The World We Need: Stories and Lessons from America’s Unsung Environmental Movement

Journalist Lim gathers accounts from the front lines of the fight against climate change and other environmental issues in this illuminating anthology. Collecting interviews, journalistic reports, first-person essays, and artwork, Lim touches on a wide range of topics, including the Keystone XL pipeline, drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and poor sanitation in rural communities, and showcases the racial, socioeconomic, and cultural diversity of the modern-day environmental movement. Mildred McClain, the founder of Harambee House in Savannah, Ga., details her work to educate African-American voters about the potential dangers of nuclear energy. Members of Kentuckians for the Commonwealth discuss their efforts to push local lawmakers to wean the state’s economy off coal extraction, and Adam Briggle of Frack Free Denton describes his group’s campaign to eliminate fracking for shale oil and natural gas in northern Texas. Lim crisscrosses the country and selects her profile subjects wisely, resulting in an invigorating survey that breaks down stereotypes about tree-hugging coastal elites and highlights just how much change can be achieved at the local level. Progressive policy makers and environmental activists should take note. (Apr.)