Resilience Matters: Flourishing in an Era of Extremes (Free Ebook Available)
Island Press is proud to present our latest e-book, Resilience Matters: Flourishing in an Era of Extremes. Download the e-book for free!
It’s not a stretch to say that we live in an age of extremes.
2023 was — by far— the hottest year since humans have been keeping records; scientists say it was the hottest in 100,000 years. The signs are everywhere: from the Southwestern heat dome that smashed 2,300 temperature records over the summer, to the hellish wildfire that incinerated Maui in August. We have entered what UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres calls “the era of global boiling.” Our politics are boiling, as well. Extremist ideologies are on the rise, and American democracy faces nearly unprecedented threats. Governing bodies are paralyzed as Americans sort themselves into not just different political parties, but separate realities.
And yet, in this dire and polarized moment, so many people are rising to the great environmental and moral challenges of our time. In 2023, contributors to the Island Press Urban Resilience Project (URP) captured this hopeful, life-affirming work though a series of articles, op-eds, and interviews in outlets like The Washington Post, U.S. News & World Report, Next City, and Governing. A selection of those written pieces have now been collected in a new e-book Resilience Matters: Flourishing in an Era of Extremes, available online at no cost. (Find the free download here.)
Written by climate scientists, public health advocates, urban planners, spatial justice activists, community organizers, academics, policymakers, and other thought leaders, Resilience Matters addresses the economic, environmental, and social dimensions of resilience.
In these pages, you’ll see how the Biden Administration’s historic climate investments are making their way to communities hit hardest by inequity and climate change. You can learn how nonprofits are helping grassroots groups navigate the bureaucracy and land federal dollars, and how foundations are bringing solar to lower-income communities. You’ll also explore how much of this inspiring work is being led by residents of low-income communities of color on the frontlines of the climate crisis.
Organizations contributing to Resilience Matters include Clean Energy States Alliance, Center for Community Investment, Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health, Kresge Foundation, Main Street America, Duwamish River Community Coalition, Aeon, Architecture 2030, Groundswell, Chisholm Legacy Project, Clean Energy Group, Georgetown Climate Center, Greenlining Institute, Multisolving Institute, Just Solutions, Institute for Market Transformation, Sterling Ranch Development Company, and People’s Climate Innovation Center.
Island Press began with a simple idea: knowledge is power—the power to imagine a better future and find ways for getting us there. Founded in 1978, Island Press’ mission is to provide the best ideas and information to those seeking to understand and protect the environment and create solutions to its complex problems. They elevate voices of change, shine a spotlight on crucial issues, and focus attention on sustainable solutions. Island Press is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. Learn more at islandpress.org.