The Future We Choose

Introduction to the Vintage Books Edition (2021)
The Critical Decade
 
We wrote this book before COVID-19 crashed into our world. In fact, we managed only the first three stops on a planned yearlong book tour before we rushed to our respective homes and into a global lockdown that has changed everything. Since then we have been shocked at how many aspects of both the dystopian and the desirable futures we describe in this book suddenly came into relief and stark contrast with each other.
 
More than ever, we are determined to play our part in ensuring our future is one that we deliberately choose, rather than one we stumble into blindly.
 
 
We have seen the world on fire, from the Amazon rain forest to California and from Australia to the Arctic. The hour is late, and the moment of consequence, so long delayed, is now upon us. Do we watch the world burn, or do we choose to do what is necessary to achieve a different future?
 
Who we understand ourselves to be determines the choice we will make. That choice determines what will become of us. The choice is both simple and complex, but above all it is urgent. The next decade will be the most consequential in human history. We are choosing between two utterly contrasting futures, one to be feared and the other to be proud of. This book presents three mindsets that are essential for making the wiser choice. We can do this.
 
We remember a twelve-year-old girl marching with her friends down Sixteenth Street in Washington, D.C., at ten a.m. on a Friday, holding up a hand-painted sign of the Earth enveloped in red flames. In London, grown-up demonstrators dressed in black and wearing riot-police headgear form a human chain blocking traffic at Piccadilly Circus, as others glue themselves to the pavement in front of the headquarters of BP. In Seoul, South Korea, the streets teem with elementary schoolchildren sporting multicolored backpacks and carrying banners that say

CHRISTIANA FIGUERES and TOM RIVETT-CARNAC are cohosts of the leading climate change podcast, Outrage + Optimism, and are cofounders of Global Optimism, an organization dedicated to changing narratives and beliefs and inspiring governments, companies, and citizens to protect what they love from the damages of the climate crisis. Figueres is the former executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, where Rivett-Carnac served as her political strategist. They are known for a unique form of collaborative diplomacy, which led to the unanimous signing of the landmark Paris Agreement on climate change by 195 countries.

This is one of the most inspiring books I have ever read. Yuval Harari

The Paris Agreement was a landmark for humankind. In this timely and important book, two of the principal creators of that agreement show us why and how we can now realize its promise. I hope it is widely read and acted on. Jane Goodall

Figueres and Rivett-Carnac dare to tell us how our response can create a better, fairer world. Naomi Klein

There could not be a more important book. Richard Branson

A book that shepherds climate activism from changing mental states to changing the world. . . . Th e authors recommend a mindset for climate activism that rests on three attitudes: radical optimism, endless abundance, and radical regeneration. Forbes

Inspiring. . . . A practically minded manifesto for personal action in the face of climate change. Kirkus Reviews

The book takes a hard look at the frightening realities of climate change but concludes that humanity can still deal with this threat. Moreover, the book presents the existential challenge of climate change as a unique opportunity to build a more just world and to make ourselves better people. Most importantly, the book adopts a very practical approach and suggests ten concrete actions that each of us can take in order to create a better future for all the residents of planet Earth. I hope we all take this message to heart. Yuval Noah Harari, bestselling author of Sapiens and 21 Lessons for the 21st Century

This could be the most important wake- up call of our times. Klaus Schwab, CEO, World Economic Forum