FIGHTING IN A WORLD ON FIRE

What can young people do to protect the climate and safeguard their futures?

Swedish scholar Malm’s provocative 2021 book, How to Blow Up a Pipeline, is adapted here for a teen audience. Four hefty chapters chart a progressive path for a young would-be environmental activist, with information presented through a global lens. “The Problem With Business-as-Usual” both explains the current sad situation and begins the argument for an activism that goes beyond peaceful protests. “Learning From Past Struggles” looks at previous social movements as possible templates for action. These include Gandhi and anti-colonialism, Iran in the 1970s, and the U.S. civil rights movement. “Breaking the Spell” unpacks the moral implications and effectiveness of tactics like pipeline demolition and other acts of sabotage, such as deflating the tires of SUVs, a strategy espoused by the Tyre Extinguishers, a group founded in the U.K. Finally, “Fighting Despair” makes a strong and cogent case for hope despite the prevalent dire predictions about climate. Sidebars peppered throughout highlight individual components of the movement, like the youth-led group Fridays for Future founded by Greta Thunberg in 2018 and the Standing Rock protests. There are also many compelling black-and-white photographs, and a series of discussion questions concludes each chapter. All these features increase accessibility for a younger readership, though many of the author’s views are controversial.

A persuasive, if provocative, polemic tackling an important subject.