The Future We Choose

The Future We Choose Plot Summary

Introduction

We are standing at a precipice in human history. Scientists have been warning us about climate change since the 1930s, with certainty since 1960 when geochemist Charles Keeling measured rising CO2 levels in Earth's atmosphere. Yet for decades, we've continued pursuing economic growth through unbridled extraction and burning of fossil fuels, wreaking havoc on the very ecosystems that sustain us. The crisis has catapulted from an existential challenge to a dire emergency as we rapidly approach limits beyond which Earth as we know it will cease to exist. The authors present two possible futures before us. The first is a world more than 3 degrees warmer by 2100 – a path of devastating consequences we're currently on. The second is a world where we limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius by cutting global emissions to half their current levels by 2030 and reaching net-zero by 2050. This book isn't just a warning; it's an invitation to take part in creating humanity's future with confidence that despite the daunting challenge, we collectively have what it takes to address climate change now. For anyone concerned about our planet's future, this roadmap offers both stark reality and profound hope, showing that we still have time – though vanishingly little – to create a world where things not only stabilize but actually get better.

Chapter 1: Two Futures: The Stark Choice Before Us

Geological time is typically slow and measured. For 12,000 years, the Holocene epoch provided relatively stable temperatures, fluctuating only 1 degree Celsius above or below the average. This environmental stability allowed humans to evolve from small tribes of approximately ten thousand people to develop agriculture, build cities, and grow to today's population of 7.7 billion. Yet in just the past fifty years, we've severely undermined Earth's environmental integrity. Due to unbridled fossil fuel use and vast deforestation, atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations now exceed anything seen since well before the last ice age. Half of the world's tropical forests have vanished, wildlife populations have declined by 60 percent on average, and oceans have absorbed over 90 percent of the excess heat we've produced, killing half the world's coral reefs already. This rapid destruction has pushed us out of the benevolent Holocene into the Anthropocene – a new geological period dominated by human impact rather than natural processes. For the first time ever, humans are the prime drivers of large-scale climate change. While many analyses of the Anthropocene assume increasing destruction as its defining feature, the authors take a radically different view. They argue that devastation is a growing possibility but not yet our inevitable fate. The beginning of this period has indeed been painfully marked, but the full story hasn't been written. We still hold the pen and can choose to write a story of regeneration of both nature and the human spirit. The choices we make in the coming decade will determine whether our future holds increasing disaster or renewal. We have only two options – continue on our current path toward a world more than 3 degrees warmer, or take decisive action to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Chapter 2: The World We Are Creating: A 3-Degree Warmer Planet

It's 2050. Beyond the emissions reductions registered in 2015, no further efforts were made to control emissions. We are heading for a world that will be more than 3 degrees warmer by 2100, and the consequences are already severe. The first thing that hits you is the air – hot, heavy, and often clogged with particulate pollution. Your eyes water constantly. You check your phone before opening windows to see the air quality, which is frequently dangerous. Southeast Asia and Central Africa lose more lives to filthy air than Europe or the United States. Oceans, forests, plants, and soil that once absorbed half our carbon dioxide emissions are now compromised – forests have been logged or consumed by wildfire, and permafrost is belching greenhouse gases into an already overburdened atmosphere. The increasing heat is suffocating, and vast regions of the planet are becoming increasingly inhospitable to humans. Tipping points have been passed – coral reefs have vanished, and the Arctic ice sheets have melted, accelerating warming as dark sea water absorbs more heat. Extreme hurricanes and tropical storms occur with increasing frequency, causing brutal infrastructure destruction and flooding that kills thousands and displaces millions. Cities like Miami, Shanghai, and Dhaka are becoming uninhabitable as sea levels rise. Extreme heat has made regions like central India nearly impossible to live in, with temperatures reaching 60 degrees Celsius (140 Fahrenheit) for over forty-five days per year. Food production swings wildly depending on where you live. More people are starving than ever before as climate zones shift and extreme weather disrupts agriculture. Countries hoard resources as disasters rage and trade routes are choked off. Income inequality has never been this stark or dangerous. Mass migrations to less affected areas spark refugee crises, civil unrest, and bloodshed over diminished resources. Nations have effectively shut their borders, their wallets, and their eyes to the suffering. The psychological toll is mounting. With each new tipping point passed, hope slips away. The demise of the human species is discussed more frequently, with suicides representing the most obvious manifestation of prevailing despair. A sense of bottomless loss, unbearable guilt, and fierce resentment toward previous generations who didn't do what was necessary permeates society. This is the world we are creating if we fail to act.

Chapter 3: The World We Must Create: Limiting Warming to 1.5 Degrees

It is 2050. We have been successful at halving emissions every decade since 2020. We are heading for a world that will be no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius warmer by 2100, and the transformation has been remarkable. In most places, the air is moist and fresh, even in cities. It feels like walking through a forest – and very likely you are. Trees are everywhere. The proliferation of trees wasn't the single solution required, but it bought us the time needed to vanquish carbon emissions. Corporate donations and public money funded the biggest tree-planting campaign in history, taking carbon dioxide out of the air and putting it back where it belongs – in the soil. Cities have never been better places to live, with many more trees and far fewer cars. Streets have been reclaimed for urban agriculture and children's play. Every vacant lot and grimy alley has been repurposed into shady groves. The forest cover worldwide is now 50 percent, and agriculture has evolved to become more tree-based. We have shady groves of nut and fruit orchards, timberland interspersed with grazing, and parkland areas that spread for miles. New electric railways crisscross landscapes, replacing domestic flights with high-speed rail networks. The US Train Initiative was a monumental public project that sparked the economy for a decade, creating millions of jobs and retraining those displaced by the dying fossil fuel economy. Energy now comes primarily from renewable sources – wind, solar, geothermal, and hydro. All homes and buildings produce their own electricity through solar paint containing nanoparticles that harvest energy from sunlight, and every windy spot has wind turbines. Energy is basically free due to the absence of combustion costs, and it's more abundant and efficiently used than ever. For developing nations, this transition opened doors to improved sanitation, education, and healthcare. Food production and procurement have become communal efforts. Regenerative farming practices have replaced industrial agriculture, and most people buy food from local farmers and producers. Buildings, neighborhoods, and families form food purchase groups for weekly deliveries. Growing food in community gardens, on rooftops, and in vertical balcony gardens has become commonplace. Animal protein and dairy have nearly disappeared from diets, replaced by plant-based alternatives so good that most people don't notice the absence. The zeitgeist has shifted profoundly. Collectively as citizens, corporations, and governments, we now adhere to a new bottom line: "Is it good for humanity whether profit is made or not?" By addressing the causes of climate change, we emerged as more mature members of the community of life, capable not only of restoring ecosystems but also of unfolding our dormant potentials of human strength and discernment.

Chapter 4: Three Mindsets: Optimism, Abundance, and Regeneration

Our future is unwritten. It will be shaped by who we choose to be now. The most powerful thing we can do is change how we behave in the complex landscape of climate challenges, becoming catalysts for overall change. When faced with an urgent task, we often move quickly to "doing" without first reflecting on "being" – what we personally bring to the task. And the most important thing we can bring is our state of mind. The authors identify three mindsets that are fundamental to creating a better world: Stubborn Optimism, Endless Abundance, and Radical Regeneration. These mindsets are not new – we can find examples in famous historical figures – but the future requires that they become prevalent among us all. These qualities are innate human capacities that can be called forth, nurtured, and developed through daily practice. Stubborn Optimism is about having steadfast confidence in our ability to solve big challenges. Psychologically, we can transform our attitudes by identifying our thought patterns and deliberately cultivating a more constructive approach. When your mind tells you that it's too late to make a difference, remember that every fraction of a degree of extra warming makes a big difference. When it tells you that the problem is the broken political system, remind yourself that political systems are still responsive to people's views. Optimism is not the result of achieving a task but the necessary input to meeting a challenge. Endless Abundance shifts us from a scarcity mindset to one of collaboration. We've reached existential scarcity – limits to the survival of many ecosystems that sustain us. The Amazon's destruction or Arctic permafrost thawing affects the entire planet; we all win or lose together. The new paradigm encourages the shared pursuit of benefits of emissions reductions for individual nations and the collective. By moving from competition to collaboration, we liberate ourselves from "what I want" to what is available for everyone. Radical Regeneration recognizes that we've brought our natural world to several perilous brinks from which it may not recover on its own. Our first responsibility is to notice when we are depleted and support ourselves through practices like meditation, gardening, or time in nature. Our second is to strengthen regenerative capacity with family and friends. Our third is to engage those beyond our inner circle and nature itself. A regenerative mindset bridges the gap between how nature works (regeneration) and how humans have organized lives (extraction), allowing us to redesign human presence on Earth. These three mindsets form the foundation for the ten actions we must take to create the regenerative future we desire.

Chapter 5: Ten Essential Actions: From Fossil Fuels to Reforestation

To meet the challenges of the climate crisis while preserving democracy, social justice, and human rights, we must make profound shifts in how we live, work, and relate to each other. The authors outline ten necessary actions that everyone can take to help create a regenerative future. These actions aren't just about minor lifestyle changes; they're about transforming our priorities to create a future where all may thrive. First, we must let go of the old world by honoring the past, then moving forward. Fossil fuels have boosted humanity's development, but their continued use is no longer supportable. We must build resilience to nostalgia and burst out of our bubbles by getting to know people with different views. Second, we must face our grief while holding a vision of the future. The changes we're experiencing are disorienting, but we need to take responsibility by facing uncertainty with courage and holding onto a vision that inspires commitment. Third, we must defend the truth. In our "post-truth" era, science is under attack, and misinformation spreads rapidly. We should free our minds from confirmation bias, learn to distinguish between real science and pseudoscience, and not give up on reaching climate deniers through sincere listening. Fourth, we need to see ourselves as citizens, not consumers. We can reclaim our idea of a good life beyond consumption, become better consumers by voting with our money, and embrace the dematerialization trend where services replace ownership. Fifth, we must move beyond fossil fuels. This requires standing up for 100% renewable energy, making time-bound plans to reduce personal emissions by at least 60% by 2030, and addressing the biggest sources of emissions – transportation, heating, cooling, and flying. Sixth, we need to reforest the Earth. Trees can absorb carbon, cool cities, filter air, regulate water flow, and increase biodiversity. We should plant trees, allow nature to flourish through rewilding, adopt more plant-based diets, and boycott products contributing to deforestation. Seventh, we must invest in a clean economy that operates in harmony with nature. We can put our money where it matters by divesting from fossil fuels and investing in climate solutions. Eighth, we should use technology responsibly. Artificial intelligence and robotics could be our greatest allies or destroyers, so we need proper governance systems and investment in applying AI to climate solutions. Ninth, we must build gender equality. Women's leadership produces stronger climate action in companies, countries, and institutions. Their collaborative style and longer-term perspective are essential for the climate crisis response. Finally, we must engage in politics. Democracy is threatened by climate change and must evolve to meet the challenge. We should participate in nonviolent political movements, vote for leaders prioritizing climate action, and hold corporations accountable. The time for doing what we can has passed. Each of us must now do what is necessary.

Chapter 6: Beyond Crisis: Rewriting Our Story of Human Potential

When the story changes, everything changes. Right now, the predominant narratives about the climate crisis aren't very inspiring. But a new story can reinvigorate our efforts and transform our approach to this existential challenge. Consider how the United States responded when the Soviet Union launched Sputnik I in 1957. President Kennedy soon gave his famous speech about landing a man on the moon within a decade – a feat far more challenging than launching a satellite. He reclaimed the narrative and placed Americans inside a hopeful story where they could prevail. This vision made even a NASA janitor feel he was "putting a man on the moon" when asked about his role. Similarly, during the blitzkrieg raids of 1941, Winston Churchill embedded a new story into Britain's national psyche – an island alone facing its greatest hour, a generation that would fight on beaches and streets and never surrender. This narrative created a spirit of shared endeavor where even growing vegetables became an act of service. Today, we've reached the limits of both our planet's ability to sustain life and the stories that define our lives. Personal achievement through individualistic competition, continuous consumption, skepticism about our collective capacity, and blindness to our impacts on the planet – all these narratives have exhausted their usefulness. We must move toward understanding our shared existence not as a nice addendum but as a matter of survival. Our quest for a regenerative future has even higher complexity and consequence than putting a man on the moon or defeating Hitler. It requires all nations and peoples to come together despite our differences, recognizing that we fundamentally share everything important: the desire to forge a better world for everyone alive today and generations to come. When future generations look into our eyes and ask what we did, our answer cannot just be that we did everything we could. It must be that we did everything that was necessary. Let us begin today to tell the story of how we didn't balk at this seemingly insurmountable challenge, how we weren't defeated by setbacks, how we pulled away from the brink of peril and took responsibility to emerge from crisis while rekindling our relationships with each other and the natural systems that enable human life. Let it be a story of great adventure against overwhelming odds – a story of survival and a thriving existence. The time for action is now, and we are the ones who must write this new chapter in human history.

Summary

The climate crisis represents the most consequential challenge humanity has ever faced, but it also offers our greatest opportunity for transformation. Throughout the book, a central tension emerges: between the extractive, competitive, short-term thinking that has created our crisis and the regenerative, collaborative, long-term mindset needed to solve it. This isn't just about technology or policy, but about a fundamental shift in how we understand ourselves in relation to each other and the natural world. The authors show that we are at an inflection point – a decisive decade where the future of human civilization hangs in the balance. The path forward requires both personal and systemic change. First, we must cultivate the mindsets of stubborn optimism, endless abundance, and radical regeneration in our own lives – approaching challenges with determined confidence, seeing collaborative possibilities where others see scarcity, and actively supporting nature's regenerative capacity. Second, we must channel these mindsets into concrete actions: divesting from fossil fuels, reforesting the Earth, embracing clean technologies, supporting women's leadership, and engaging politically. The authors remind us that what feels impossible is often merely difficult, and that humans have overcome seemingly insurmountable challenges before through collective action and changed narratives. We have everything we need to create a regenerative future – the only question is whether we will choose to use it in time.

About Author

Loading...

Christiana Figueres

Read more