The Climate Diet

February 15, 2021
This is no cookbook but rather an accessible pocket guide to the climate-focused lifestyle and reducing one's carbon footprint. Greenberg is a bestselling environmental writer whose previous books (Four Fish, American Catch) have focused on the oceans. In his latest, he begins with the brutal fact that the average American is responsible for 16 metric tons of carbon emissions each year, three times that of the average European: "There is no way to avoid it: the world desperately needs America to go on a climate diet." Using diet as a metaphor, Greenberg proposes a list of small, "maintainable changes" to keep us on track. He pulls together advice on everything from flying and commuting to lesser-known long-term solutions, such as turning your yard into a carbon sink by converting lawn to forest and investing in a heat pump system. Regarding energy use, "change the grid if you can't get off it." Of course, food choice is also important. You don't have to be a vegan, he writes (vegans have their own carbon issues), but it's vital for us to cut back on the meat and cheese and be dietary "climatarians." In the process, the author drives home a salient point: Whatever the role of governments in curtailing carbon use, it's up to each citizen to make their own sensible choices. Those who do so are well positioned to lobby for action on the policy level. Not all of Greenberg's suggestions will appeal: For example, should we really have fewer children (or none) so the population of the U.S. will hold steady or shrink? Still, the author provides a quick and timely read that covers a lot of ground and will help get America thinking as a new presidential administration moves in with climate change as a core concern. A solid manifesto for the climate-focused life.

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May 3, 2021
America needs “to go on a climate diet,” advises science writer Greenberg (Goodbye Phone, Hello World) in this accessible and practical guide to no longer being “carbon obese.” For starters, Greenberg suggest eating less meat and cheese, as raising cattle is a carbon dioxide-intense endeavor. Vegetables, meanwhile, when purchased from local farms, keep small businesses running and “save land from real estate development, which can in and of itself be good for emissions reduction.” He also offers smaller-scale tips on the food front, such as “make oysters your appetizer instead of shrimp” (farmed shrimp are an emissions nightmare). Branching out from food, Greenberg proposes cutting ties with big banks that invest substantially in fossil fuels, and putting money into clean energy companies and “institutions moving toward renewables.” Readers can also invest in community solar projects and replace old appliances with more efficient ones. Though not especially earth-shattering, Greenberg’s recommendations are straightforward, and his conviction will inspire: never, he exhorts, “should we lie down before this rising sea of troubles” and “accept the futility of opposing them.” Those who are eager to do their part to fight climate change but are unsure where to start would do well to pick this up. Agent: David McCormick, McCormick Literary.