Dr. Dana Fisher, CECE director and SIS professor, recently unveiled her upcoming book, Saving Ourselves: from Climate Shocks to Climate Action, at an event at American University. She was joined by Seth Borenstein from the Associated Press and Kimberly Nicholas from Lund University, who provided valuable insights and questions to create an engaging dialogue.

The book, a product of 25 years of research and empirical data dating back to the Kyoto Protocol, discusses what must happen in order to keep the planet habitable, and explains a path to the other side of the climate crisis. During the book launch, Dr. Fisher discussed how severe and frequent climate shocks will cause an anthro-shift, opening a window for social change. She explained that “the best option for saving ourselves is going to come from civil society and social movements,” which have yet to mobilize the masses, but continue to grow and become more confrontational.

The panelists explored the need for systemic change, discussing how recent policy, including the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), has not done nearly enough to stop the mounting crisis. Then, they considered how severe perceived risk and human suffering can be motivators for social change. Dr. Fisher explained how she believes that there may not be a path forward that does not have disruption and suffering – “I call myself an apologetic optimist, because I think things will have to get worse before they get better.”

The event ended with questions from the audience, where questions from AU students, including members of the Sunrise Movement at AU, prompted discussions on the need for intergenerational collaboration, and the difficulty in achieving solidarity during the online era.

Dr. Fisher has a few more upcoming book events, including a talk at the Library of Congress on 2/28 and at Politics and Prose on 3/8. You can find information about these on social media or the CECE calendar, and buy a copy of the book here.