The Weight of Nature: How a Changing Climate Changes Our Brains by Clayton Page Aldern

The Weight of Nature: How a Changing Climate Changes Our Brains Reviews

• 
  Nathan Shuherk

  I wish I read this with a friend so we could talk after every chapter. There’s so much to unpack, but still a digestible read that’s insightful and thoughtful without being unnecessarily dense - which is a massive compliment to a book that so expansively intertwines complex ideas and research into very human and beautifully articulated elements.
• 
  R.Z.

  Nature is changing in more ways than we realize. Author Clayton Page Aldern describes some truly frightening phenomena that are increasing due to warming oceans, wildfire air pollution, and much more. In my readings of articles in my favorite magazines, "National Geographic" and "Scientific American," I know that an incredible amount of work on saving our planet is being done by organizations and individuals, but we are in a battle for our very existence, and we MUST increase our knowledge and our actions exponentially if we are to succeed. Aldern gives us new information about what we are facing. Don't read this book if you prefer to stick your head in the sand and remain ignorant. If you want to be part of the solution, arm yourself with the information in this outstanding book.
• 
  Lisa Konet

  I think I need to take a break from reading climatology books for awhile. They just make me sad, angry and depressed. There are simple changes to help excessive CO2 like changing what you eat, but food and what people eat is a heavy topic; everyone has an opinion. The grains being used to fatten up animals used in animal agriculture can be used to feed to feed the global population. That is just for starters....
  
  There are just too many people globally using non-rewable resources like water. Do not even get me started about the destruction/pollution of the oceans.
  
  Cutting down trees for other human needs when trees naturally absorb/protect us from CO2..
  
  People globally do not want to admit that were also entering the era of the 6th extinction. General population does not realize if bees go extinct, that is the end of fruits, veggies, and most products used on a daily basis. Bees need protection.
  
  This book tackles all these topics and more. It is just so sickening and depressing to think the planet is screwed.
  
  Recommended.
  
  Thanks to Netgalley, Clayton Page Aldern and Columbia Univeristy Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
  
  Available:
  4/9/2024
• 
  Ula Tardigrade

  “When heat takes its place in your brain, it is pushing you out”.
  
  After reading so many books and articles about the climate crisis, I was pleasantly surprised at how fresh and original this was. Written with journalistic flair, it looks into the surprising links between rising temperatures and the behavior of the human brain.
  
  It begins by exploring the question so many experts ask - why we don't act with sufficient urgency, why climate change is so hard to grasp. I found this part eye-opening. In later chapters, the author turns his attention to how our brains may be affected by our warming world - and while some similar physiological aspects have been described, for example, in the excellent
  The Heat Will Kill You First: Life and Death on a Scorched Planet, here too he is able to discover totally unexpected effects and grim consequences. In the process, he ventures into so many areas of interest to me: zoonotic diseases, forest fires, animal senses, linguistics.
  
  Aldern neatly sums up my own feelings when he writes that “climate anxiety is real. But the phrase is a misnomer. Anxiety, psychiatrically, suggests irrational fear. There is nothing irrational about worrying about collapse.” All this paints a rather apocalyptic picture, as the author himself admits - but he adds that “if we want a shot at warding off the coming neurological nightmare, we have to walk into this thing with open eyes”. And I agree. Everyone should read this book, it is too late to pretend that we can comfortably ignore what awaits us all. As Aldern writes towards the end, “Recognizing and welcoming our heavy planetary bonds may offer a means of realizing a societal response to the climate crisis—a manner in which we can build the connections that are necessary for the collective action that protest, policymaking, and accountability require. Anchored, steadied by grief, we can act”.
  
  Thanks to the publisher, PENGUIN GROUP Dutton, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.
• 
  Aida

  This was a valuable, eye opening read from my perspective as someone who does community organizing, but also works as a psychotherapist. I was already thinking about climate change in relation to migration & displacement and things like that, but had not really read up on the science and processes of how a changing climate can actually affect our bodies’ chemistry and things like executive function. The section of the book that spoke about how the brain uses glucose, for example, it was particularly fascinating. As a whole, this book is a call to awareness and action, rather than depressing perspective, and encourages us to mobilize and actually work together.
• 
  emily gielshire

  Brilliant and devastating. I will be thinking about the way the warming planet is making us more forgetful, the loss of shades of green, and the drift away from indigenous languages resulting in the loss of understanding of natural phenomena for years to come. My loved ones are sick of hearing about me talk about brain eating amoebas but damn this book taught me so much about the way human impact on the planet is literally chipping away at our brain power. This is the kind of book that I want a physical copy to mark up and revisit over and over again.
• 
  Charity P.

  Spoiler: it’s not good news.
• 
  Darlene Laguna

  An intriguing investigation into many dimensions of humanity affected by climate -and specifically how climate change can detract from our experiences in these dimensions. A little complex and repetitive , maybe a little disjointed at times, but it did give me much to think about. 4.5 rounded up.
• 
  Bill Zarges

  How many times does one need to make the same points?? Better editing might have helped...
  
• 
  Richard Thompson

  I believe that climate change is real. It will have a lot of serious consequences. We don't yet know what some of them will be or how serious the ones we know about will be. It will certainly be bad and in some ways very bad. I'm prepared to believe, as Mr. Aldern proposes in this book, that the consequences of climate change will include a negative impact on our minds and our general mental and emotional well being. But too much of this book is speculation that, at best, points to a need for further research. I don't dispute the idea that hot weather impairs reasoning and increases aggression, but I'm not sure that translates into a world where we are all less rational and more aggressive because average global temperatures go up by one or two degrees. I also agree that increased temperatures will cause an increase in certain environmental toxins that will adversly affect the thinking of people who are exposed to them. Environmental disasters due to climate change will increase the incidence of PTSD among people who live through them. But as I read, I kept feeling that the focus was wrong. All of Mr. Aldern's parade of horribles will pale in comparison with more serious climate driven events - large numbers of people dying in unprecedented heatwaves, extreme weather events, flooding of coastal cities due to rising sea levels, acidification of the oceans, and the list goes on. Our poor little broken brains will be the least of our worries.
  
  Near the end he gets into a discussion of how climate change may affect languages. Here I thought some of his ideas were actually wrong. He overstates the Whorfian idea that language affects thought; it does, but mostly on a trivial level. And the loss of language diversity is happening whether or not we manage to deal with climate change.
  
  In the end this book is little more than depressing scaremongering that does nothing to help us solve our problems. I want books that deal with the real, tangible, knowable consequences of climate change and what we can do about them. The weak reasoning of this book plays into the hands of the deniers, and the focus on problems of secondary importance distracts us from the issues that should be our main focus.
• 
  Reading

  Chilling, compulsive reading covering a diverse range of interconnected subjects. Despite the grim details I would have enjoyed reading more related to the first three quarters of this book. Yes please, tell me more about vampire bats social life and brain eating amoeba!
  
  So what happened during the final quarter? Despite the writing still being excellent the subject matter felt disconnected from the first portion. Ultimately, as the book drew to a closer I appreciated what the author had in mind but for me it really took me out of the book and I struggled to stay focused and appreciate the book as a cohesive whole. I believe with another few passes and some insight from his editor this would have been a phenomenal book vs an excellent but moderately flawed book that didn't quite stick the lending for me.
  
  That said, I learned SO much! Here are a few of my favorite observations from the book:
  "Friston's theory formalizes this logic at multiple scales of analysis. It says the point of all living things is to maximize evidence for their own model-their own existence-to minimize the surprise they encounter in the world, relative to their current understanding of the relationship between causes and consequences. The causes, here, amount to reality: the everything outside ourselves. The consequences are our percep- tions of this world-the sensations we feel when navigating our envi- ronments. When our expectations match our perceptions, our brains are doing a good job. When they don't, we adjust accordingly. We adapt.
  
  "Outsize influence is resonance and oscillation. It is the thing that causes complex dynamical systems to falter."
  
  "Sustainable self-evidencing - that's it. That's the meaning of life, if there's one to be dug up. That is what it means TO BE."
  
  "Yes, sure, we are all connected. But that's boring. What's not boring is the fact that despite the porous boundaries between us, and in addition to the interconnectedness of the individual and its environment, we also share a defi- nition of success with every other thing that physically exists, at any scale. "Sustainability" means the same thing for everything."
• 
  Michelle

  While parts of this book are a bit dense, think neurobiological theory, unfamiliar cerebral connections, etc., it was still fascinating and, at times, frightening. By now, most of us are familiar with the consequences of climate change - extreme heat, violent storms, ravaging forest fires. But what about the consequences we give little thought to? Extreme heat is deadly, and the brain turns off thought processing simply to keep us alive. We know that a warming world is causing disease vectors such as mosquitoes to increase their range, but it's also providing an ideal habitat for a multitude of bacteria.
  
  Cyanobacteria evolved about 2.7 billion years ago when Earth was predominantly shallow ocean and volcanoes, and there was "virtually no oxygen in the atmosphere." They learned how to split water molecules, utilizing the hydrogen atoms to power photosynthesis. The byproduct oxygen molecules formed oxygen in the oceans and the atmosphere, cooling the Earth and forming "glaciers in the tropics." These are the same organisms now forming toxic blooms across the globe, and there is evidence that they are airborne. An amino acid produced by these cyanobacteria appears to cause neurodegenerative effects that look like Alzheimer's disease and ALS in the brain. They are in the marine food chain, lakes, oceans, streams, and even puddles. They survive in the desert, dormant until it rains. They thrive on fertilizer runoff and warm water. And then there are the brain-eating amoebae...
  
  Climate change is changing people's lives daily, causing PTSD, depression, and anxiety from fires and extreme weather events. As the environment people live in changes, culture and language are at risk of disappearing, migration becomes a necessity, and conflict grows. Governments have been reluctant to take the steps necessary to forge meaningful climate action. As the window of opportunity closes, what will we do when all of the terrifyingly awful things come to roost?
• 
  Socraticgadfly

  Probably a 3.75 to be precise.
  
  I didn't think any of the issues Aldern discussed were overly alarmist. Nor, overall, other than the discussion on linguistics and climate change, and that on migration, did I think they were overly speculative.
  
  The linguistics? Yes, climate change may make some of the 21 or 172 or whatever Sami words for snow fade away. But, strong and even medium Whorfianism was conclusively rejected long ago.
  
  Migration? Climate change may indeed increase the desire to migrate. BUT, as Hein de Haas shows in
  his book on the realities of migration, the actualities of that are currently — and likely in the future — something different, as far as cross-border migrations.
  
  And, as is my wont? The longer 2-star reviewer talking about "more research"? The rest of his review made clear he's not a climate denier, but, good sir, Aldern reports research on the issues he talks about in this book. The stuff on heat and judgment / thought processes has had a LOT of research. He also doesn't claim the changes in human thought processes will be worse than heat waves, floods and droughts from climate change. Beyond that? The expansion of tropical diseases may not be that far behind heat waves, floods and droughts in the amount of death and destruction it exhibits.
• 
  Arya Harsono

  
  The Weight of Nature: How a Changing Climate Changes Our Brains was thoroughly researched yet succinct (less than 300 pages of content!!), written poetically and with a purposeful flourish, and provides some refreshing views on how we consider impacts beyond the biophysical realm of the climate crisis. As someone who spends significant time poring over damage functions of climate-related effects, such as heat and air pollution, I am impressed by
  Clayton Page Aldern's ability to make these technical concepts more accessible. I have also recently been doing a deep dive into behavioral science and its relevance to climate policy, so quite insightful to see somewhat of the reverse. A solid read. I implore reviewers who found it heavy or depressing to read it with less cynicism and expectation of epiphany, and embrace its ideas with a more open mind and heart.
• 
  Sophie Els

  Heavy on the neuro-science here but it was still eminently readable and accessible. Lots of psychology and ruminations that I let wash over me, like a warm breeze. Okay but for real I deeply appreciate the framing of this book, centering climate without it being one long explainer of the crises to come (I read enough of those in my own time). If you're not concerned about cyanobacteria you don't know enough! As if the people of Florida needed any more addling of the mind. A good read for those who don't normally pick up scientific nonfiction, if you want my two cents, but I am admittedly not a very good judge of that.
  
  "... the acts of climate change are no longer abstract and alien. We are coming to know Earth. We are hearing it breathe, and we are breathing with it. Grief is only ever a sign that you've loved something enough to care that it's changing. The weight of nature is an anchor, and it binds us to this world."
• 
  Alyssa

  Despite there being a certainty in what climate change will do to us, what species and landscapes we will need to mourn this book does put a really convincing case that the challenge of building resilience to the certainty might be a journey that could have some positive developments.
  It's a realistic book about what's coming which is great albeit troubling. Every chapter has something fascinating in it, particularly the language chapters and mountain top removals effect on an Appalachian town.
  Would really recommend.
• 
  John Kaufmann

  The author's intent, I believe, was to show how climate change can physically alter the structure of our brains. Clearly things like heat, smoke, and trauma (from wildfires, floods, and extreme storms) affect us psychologically, and this in turn can affect our brains. Other books have touched on the psychological aspects, but this is the first to cover the physical changes the brain experiences as a result of climate impacts. It does get a little dry and tedious at times, which is why I gave it 3-stars.. Nonetheless it is an important subject. Borderline 4-stars.
• 
  Rosabel

  This takes a topic we’re all too familiar with (a big, broadly changing climate) and approaches it rudimentarily, as a thing that is rendering the familiar unfamiliar. That is disorienting enough to set off an emotional domino effect of neurological, behavioral and physiological symptoms which we must acknowledge before (or in order to) actually do something about the big, broadly changing climate.
  
  I really appreciated how the writer used storytelling and metaphor to distill these big ecological/psychological concepts into something very relatable and approachable.
  
  He also writes about the importance of storytelling, writing and art-making as a way of contending with the psychological weight ~of nature~ which is a refreshing point in a science-driven / evidence-based book like this!
  
  Anyway, i really genuinely enjoyed reading this, even through the unnerving bits.
  
  It carries an important message i feel we lose sight of often: Climate change has arrived and it lives inside of us… the earth is changing and it only makes sense that we are changing with it!
• 
  Sierra

  I think a lot of people will love this book, but it's just not for me. A little too depressing, not in a way that spurs me into action but instead in a way that just me want to stop reading. However, it's super well-researched and important. The best parts were about the work of Karl Friston (a collaborator of my excavation director from last summer) and the brain-eating amoeba stories.
  
  ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
• 
  Tim Ubels

  Accessible for those outside of the field of neuroscience, and a little bit cerebral in its presentation, but it's the framing by Aldern that makes this book so engaging (and a little depressing). Our impact on the planet and the resulting climate change is not just taking effect outside of ourselves, in the ether, but also inside of our bodies and on our executive functioning. Guess the body really does keep the score.
  
  4.5/5
• 
  Philemon -

  Maybe it's appropriate for a book on climate change's effect on the mind to be somewhat disorganized, diffuse, and unsettled. Maybe it needs to wander and stagger a bit. Maybe it's unreasonable to expect its contents to be digested or digestible. Climate change is unprecedented, probably the greatest threat humanity has faced since the Black Death. And still unfolding, the fullness of its potential horror insensibly lurks.
  
  Maybe Aldern has done close to the best that can be done. The fog he has created is true. The pain within that fog is all too true.
• 
  Erin Wyman

  It could easily be classified as horror. the meeting of two fields, environment and brain. The author is really good, he took his time with the research, and has people’s personal stories that grip you. And he discussed trauma passed from generations.
• 
  Ash

  Terrifyingly fascinating. Hauntingly beautiful prose & thoroughly engaging. I could not put it down.
  
  *Note though that Eunice Newton Foote discovered the effects of carbon dioxide on the environment in 1856 - 40 years before Svante Arrhenius did.