A wave of books for the heat

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It is very hot this summer, it is true.

That the climate is changing and we live beyond the limits of a planet of finite resources, too.

And that temperatures are higher in cities is a fact.

This heat wave can be, however, a good opportunity to take a break and read.

And immerse ourselves in issues that are current, but also future.

To do this, there are many books, both essay and narrative, that can refresh our minds this summer.

Here are some proposals to go through three different scenarios.

Present scenario: do we live aware of our eco-dependence?

It has been 50 years since the publication of

(1972), a commission from the MIT-Club of Rome, directed by Donella Meadows.

And it was already announcing a “humanity dilemma” that was rooted in an economic, social and moral model based on unlimited growth on a planet with finite resources.

Its rereading is interesting.

On the other hand, the sixth report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has recently been published, which offers a detailed assessment of the impacts, risks and adaptation to climate change in cities, where more than half of The world population.

And how people's health, lives and livelihoods are increasingly affected by heat waves, storms, droughts or floods.

To delve deeper, Juan Bordera and Antonio Turiel share the authorship of

(2022).

“What kind of thinking do we need for the journey ahead?” asks Kate Raworth, in

(2018).

The economist proposes a new framework within which humanity can develop in a fair and safe space, where, on the one hand, all people can satisfy their basic needs equally, and on the other, this happens within the biophysical limits of the planet. .

This essay is already essential if we are interested in rethinking the ways in which we inhabit the planet, our urban centers and their articulation with the territory.

From a different approach,

(2021) outlines a new philosophy of the “fabric of life”.

For which, the French philosopher and writer Baptiste Morizot starts from the hypothesis that "the current ecological crisis, more than a crisis of human societies, on the one hand, or of living beings, on the other, is a crisis of our relations

with living beings.

Urban scenario: And what about cities?

We know that the most intensely urbanized areas register higher temperatures than those with greater contact with the surrounding nature (heat island effect).

And the design of strategies to rethink urban environments is today more necessary than ever.

Some studies on "analog cities" estimate that in 2050, for example, the climate of Madrid will be that of today's Marrakech.

The most intensely urbanized areas register higher temperatures than those with greater contact with the surrounding nature (heat island effect).

To calmly break down urban issues, we can always use

(2008), a complete theoretical essay in which Edward W. Soja (University of California) carries out an in-depth review of urban worlds and their transformations throughout history. .

Hungry Cities

(2020), by Carolyn Steel, focuses on how cities eat.

And she examines the way modern food production has damaged the balance of human existence.

Since food shapes cities (

) and shapes the countryside that supplies them.

And it is that, effectively, our agri-food system has a much greater impact on living beings and territories than any other human activity.

The Cry of the Woods

is the novel for which Richard Powers received the 2019 Pulitzer Prize. In it, he develops, in a captivating way, intertwined stories of people, from diverse places, who share an essential conflict: the relationship of human beings with their natural environment.

future scenarios

In

(2020), the American Kim Stanley Robinson imagines how the climate crisis has affected us on a future planet.

He begins his novel with the description of an extreme heat wave in India, which one of the protagonists survives, despite the fact that he scars his life.

There is also an institution called "The Ministry of the Future" whose purpose is "to protect all living creatures, present and future."

A novel that captivates and, in some aspects, could remind us of those futuristic novels of the seventies, such as

(1974) by Ursula Le Guin, friend and inspiration for Robinson.

Or

(1975), by Ernest Callenbach, a science fiction story about a new country based on sustainability.

Another recent novel is

(2020), by Jean Hegland, based on the story of two sisters who have no choice but to face defending themselves alone in the forest when fossil fuels run out and the world that they knew collapses.

And finally, two books that propose possible futures (and with which we can practice languages):

(2019), by Rob Hopkins, well-known founder of the cities in transition network.

And

(2020), by Eric Holthaus, which invites us to rethink our relationship with the planet and makes proposals for a change of course for the next 20 years.

Stories, narratives, essays or images have always played a crucial role in the way we have learned to make sense of the world.

If we want to visit the great challenges of our time, this summer, too, there is much to choose from.

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