Synopses & Reviews
Do children have a right
to inherit a livable planet, and if so, is the government obliged to
protect it? That's the question posed by Juliana v. United States, one of the most critical lawsuits of our time.
Twenty-one young people from across America sued the federal
government over climate change, charging that US actions to promote a
fossil fuel economy violate their constitutional rights to life,
liberty, and property. Their trial could be the civil rights trial of
the century. But it hasn't happened yet. While rare legal tactics
attempt to stymie the case, As the World Burns follows the plight
of the young plaintiffs, chronicling their legal battle through a year
of drought and wildfire, floods and hurricanes, and the most tumultuous
political season in modern history.
Acknowledging that forces larger than themselves are stealing their
childhoods as well as their futures, the plaintiffs wrenchingly describe
personal experiences with recurring "thousand-year" floods, wildfire
smoke so thick they can't ride a bike to school, drought that threatens
family farms, and disappearing coastlines that send waves lapping
ominously at their doors. Along the way, journalist Lee van der Voo
weaves their experience into a broader narrative of America, where
politics and policy threaten the very existence of our youth and our way
of life. As the World Burns is climate breakdown like you've never seen it — through the eyes of the young.
Review
"A well-paced,
conversational narrative...a comprehensive look at the motivating
factors that caused young adults to sue the government for a better
future." Kirkus
Review
"A deeply human account of
an extraordinary group of young people, a cast of characters whose
courage, anguish, and idealism guide them through battle against
entrenched power and a broken political system. Gripping, essential
reading." Beth Gardiner, author of Choked: Life and Breath in the Age of Air Pollution
Review
"A gripping account of the
Juliana case — and the twenty-one young plaintiffs who dared sue
the US government for inaction on climate change. This book uncovers one
of the most powerful forces shaping the contemporary world: youth
activism." Liz Carlisle, author of Lentil Underground and winner of the Green Prize for Sustainable Literature
About the Author
Lee van der Voo is an award-winning investigative and environmental journalist whose work has appeared in the
New York Times,
The Atlantic, and
The Guardian, among others. Her 2016 book,
The Fish Market, which chronicles the gentrification of the sea
in the name of sustainable seafood, won an Oregon Book Award for General
Nonfiction.