I thought I was aware of social injustice issues. Jeremy Williams' thought provoking and both profoundly well researched and readable book reminded me of many holes in my knowledge. One particular story he shared has stuck in my mind, and I hope will be imprinted there for a long time: in 2019, tropical cyclone Idai decimated the city Beira in Mozambique razing 90% of the buildings and killing over a thousand people. Williams highlights that this global disaster happened on the same day as the Christchurch mosque shootings where 51 people were shot. Both disasters were horrific, but only the Christchurch one was significant in Western media reports - and Williams raises the uncomfortable question - would Beira have been remembered if its citizens were White? One of the hugest climate disasters in the world and it barely left a mark.

This and countless other stories and facts are weaved together in a seemingly flawless way (although I realise the book took a long time to write!) to drive home Williams' compelling argument that climate change is inherently racist due to global structures and values going all the way back to colonialism, which ultimately privilege the largely White, Western, wealthy nations over the developing Brown and Black south. A book to be read, reread, highlighted and acted upon. ( )

Climate Change is Racist: Race, Privilege, and the Struggle for Climate Justice is not my "typical" non-fiction pick. I always joke that anything in the STEM field goes way over my head. When I read the description for the book, I was intrigued.

The book itself challenges readers to look at what they know about racism. Now, most readers who pick up this book are aware of personal biases or institutional attitudes that harm people of color, especially Black people. This harm can impact everything, from self-esteem to job acquisition. Williams pushes past surface-level understandings of racism to discuss the structural racism built into our society (which ultimately causes personal and institutional racism) and how this structure, combined with climate change, reinforces the racial injustices and inequalities.

Jeremy Williams takes readers all over the world to discuss how white privilege affects climate change. Through this travel, Williams encourages readers to look at the expertise presented by activists and scientists while also understanding the effect this climate change has on the most impacted communities. Dr. Shola Mos-Shogbamimu (author of This is Why I Resist: Don't Define My Black Identity) wrote the foreword and it is short but absolutely impactful. I also thought that having Mos-Shogbamimu write a foreword was a good way to add a different perspective to reinforce his words and research.

During this book, I definitely found myself understanding climate change in a much deeper way. The recent environmental events impacting the world around us make this book's topic more relevant than ever. Reading this with those events fresh in my mind just reinforced that it is up to all of us to push for change and justice. It is the only way we can hope to lessen the impact of climate change and right the wrongs of society thus far.

Overall rating: 4.5/5 (rounded to 4)

Climate Change is Racist is available for purchase now. Be sure to add it to your Goodreads shelf. Also, be sure to check out Jeremy Williams’s website!
I was lucky enough to be able to read this Advanced Reader's Copy through my partnership with NetGalley. All opinions are my own. ( )