Climate Champions: 15 Women Fighting for Your Future

by Rachel Sarah

Overview

"This book promises an introduction to 15 women climate champions, but it delivers far more...the women's stories offer hope and inspiration." —Booklist Starred Review


These 15 contemporary climate champions are on the frontlines of science to create a sustainable future on Earth.

They are climate scientists, journalists, professors, academics, researchers, and policy makers from around the world who draft policies with real-world impact, run science labs to find new answers to old problems, and lead organizations at the forefront of change. These women reveal how racial and social injustices lie at the root of the climate crisis.  

Their stories are accessible and energetic, with spotlights on the triumphs and struggles of women who are working to protect the planet.  

As young readers learn how these champions are rising up around the world, they will learn how to be part of the solution.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798890680099
Publisher:	Chicago Review Press, Incorporated
Publication date:	10/15/2024
Series:	Women of Power
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.80(d)
Age Range:	12 - 18 Years

About the Author

Rachel Sarah works in media relations at RMI, a global nonprofit that’s advocating for the worldwide transition to clean energy. Her most recent book, Girl Warriors, came out in 2021. She’s also a 2022 Kiplinger Fellow in climate change reporting. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area on Ohlone land. Visit her online at www.RachelSarah.com.

Table of Contents

Introduction
1: Molly Kawahata — Keep on Climbing
2: Anna Jane Joyner — Flipping the Script on Climate
3: Wanjiku "Wawa" Gatheru — Black Girl Environmentalist
4: Amy Cardinal Christianson — Burning Good Fires
5: Jeanette Davis — Just Keep Swimming
6: Amy Westervelt — Calling out the System one Podcast at a Time
7: Jennifer Uchendu — Sustainable Vibes
8: Tessa Khan — Keep It in The Ground
9: Jacquelyn Gill — Lost in the Ice Age
10: Trimita Chakma — Rising up in the Global South
11: Nikki Roach — A Day in the Life of a Conservation Biologist
12: Tori Tsui — Bad Activist
13: Brigitte Baptiste — Queering Ecology
14: Katharine Hayhoe — The Science Mom Who's Saving Us
15: Anushka Bhaskar — No Justice, No Peace
 
Acknowledgments
Resources
 

Editorial Reviews

"In these pages you are likely to find at least one new mentor who will inspire you to take action for the planet in the way that is most true to yourself. I can't wait for my daughters to read this book!" —Anya Kamenetz , journalist, author, and generational justice advocate

"Sarah’s accessible, engaging storytelling suggests the infinite possible roads a person might take into climate work, each journey unique and irreplaceable. The remarkable women featured in Climate Champions galvanize us to participate in an inclusive form of activism – one in which our individual strengths are critical to building collective power." —Georgia Wright, cocreator of Inherited

"This compact and useful resource effectively highlights critical voices. An inspiring collective biography that is also an empowering call to action." —Kirkus Reviews

"Such stories are vibrant and cognizant of the struggles that activists face along the way...Climate Champions is engaging and intersectional." —Foreword Reviews

"This book promises an introduction to 15 women climate champions, but it delivers far more...the women's stories offer hope and inspiration." —Booklist Starred Review

 

From the Publisher

03/01/2023

Gr 7 Up—The biographies of 15 climate activists focus on their path to success, field of study, and day-to-day life. Each vignette is approximately 10 to 15 pages, containing many personal quotes, thus giving the feel of a personal conversation rather than a textbook biography. Scientists and activists from around the world are presented without excess glorification, allowing readers to see themselves in the stories. Additionally, many of the featured women, such as Wanjiku "Wawa" Gatheru, are young, and their voices are relatable to teens. Without an index or facts, such as birthdates, this book is less useful as a research tool and more appealing to future climate activists who will be inspired by the stories and find guidance through the women's paths to success. The writing is captivating and will engage anyone even slightly interested in climate change or strong female role models. No photos or illustration are included. Contains a table of contents, acknowledgments, referenced resources and podcasts, and notes. VERDICT This book is a solid choice for libraries looking to inspire teens interested in climate change.—Kate Rao

School Library Journal

2022-12-14
Fifteen women, each in her own way an environmental advocate, set examples for those interested in climate science and justice.

Climate change is a crisis that the individuals profiled in this book tackle head-on with urgency and hope. As Sarah assures readers in her introduction, there is still time for us to make necessary changes. The book is organized into three sections: “Challenge the System,” “Hold Fast to Science,” and “Take a Stand for Justice,” with miniprofiles of additional trailblazers as well as helpful contextual information (e.g., “What Does a Conservation Biologist Do?”) appearing in text boxes. Taken together, the chapters demonstrate the breadth of ways to get involved, no matter one’s age or professional background. Many of the subjects—including Wanjiku Gatheru, a young Rhodes Scholar and the daughter of Kenyan immigrants to the U.S.; Trimita Chakma, an Indigenous woman from Bangladesh who is a feminist advocate for grassroots organizations; and Tori Tsui, a documentary filmmaker from New Zealand and Hong Kong who is an activist for diverse representation—point out that those in the Global South who are most affected by climate change also have the least to do with creating these problems. Each subject’s social media handles are included, and terms such as eco anxiety, environmental justice, climate resilience, and intersectional environmentalism are explained in context. This compact and useful resource effectively highlights critical voices.

An inspiring collective biography that is also an empowering call to action. (resources, podcasts, recommended reading, notes) (Nonfiction. 12-18)

Kirkus Reviews