New Book Display: Carbon & Climate

Activists, artists, citizens, diplomats, economists, lobbyists, media, political leaders, and scientists gathered together in Glasgow, Scotland, this past November at an historic and critical summit, the 26th annual climate conference, represented by countries bound by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. They were united with a common concern: our dependence on fossil fuels which heat our homes, run our vehicles, and generate power for industry and manufacturing, but which fundamentally place limits on life. Said Sir David Attenburgh, British documentarian, natural historian, and author, “We are, after all, the greatest problem solvers to have ever existed on Earth. If working apart, we are a force powerful enough to destabilize our planet. Surely working together, we are powerful enough to save it.”

Without carbon dioxide Earth would be unbearably cold since it traps heat close to our planet and helps keep us warm. However, too much carbon dioxide in the atmosphere serves to accelerate climate change to the detriment of our health; it causes compromised supplies of food and water; greater risk of illness and death from infectious diseases; and devastating weather events, like hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards, droughts, and fires. Melting polar ice caps, rising sea levels, and disruptions in natural habitats are indicative of global warming which threatens the survival of species, ecological balance, and well-being of nature, as well as humans.

Did you know that carbon dioxide constitutes approximately four fifths of all greenhouse gasses, and that transportation, with the burning of fossil fuels (oil, coal, natural gas), geologically formed from the remains of dead plants and animals, generates the largest proportion of carbon emissions -- roughly 29%? Carbon dioxide emissions from cars, trucks, planes, and boats cause smog and pollution, harmful to humans, living creatures, and the environment. Passenger cars produce approximately 41% of global transportation emissions which equaled 7.3 billion metric tons in 2020 alone. Particularly in suburban United States where it's common for a family to have two, sometimes three vehicles, the car culture is consuming us with a deadlier price tag.

Cleaner modes of transport, including public transit, electric vehicles, biking, and walking, help reduce our carbon footprint, as will taking fewer flights in favor of trains or boats. Can we get to "net zero" emissions by taking certain steps in our daily lives to change our behavior and together work towards a smarter, more sensible way of living? Carbon and Climate invites us to examine the overarching question of CO2 emissions, from individual to corporate responsibility, educational to economic concern, political to health implication, present to future life. 

Carbon and Climate is curated by Jennifer Govan, Library Director and Senior Librarian, and designed by Trisha Barton, Lead Designer.

Where: Online

At the Everett News Cafe, you'll find a new book collection every few weeks that relates to current events, education, or learning environments.

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