November 16, 2022
The Climate Optimist Handbook:
How to Shift the Narrative on Climate Change and Find the Courage to Choose Change
Anne Therese Gennari
Aviva Publishing (2022)
ISBN: 978-1636182063
New Book Reveals Reasons to Be Optimistic About Climate Change
Anne Therese Gennari has been concerned about climate change for most of her life. In the past, she was surprised and depressed that more people did not take it as seriously as she did, and she suffered from climate change anxiety about what the future might hold. Over time, however, she came to realize that if humans could cause global warming, pollution, and the other issues we face today, they also have the ability to resolve them and use advances in technology to create a better world. Today, Gennari envisions a future of electric cars, fresh air, and sustainability. She has written The Climate Optimist Handbook: How to Shift the Narrative on Climate Change and Find the Courage to Choose Change to help others understand why we have reason for hope and how they can become leaders in bringing about the future we all want.
Gennari opens with a powerful statement that makes her position clear:
“The climate crisis is not a climate problem, nor is it an environmental, political, or economical problem. It is a human problem. We are in this mess because of humans, and humans are the only ones who can get us out of it. Therefore, although this book is about a lot of things, and a great deal about climate, it’s mainly about humans.
“It’s a book about you.”
From there, Gennari launches into a series of short chapters about how we can individually make a difference; she provides information on how to promote ways to counter climate change and transform the planet so it is better for everyone. She asks us to be heroes, stating, “You are the change. All you have to do is say yes to activate your power.” She clarifies that if we just give ourselves permission to believe in a better world, we can become excited about our role in making that world possible.
Gennari may be an optimist, but she’s also a realist. She tells us it’s not our fault the world is the way it is right now, and she acknowledges how busy our lives are and how insurmountable the obstacles can seem; in fact, it’s human nature not to react under dire circumstances. Instead, we must shift the narrative so we feel inspired to react positively. She calls for “retruthing,” which she defines as “The willingness to question what is and to let go of ideas, thoughts, and perceptions as they have lived in our heads up until now to create a sustainable and more compassionate world.” By retruthing, we can step out of denial and into empowered action.
Realism is also apparent in many of the facts Gennari states about climate change to convince us we need to act, some of which truly surprised me and made me realize I needed to do more. For example, 50 percent of all plastic produced is for single-use purposes. As Gennari explains, plastic is so strong it will outlive all of us, yet we use it once and throw it away, which is absurd. She quotes fellow climate optimist Andreas Karelas, who states, “It’s actually cheaper now to save the planet than it is to destroy it. Meaning, it’s more expensive to destroy the planet than it is to save it, so [climate change] is no longer an inconvenient truth [referring to Al Gore’s film An Inconvenient Truth]; it’s a convenient truth!”
Gennari also tells us to quit blaming ourselves and others. In fact, one of her chapters is titled, “Don’t Be an Angry Vegan.” She acknowledges it is impossible to live in the modern world without leaving a footprint. And she has learned how to shift her focus from minimizing her negative footprint to maximizing her positive one.
Gennari also knows shifting our mindsets is a process. She divides the book into five sections to help us gradually make that shift. The sections are titled: Shifting the Narrative, Choosing Change, Awareness and Healing, Choosing Optimism, and Choosing Empowerment. Each section is divided into several short chapters. It’s a big topic, but if you read a chapter a day, you can think about each issue in small doses that will help you adapt to our changing reality and accept what needs to be done. You will take a journey that will help you do everything from learning how to cope with negative climate change news to learning how to share your optimism with others in productive ways that will help them rethink their own responses to climate change.
The Climate Optimist Handbook is not bogged down with bad news or astounding facts, though there are several, but rather, it is about how you can make a difference. Gennari is not advocating a burden be placed on our shoulders to save the world, but a way we can each help make the world better. As she states, “Figuring out sustainable lifestyle hacks is not a task or burden; it’s an adventure! It gives me what I call rebel sanity, knowing at least I know I’m doing what I can to make a difference in this world.” She adds, “as long as you do you instead of shaming other people into doing what you think is right, you are planting powerful seeds.”
If you are still doubtful about climate change, Gennari warns that denial and attempts to stay ignorant are probably making you more stressed than if you just accept our climate reality and seek to make positive change. That change can begin with reading The Climate Optimist Handbook. I guarantee you will come away feeling better about the future and also inspired and empowered to help create a future we can all enjoy. It’s time to get optimistic.
For more information about Anne Therese Gennari and The Climate Optimist Handbook, visit www.TheClimateOptimist.com.
— Tyler R. Tichelaar, PhD and award-winning author of Narrow Lives and The Best Place
