All great sagas have an ending.
Esteemed meteorologist Guy Walton’s ‘World of Thermo’ series has included all the elements of a true saga: journeys, friendships, sacrifice, help from characters with potent, magical powers and an evil villain who needs to be vanquished.
Great storytelling is at the heart of climate communication- those stories that stay with you. As described by Sam Gamgee in the great saga of the 20th century, ‘Full of darkness and danger they were, and sometimes you didn’t want to know the end because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad has happened? But in the end, it’s only a passing thing this shadow, even darkness must pass. A new day will come, and when the sun shines, it’ll shine out the clearer. I know now folks in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn’t.’ With a deft twist, Walton ensures that the ‘fourth wall’ is broken down and that we are passed the torch to carry on with telling these climate stories to support, educate and inspire others.
The trilogy is on several levels- one of which is the children’s story, powerful in its own right in introducing the key ideas of climate change and resistance to the status quo, with vibrant children friendly characters. On another level, like all good texts, we have the allegorical reading of the political and vested fossil fuel interest shenanigans, which has impeded, slowed and ensnarled humanity’s progress to a safer future. The characters of Thermo and his friends represent all the conscientious people willing to stand up and fight for the future of people, plants and animals on this planet. On the other hand, Carbo and his minions, obfuscate and propagate disinformation- more than a nod by Walton to those wanting to delay progress to a sustainable future.
‘World of Thermo: Grim Reaping’ brings us to the present and the choices which lie in front of us- the navigation that is necessary to land on a safer shore. Or as Walton, ‘The Climate Guy’ describes: ‘The real final chapter will not be written for many decades or even centuries to come, well after the 22nd century comes and goes. All of us, whether we like it or not, will be writing our own story in association with carbon pollution. We are responsible for our own actions and can’t blame insidious creatures for our fate. In the real world there is no willful molecule directing us to use more fossil fuels to pollute the planet. That future is upon us, right now to act wisely.’
As ‘Grim Reaping’ begins, our hero Thermo is hanging grimly onto life, which allows Walton to explore what might happen temporarily without someone monitoring and fighting for the planet. He cleverly allows his characters to explore the psychological and philosophical ‘distances’ that inhibit action. ‘“It is hard for us humans to think of the future beyond our own existence. Some think that they don’t need to care about issues such as climate change when they know they won’t be around to experience any hardship. Some don’t care about the welfare of their progeny. If we were all immortal, I think we would care more about the future environmental shape of this planet.”’ Real world events are allegorically retold by Walton and some are retold directly. The response to the global pandemic is dealt with early in the book and is bitterly reflected in the title of the book. Walton takes an aside to explore the rejection of science that was born in the pandemic by those who put self before society, as well as being unscrupulous and avaricious in their pursuit of short-term gain, while the world suffered.
‘It is interesting that the denial of science indicating that COVID-19 would be a major threat mirrors that of arguments that carbon pollution is not a big problem for our climate.’
Walton punctuates his book with cultural and literary references from Edgar Allan Poe to ‘The Princess and the Frog’, to ‘Wellmart’ and ‘President Tweet’, keeping his older readers engaged.
As with the first two books, he follows each chapter with a short summary of the historical details and real personalities involved, rooting the plot details in an understandable and relatable context. There are dark moments in ‘Grim Reaping’ of course, as Walton paints a picture of possible dystopian worlds- as a helpful hint for parents and carers, the chapter called ‘No Way Subway’ might not be a good bedtime story. ‘In the real world, it is only a matter of time before a category three hurricane or higher slams into New York City during the 21st century. With each passing year sea level rise will make this coming event that much worse.’
All of the topical climate issues are handled expertly by Walton, as he threads the connective tissue and the interconnected nature of these events. Shifting territories of mosquitoes, as well as viruses such as the Zika virus are explored fully; preservation of biodiversity is given the priority it deserves; beef demand and its environmental impact is given a full chapter and overpopulation and non-sustainable, capitalist lifestyles are discussed in depth. Walton never shies away from subjects which others may consider taboo.
Walton warns about the growing desperation of some geoengineering methods and techniques, drawing the valid conclusion that, ‘Just about anytime mankind tries to alter the environment by introducing or growing a species, there are unintended consequences.’
He adds that the priority has to be stopping emissions. ‘This is not to suggest that we depend on technology to reduce carbon pollution. We must stop emissions as soon as possible to let nature begin to decrease carbon, which may take thousands of years.’
As ‘Grim Reaping’ begins to conclude, Walton does well to change the language of science into language of the layperson. He changes the over-used and sometimes inaccurately used, ‘tipping points’, with a more accessible ‘climate dominoes’, highlighting that if one of the unexpected ‘climate dominoes’ were to fall- such as a permafrost methane release- stopping other dominoes from falling could prove to be too much.
All of our hands have been at the climate changing wheel, speeding up its momentum. All of our hands are also needed to slow down the runaway tyre. Walton emphasises how quickly regional instability and conflicts could lead to nuclear weapons being used by countries or organisations, exacerbating climate issues and leading to climate migration. He acknowledges his own concerns and fears over what a lack of regional and global stability could lead to. The lessons of the past cannot lead to a World War 3 or 4. Whether this be over agriculture, water resources, or near Earth space and communications, humanity must come to realise that we have one Earth and one chance. Our threat now is not the external space rock spinning lazily towards us through space, ready to be blasted by intrepid (American) engineers, but multiple internal threats, all of which need to be faced down.
Walton finally takes time to explore the emerging area of climate litigation and argues that responsibility is not too far away from being legally demonstrated, as the scientific facts are not in question. Whether the truth can be seen through the smoke-screens and greenwashing of the fossil-fuel industry remains to be seen, but there is hope that the past is catching up to large industries. ‘“This is my Nuremburg list of reasons why you should die, even though you can’t be killed…Thermo commenced his lecture. “Well, Carbo, here is the list of charges that I personally blame you for the decimation of humanity, not to mention most of the life on this planet.’”
Although I wrote at the start of this piece that all great sagas have an ending, Walton has given us the greatest gift a writer can give a reader. We can write the ending.
As his narrative runs until 2112, he obviously presents one fictitious world and timeline of how we navigate the ‘uncertain and warmer world’ ahead of us. But like all great explorers and adventurers, an undiscovered country now beckons us over the horizon. We cannot no longer stand still. We must set sail like Tennyson’s ‘Ulysses’-
‘Come, my friends.
‘T is not too late to seek a newer world.
Climate Thoughts with Brian 