"How can we undo our failures if we are unable to admit that we have failed?" This question lies at the crux of The Climate Book by Greta Thunberg. It's the most difficult of the many tough questions posed by this book, yet it also offers the possibility of a path forward, suggesting that with enough strength to make different choices, we can prevent the worst of our shared climate catastrophe. It's this brutally honest yet cautiously constructive approach that makes The Climate Book vital reading, particularly for those living in the Global North.

Thunberg punctuates the book with her own essays—on climate science, what she's heard from political leaders, lessons from her activism—but the majority of the text consists of contributions from experts across a wide spectrum of fields. Thus, leaders in geology, atmospheric science, oceanography, and all types of plant and ...