adrienne maree brown, eco-philosopher Joana Macy, and Indigenous botanist Robin Wall Kimmerer - asking them: "Is it really the end of the world? and if so, now what?"With gallows humor and a broken heart, Boyd steers readers through their climate angst as he walks his own. Boyd's journey takes him from storm-battered coastlines to pipeline blockades and "hopelessness workshops." Along the way, he maps out our existential options, and tackles some familiar dilemmas: "Should I bring kids into such a world?" "Can I lose hope when others can't afford to?" and "Why the fuck am I recycling?"He finds answers that will surprise, inspire, and maybe even make you laugh. Drawing on wisdom traditions Eastern, Western, and Indigenous, Boyd crafts an insightful and irreverent guide for achieving a "better catastrophe."This is vital reading for everyone navigating climate anxiety and grief as our world hurtles towards an unthinkable crisis.AWARDSBRONZE | 2023 Living Now Book Awards: Social Activism / Charity