Saving Us: A Climate Scientist's Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World

Katharine Hayhoe

Sept 2021 · Sold by Simon and Schuster

About this eBook

United Nations Champion of the Earth, climate scientist, and evangelical Christian Katharine Hayhoe changes the debate on how we can save our future in this nationally bestselling “optimistic view on why collective action is still possible—and how it can be realized” (The New York Times).

Called “one of the nation’s most effective communicators on climate change” by The New York Times, Katharine Hayhoe knows how to navigate all sides of the conversation on our changing planet. A Canadian climate scientist living in Texas, she negotiates distrust of data, indifference to imminent threats, and resistance to proposed solutions with ease. Over the past fifteen years Hayhoe has found that the most important thing we can do to address climate change is talk about it—and she wants to teach you how.

In Saving Us, Hayhoe argues that when it comes to changing hearts and minds, facts are only one part of the equation. We need to find shared values in order to connect our unique identities to collective action. This is not another doomsday narrative about a planet on fire. It is a multilayered look at science, faith, and human psychology, from an icon in her field—recently named chief scientist at The Nature Conservancy.

Drawing on interdisciplinary research and personal stories, Hayhoe shows that small conversations can have astonishing results. Saving Us leaves us with the tools to open a dialogue with your loved ones about how we all can play a role in pushing forward for change.

Ratings and reviews

Terrific book about strategies for engaging people on climate change. The connection to the pandemic is astute, and I'd add the "stop the steal" campaign of lies which is ripping apart our democracy. One problem: it ignores the biggest forces feeding tribalism, which are hateful propaganda from outlets like Fox News and oil and gas funding for some (but not all) of this anti-science propaganda. Unless and until we can deal with this, it will be nearly impossible to remove this scourge from our society, and many will continue to be deceived. Many whom we successfully engage using these tactics will also backslide to their "alternative facts" comfort zones which will undo much or all of the progress we make. I want to be more optimistic but fear God's judgment will not be pretty. We can only pray, and use the tactics of loving engagement described here.

About the author

Katharine Hayhoe is a climate scientist and chief scientist for The Nature Conservancy. She is also the Endowed Professor in Public Policy and Public Law and Paul W. Horn Distinguished Professor at Texas Tech University. She has been named a United Nations Champion of the Earth and one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People, and serves as the climate ambassador for the World Evangelical Alliance. Katharine was a lead author for the US Second, Third, and Fourth National Climate Assessments, hosts the PBS digital series Global Weirding, and has written for The New York Times. Her TED Talk “The Most Important Thing You Can Do to Fight Climate Change: Talk About It” has been viewed over 5 million times. She has a BSc in physics and astronomy from the University of Toronto and an MS and a PhD in atmospheric science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.