Climate change is a matter of great concern today.
Our planet hasn’t been the same as it once was. Humanity is at a difficult intersection because of the impact of climate change. Sadly, people are scared to breathe the air because they don’t know what’s in the air, or to take a sip of water, or eat non-organic foods. It is snowing in summer in places it shouldn’t be and at the same time, many countries are struggling with extreme heat, drought, and wildfires. People are scared because the world is changing in a way Mother Earth never wanted the earth to change. We’re in danger because of our own mistakes. Every day, food is being wasted, water is being contaminated, the soil is being polluted, and animals are harmed in the name of animal testing. These human activities have resulted in health hazards, ecological imbalance, and unpredictable weather. This is not the world our ancestors had in mind and the worst part is that nobody is doing anything about it. If we don’t do anything in a few years, life on earth will be extinct. Scientists have been getting arrested for protesting and advocating for climate change. Well, they’re right because we need to act now and be more aware of these issues of climate change crisis.
About two months ago, I had written a book review on the book Dress Coded by Carrie Firestone. A few days ago, the author came out with a new book called The First Rule of Climate Club. You will meet many young climate activists in this book about a climate club held in the main character’s school.
The main character is Mary Kate Murphy, an eighth-grade student who is prepared for her final year of middle school. She gets accepted into a Climate Club at school along with her best friend Lucy. However, Lucy is very sick from a mysterious illness and has been staying home until she gets better. Mary Kate joins the climate club class and meets a bunch of students who share an interest in climate change. In her city, Honey Hill, she noticed that several citizens of the county have been wasting food and leaving their cars running while picking up their children without a second thought. Mary Kate and her new friends from the climate club decide to work together to help Honey Hill have a brighter future by educating others. However, their mayor, Mayor Grimely, doesn’t seem to agree with their ideas to protect the environment and doesn’t want to listen to their new project. Mary Kate and her friends decide to come up with a plan and help out Charlotte Lane, a lady who is running for mayor. Ms. Lane cares about climate change. Mary Kate and her friends have hope that Honey Hill will have a brighter future in the next few years. What will happen next? Will Ms. Lane win the election? Will Mary Kate’s tough life come back together? Will the young climate activist get success through podcasts, letters, and protests? If you’re interested in advocacy and activism then I recommend this book to you!
There are several important topics covered in this book. Some important themes are diversity, activism, climate change, friendship, teamwork, and systemic racism. What I really liked about this book is the diverse characters and important issues covered in one book. This book is like a beautiful bouquet of flowers that represent different issues and characters from our society. However, my favorite part was seeing Molly, the character from the previous book Dress Coded, appear in this story. I learned about the power of activism through podcasts, letters, and protests. I also learned about Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS)/Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder Associated w/ Streptococcal Infections (PANDAS), which is brought on by tick bites. It was scary to learn that climate change is causing health hazards. I am glad that the author wrote this book to promote social justice and activism. I wish we had a club like this at my school.
This book reminded me of the youth climate activist Greta Thunberg who has been advocating against climate change. This book highlights that even children and youth can play an important role in protecting our planet from climate change.
I end my blog with the following quote by Greta Thunberg.
“We live in a strange world where children must sacrifice their own education in order to protest against the destruction of their future. Where the people who have contributed the least to this crisis are the ones who are going to be affected the most.”
(In a speech rally in Berlin that took place in March 2019)