What If We Get It Right?

Visions of Climate Futures

By: Ayana Elizabeth Johnson

Narrated by: Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, Ayisha Siddiqa, Jacqueline Woodson, Steve Connell

Our climate future is not yet written. What if we act as if we love the future?

Sometimes the bravest thing we can do while facing an existential crisis is imagine life on the other side. This provocative and joyous book maps an inspiring landscape of possible climate futures.

Through clear-eyed essays and vibrant conversations, infused with data and poetry, Ayana Elizabeth Johnson guides us through solutions and possibilities at the nexus of science, policy, culture, and justice. Visionary farmers and financiers, architects and advocates, help us conjure a flourishing future, one worth the effort it will take—from every one of us, with whatever we have to offer—to create.

If you haven’t yet been able to picture a transformed and replenished world—or to see yourself, your loved ones, and your community in it—this book is for you. If you haven’t yet found your role in shaping this new world or you’re not sure how we can actually get there, this book is for you.

With grace, humor, and humanity, Johnson invites listeners to ask and answer this ultimate question together: What if we get it right?

On imagination, possibility, and transformation with

Paola Antonelli • Xiye Bastida • Jade Begay • Wendell Berry • Régine Clément • Steve Connell • Erica Deeman • Abigail Dillen • Brian Donahue • Jean Flemma • Kelly Sims Gallagher • Rhiana Gunn-Wright • Olalekan Jeyifous • Corley Kenna • Bryan C. Lee Jr. • Franklin Leonard • Adam McKay • Bill McKibben • Kate Marvel • Samantha Montano • Kate Orff • Leah Penniman • Marge Piercy • Colette Pichon Battle • Kendra Pierre-Louis • Judith D. Schwartz • Jigar Shah • Ayisha Siddiqa • Bren Smith • Oana Stănescu • Mustafa Suleyman • Jacqueline Woodson

*This audiobook edition includes a downloadable PDF containing photographs, diagrams, and an Anti-Apocalypse mixtape.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2023 Ayana Elizabeth Johnson (P)2023 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“With a thoughtfully curated series of essays, poetry, and conversations, Johnson has assembled a group of dynamic people who are willing to imagine what seems impossible, and articulate those visions with enthusiastic clarity. The problem of climate change is a significant one, but What If We Get It Right? reminds us that with passion and ingenuity, there is so much we can accomplish.”—Roxane Gay

“This book had me at its title. Through a collection of thoughtful essays and interviews, Johnson explores the possibility of getting it right with a visionary group of environmental leaders, activists and other big thinkers working on the front lines. Johnson, who has become a prominent voice on climate solutions, reminds us that there is also joy in working toward a future where we can all thrive.”—Los Angeles Times

“This is the book we’ve been waiting for—a brilliant mix of creativity and wisdom that feels like we’re eavesdropping on intimate conversations with the world’s most brilliant change-makers. In What If We Get It Right?, Johnson weaves together art, poetry, and expert interviews into a deeply human exploration of the interconnected challenges we face. The result is a vision of a future filled with joy and possibility, where fixing one problem helps us solve many more.”—Katharine Hayhoe, climate scientist, author, and UN Champion of the Earth

Empowering and uplifting!

Amazing interviews and applicable tools for action. Long but very well constructed and laid out. Will be recommending!

take a breath, dive in

This is the book we have been needing. Now more than ever we have the chance to save the world. This book will leave you inspired, validated, hopeful, and with a lot of homework for how we can save our planet and it's people.

Let’s Do This: Eyes Wide Open, Heart fully Charged

I love that my eyes, heart and the need for implementation has helped me to see deeper, love unconditionally and the dire necessity to be in action for our future living and breathing world

Thank you for your big love for all!
Sonia

Great format!

Useful content delivered in a delightful style. The venn diagram model was inspiring, and I appreciate that she acknowledged the ikigai origin.

I almost want to categorize this as sci-fi/fantasy

I appreciate the repeated reinforcement that we have all the technology we need. Hearing about the exciting work of a handful of people just doesn’t seem to translate to the population as a whole. Individualism and greed will be the downfall of the human race. In the final chapter Ayana says “Climate deniers will be un-electable”…..Our president elect is a vocal climate change denier and plans to dial back the few steps and regulations that we have. We need more people doing more, yet the leader of our country is setting the opposite example. What is to become of us?

Absolutely Amazing! Full of Useful Info and Not Depressing!

Listening to this book was delightful. I liked hearing from a wide array of perspectives about climate solutions and everyone’s vision of what their corner of the world will look like if “we get it right.” The reminder that we have all the climate solutions we need and just small acts of community organizing can push us in the right direction was encouraging.

Read this if you want to live in joy.

Anyone reading this, you are needed and this book might show you how. Please join in this struggle for a livable planet and a better us.

Not a Book

I guess I should have read the description more thoroughly, but I feel like there's a fair assumption that when you spend a credit on Audible, you'll get a book. That isn't the case here. This is a podcast's "greatest hits" reel with a few essays sprinkled in.

There's a ton of great information in here, but you've really gotta work to get it. I've conducted enough interviews to know that the ones that make up the bulk of this book were more than just impromptu conversations, but they were much less than the distilled, crafted thoughts one expects from a book.

Had the author taken the information in the interviews and summarized it (what many might consider the author's job), the same information would've for into a 15 hour book. As it is, the listener is expected to do the work, listening to interviewee B repeat what interviewee A already said, listening to the host try to think of how to word her question, listening to sentences that start with "Wow, great question. And it's... um... well what I find frustrating... or, not really frustrating, but..."

All in all, I can't recommend it. The book doesn't take your time as a listener seriously enough for that. There's a lot of great stuff here and it's a very important book. Which makes it all the more a shame that the author didn't bother to write it.