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A Few Reading Recommendations

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A Few Reading Recommendations

A list of books and longform stories to read this holiday break

Michael Thomas
Dec 23, 2022
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A Few Reading Recommendations

www.distilled.earth
Photo credit: Annie Spratt

I was planning to publish an investigative story this week. But then I realized that a lot of people are already on vacation. And my story doesn’t quite have that holiday cheer most you would probably like to read around this time of year. Instead, this edition of the newsletter will be a bit different.

First, I want to say thank you to everyone who has supported my reporting thus far. I launched the Distilled newsletter a little more than month ago. Since then, about 2,000 of you subscribed to receive my stories in your inbox, and about 70 of you chipped in $5 per month to support my work. Your support means the world to me.

Next up, I thought I’d share some reading recommendations for those of you who have a bit more time on your hands over the next week.

Distilled is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Two stories that meet the current moment

As I think about some of my favorite stories of 2022, two stories standout: Climate change from A to Z by Elizabeth Kolbert and Beyond Catastrophe by David Wallace-Wells.

In her story, Kolbert quotes Pliny the Elder who observed, “Hope is the pillar that holds up the world…Hope is the dream of a waking man.”

A year ago, it was hard to feel much hope. On December 19th, Senator Joe Manchin went on Fox News to announce that he would not vote for Build Back Better. It appeared that Democrats would squander their opportunity to pass an historic climate bill.

Then everything changed.

In August, Congress passed the largest climate bill in American history. Just a month later, the Senate ratified the Kigali Agreement, a policy that will help avoid a staggering 80 billion tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions by 2050 and 0.5° Celsius of warming by the end of the century. All around the world, countries took similarly bold action.

As Wallace-Wells points out in his story, just a few years ago, most climate projections looked apocalyptic. Climate scientists anticipated between three and five degrees of warming. Thanks to all the pledges and policies passed in the time since, scientists believe we’re now on track for two to three degrees of warming.

But while there’s been a lot of action in recent years, it hasn’t been enough. Carbon emissions are still rising, not falling. Humans are still destroying rainforests, wetlands, and other ecosystems at breakneck speed. For all the action we’ve taken, it’s still just a drop in the bucket.

As Kolbert writes, “To say that amazing work is being done to combat climate change and to say that almost no progress has been made is not a contradiction; it’s a simple statement of fact.”

These two stories embrace and articulate the complexity of our current moment. If you’ve ever felt whiplash from reading an article about floods in Pakistan followed by one about the passage of an historic climate bill, I recommend these stories.

Climate change from A to Z by Elizabeth Kolbert

Beyond Catastrophe by David Wallace-Wells.

Book recommendations

Yesterday, I asked my followers on Twitter for the best climate books they read in 2022. Here were a few common recommendations:

  • All We Can Save by Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson and Dr. Katharine Wilkinson

  • The Overstory and Bewilderment by Richard Powers

  • Parable of the Sower by Octavia Bulter

  • Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson

  • American War by Omar El Akkad

Here’s the full list:

Twitter avatar for @curious_founder
Michael Thomas @curious_founder
What were your favorite books or longform stories about climate change that you read this year?
6:21 PM ∙ Dec 22, 2022
141Likes31Retweets

Alright, that’s it for this week. In the new year, I’m planning to publish a story about a man who is leading a nationwide effort to kill the offshore wind industry. Stay tuned for that.

And finally happy holidays!

Want to support independent climate journalism?

For the last month I’ve spent hundreds of hours reporting on the fossil fuel industry’s efforts to slow down the transition to clean energy. For each story, I’ve read through public documents, interviewed experts, and distilled everything down into a series of short articles.

If you’d like to support my reporting, consider signing up for a paid subscription by clicking the button below. For $5 per month, you can help make these stories possible.

Here are some of the nice things people have said about Distilled and my work.

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Emily Atkin @emorwee
Michael has a really keen eye for finding important climate stories and the researching/communication chops to tell them well — do yourself a favor and subscribe to his new newsletter! distilled.earth
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Michael Thomas @curious_founder
*Personal news* I'm launching a newsletter about the politics of climate change. If you've enjoyed reading my stories, it'd mean a lot to me if you helped spread the word. Here's a bit about what you can expect from the newsletter: 🧵 https://t.co/WHbJMVNBUL
6:22 PM ∙ Nov 30, 2022
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Andrew Revkin 🌎 ✍🏼 🪕 ☮️ @Revkin
I hope you’ll join me in financially supporting @curious_founder’s innovative and effective approach to investigating sources of climate friction.
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Michael Thomas @curious_founder
*Personal news* I'm launching a newsletter about the politics of climate change. If you've enjoyed reading my stories, it'd mean a lot to me if you helped spread the word. Here's a bit about what you can expect from the newsletter: 🧵 https://t.co/WHbJMVNBUL
12:50 AM ∙ Dec 1, 2022
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Stephen Lacey @Stphn_Lacey
I'm a big fan of Michael. I just interviewed him about some of his reporting for an upcoming episode. Subscribe to his newsletter!
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Michael Thomas @curious_founder
*Personal news* I'm launching a newsletter about the politics of climate change. If you've enjoyed reading my stories, it'd mean a lot to me if you helped spread the word. Here's a bit about what you can expect from the newsletter: 🧵 https://t.co/WHbJMVNBUL
9:00 PM ∙ Dec 1, 2022
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Climate Town @ClimateTown
Very pumped about Michael "Thomas" aka @curious_founder's new newsletter - get on it before your cousin tells you about it at Christmas.
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Michael Thomas @curious_founder
*Personal news* I'm launching a newsletter about the politics of climate change. If you've enjoyed reading my stories, it'd mean a lot to me if you helped spread the word. Here's a bit about what you can expect from the newsletter: 🧵 https://t.co/WHbJMVNBUL
10:46 PM ∙ Nov 30, 2022
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A Few Reading Recommendations

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