Climate Chaos

Killing People, Places, and the Planet

Edited by John Hans Gilderbloom - Contributions by John Hans Gilderbloom; Joshua D. Ambrosius; Bobby Austin; Russell Barnett; Christopher Bird; Leah Callahan; Chad Frederick; Robert Friedland; Elliott Grantz; Matthew Hanka; Bunny Hayes; Antwan Jones; Avery Kahl; Zachary E. Kenitzer; Isaiah Kingsberry; Wesley L. Meares; Justin Mog; Lisa Murray; Chris Nolan; Karrie Ann Quenichet; William Riggs; Stephen A. Roosa; Ellen Slaten; Carla J. Snyder; Gregory D. Squires; Jennifer Stekardis; Porter Stevens; Ra’Desha Williams; Garlynn Woodsong and Charlie Zhang

Featuring insights from influential figures like Pope Francis and Albert Gore alongside contributions from over thirty esteemed authors, Climate Chaos: Killing People, Places and the Planet charts a transformative path from despair to optimism. Grounded in rigorous scientific research, the book unflinchingly exposes the links between industries such as coal, fossil fuels, chemical factories, liquor, tobacco, and others, and their role in accelerating global warming and mass displacement. It courageously challenges climate change denialism, advocating for transparency and accountability in addressing these urgent challenges. In a time of profound despair, this book unites faith and science to forge a path towards a sustainable and livable future. Its impact resonates beyond the page, inspiring a forthcoming PBS film.

Lexington Books

Pages: 530 • Trim: 6 x 9

978-1-66694-049-7 • Hardback • February 2025 • $155.00 • (£119.00)

978-1-66694-051-0 • Paperback • February 2025 • $45.00 • (£35.00)

Subjects: Nature / Ecology, Nature / Environmental Conservation & Protection, Social Science / Sociology / Social Theory

Climate Chaos

Killing People, Places, and the Planet

Hardback

Paperback

Summary

Featuring insights from influential figures like Pope Francis and Albert Gore alongside contributions from over thirty esteemed authors, Climate Chaos: Killing People, Places and the Planet charts a transformative path from despair to optimism. Grounded in rigorous scientific research, the book unflinchingly exposes the links between industries such as coal, fossil fuels, chemical factories, liquor, tobacco, and others, and their role in accelerating global warming and mass displacement. It courageously challenges climate change denialism, advocating for transparency and accountability in addressing these urgent challenges. In a time of profound despair, this book unites faith and science to forge a path towards a sustainable and livable future. Its impact resonates beyond the page, inspiring a forthcoming PBS film.

Details

Lexington Books

Pages: 530 • Trim: 6 x 9

978-1-66694-049-7 • Hardback • February 2025 • $155.00 • (£119.00)

978-1-66694-051-0 • Paperback • February 2025 • $45.00 • (£35.00)

Subjects: Nature / Ecology, Nature / Environmental Conservation & Protection, Social Science / Sociology / Social Theory

Author

John Hans Gilderbloom is a distinguished climate scientist at the University of Louisville and directs the Center for Sustainable Urban Neighborhoods (http://www.sunlouisville.org).

Table of Contents

Foreword: A Human Ecological World View
Bobby William Austin
Prologue: Our Common Home: A guide to Caring for Our Living Planet
Pope Francis
A Joint Initiative of the Holy See, Pope Francis, and the Stockholm Environment Institute
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1: Climate Chaos: The Battle Between Science and the Corporate Merchants of Doubt
John Hans Gilderbloom
Part I. National Studies on the Impact of Pollution
Chapter 2: The Missing Link of Air Pollution: A Closer Look at the Association Between Place and Life Expectancy in 146 Mid-Sized Cities
John Gilderbloom, William Riggs, Chad Frederick, Gregory Squires, and Karrie Ann Quenichet
Chapter 3: What Cities are Most Dangerous to Your Life Expectancy? Toward a Methodology of Livability
John Hans Gilderbloom, Christopher Bird, Gregory Squires, Chad Frederick, Ellen Slaten, Karrie Ann Quenichet, Carla J. Snyder, Robert Friedland, and William Riggs
Chapter 4: Pollution and the Pandemic: Explaining Differences in COVID-19 Rates across 146 U.S. Communities
Wesley Meares, John I Hans Gilderbloom, Gregory D. Squires, and Antwan Jones
Chapter 5: Automobile Addiction Kills the Earth: The Need for Multimodality
Chad Frederick, William Riggs, and John Gilderbloom
Chapter 6: Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions and the Need for Renewable Energies
Stephen A. Roosa
Part II. Local Studies on the Negative Impact of Pollution
Chapter 7: How to Do a Pollution Audit in Your City
Russell Barnett, John Gilderbloom, and Bunny Hayes
Chapter 8: “Mama, I can’t breathe.” Louisville’s Dirty Air Has Steep Medical and Economic Costs
John Hans Gilderbloom, Gregory D. Squires, Bunny Hayes, and Wesley L. Meares
Chapter 9: Pollution, Place, and Premature Death: Evidence from a Mid-Sized City
Authors: John Hans Gilderbloom, Wesley Meares, and Gregory Squires
Chapter 10: How Brownfield Sites Kill Places and People: An Examination of Neighborhood Housing Values, Foreclosures, Crime and Lifespan
John Hans Gilderbloom, Wesley L. Meares, and William Riggs
Part III. Neighborhood and City Efforts to Combat Climate Change
Chapter 11: Part 1: How to Make Our Schools Greener and Our Students Smarter
John Gilderbloom, Stephen Roosa, Isaiah Kingsberry, and Jennifer Stekardis
Part 2: The Impact of Air Pollution on Public School Achievement
John Hans Gilderbloom, Isaiah Kingsberry, Gregory D. Squires, and Charlie Zhang
Chapter 12: Will Planting Eight Billion More Trees Solve Climate Chaos? No!
Elliott Grantz, John Hans Gilderbloom, Justin Mog, Charlie Zhang, and Avery Kahl
Chapter 13: Does Walkability Matter? Exploring the Relationship Between Walkability and Housing, Foreclosure, Health, and Reducing Greenhouse Gases
John Hans Gilderbloom, William W. Riggs, and Wesley L. Meares
Chapter 14: Biking is the Best Choice for Health, Safety, and Zero Emissions
John Hans Gilderbloom, Justin Mog, and Zach Kenitzer
Chapter 15: Designing and Building Affordable and Attractive Housing for Working People
John Hans Gilderbloom, Wesley Meares, and Ra’Desha Williams
Chapter 16: Portland, The Best Livable City in America: Equity, Health, and Safety
John Gilderbloom, Garlynn Woodsong, and Porter Stevens
Chapter 17: Amsterdam: Planning and Policy in the World’s Most Livable City
John Hans Gilderbloom, and Matthew Hanka
Chapter 18: Historic Preservation as a Sustainability Strategy to Foster Pro-Environmental Cultures
John Hans Gilderbloom, Matthew Hanka, and Joshua Ambrosius
Part IV. Put a Mask on Pollution
Chapter 19: Climate of Hope: Cities Leading the Way
John Hans Gilderbloom and Chris Nolan
Epilogue: Al Gore’s Speech at the Opening of the World Leaders Summit at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt on November 7, 2022
A Prayer for Our Earth
Pope Francis
Index
About the Contributors

Reviews

"This groundbreaking book uncovers the numerous ways climate chaos is killing people, places, and the planet. It makes a powerful contribution by offering a hopeful, practical perspective to reversing destructive climate chaos and reducing greenhouse gases by 80% through implementing practical policies that will create a more sustainable, prosperous, and livable Earth.”

— Julian Agyeman, Tufts University

"John Hans Gilderbloom has assembled an amazing array of authors who have joined him in both identifying the magnitude of the problems, but even more importantly offering positive, common-sense solutions. One thing that is always positive about Gilderbloom’s work – it is trickle up, not trickle down. He invariably begins at the neighborhood level to describe problems and their effects, and then offers responses that are global yet locally based. This is an important work in confronting the most important issue that we are all facing today."

— Donovan Rypkema, PlaceEconomics and President of Heritage Strategies International

“John Hans Gilderbloom, a renowned authority in the climate and environmental research field, has crafted a seminal work that revolutionizes our understanding of the critical issues in environmental science and politics. With 29 authors and a message from Pope Francis and Nobel Prize Winner Albert Gore, John Hans Gilderbloom has placed us on a trajectory to reassess what it means to say we are in a crisis not so much of the environment but of human existence. The book’s title, Climate Chaos: Killing People, Places, and the Planet, says it all. We as citizens must understand that in this monumental work, these scientists are attempting to tell us that we must envision a paradigm shift, a new worldview.”

— Bobby William Austin, Ph.D., President of Neighborhood Associates and author of Repairing the Breach: Key Ways to Support Family Life, Reclaim Our Streets, and Rebuild Civil Society in America’s Communities. Report of the National Task Force on African-American Men and Boys

“Stunning! A powerful action plan for how cities can save our planet from destruction.”

— Stephen Roosa, Ph.D., MBA, CEM, BEP, CSDP, REP, CBCE, CMVP, LEED AP, Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Strategic Energy and Environmental Planning

“John Gilderbloom’s message couldn’t be more timely or important – not only that climate change is the existential challenge of our time, but that there is indeed a hopeful path forward. Effective action on climate change cannot help but address and improve our other related challenges, including unequal impacts on health, threats to equitable human development, and declining urban quality of life for too many. In that sense, the growing awareness of climate threats may help to mobilize needed action on these other long-neglected issues.”

— Michael W. Mehaffy, Ph.D., Executive Director, Lennard Institute/International Conference on Making Cities Livable and author of Cities Alive: Jane Jacobs, Christopher Alexander, and the Roots of the New Urban Renaissance

“A must-read for anyone concerned about climate change and what can be done about it.”

— Cary Lowe, Ph.D., member of the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Certified Planners and author of Becoming American: A Political Memoir

“This book is an inspiring must-read for anyone who wants to know how to solve the greatest challenge of our time—climate change. World renowned urban planner John Hans Gilderbloom reveals the untold story of how municipalities, businesses, and private citizens are working together to make a tangible impact. It’s in-depth analysis of how we have the tools and technology to dramatically reduce greenhouse gases and create a sustainable future is the inspiration for our documentary, Climate of Hope: Cities Saving the World. The film is filled with inspiring stories from cities all over the world. Together, they are a powerful call to action.”

— Chris Sean Nolan, Director, Climate of Hope, and three-time Emmy Award winner

“An excellent overview of the climate crisis facing all of us.”

— Scott Cummings, Professor Emeritus, Saint Louis University and former editor, Journal of Urban Affairs

“Dr. Gilderbloom’s book, Climate Chaos: Killing People, Places, and the Planet, gives an honest and fearless assessment of the problems that manifest in our inner cities and impact the health of residents who are suffering daily. I was with John Hans Gilderbloom when he met Martin Luther King III, who told him that he provided a model for rebuilding livable neighborhoods that his father and mother envisioned. I was also with him when Don Terner, the United States Envoy for South Africa, announced he would meet with President Nelson Mandela and tell him about what Dr. Gilderbloom was doing in West Louisville to rebuild livable neighborhoods.”

— La Glenda Reed, West Louisville Public High School Teacher and Community Activist

“Climate Chaos takes an all-hands-on-deck approach to the climate crisis. It brings the critical issues we confront down to the community level, chronicling the destructive effect of climate change on multiple aspects of life in U.S. cities. Drawing on detailed case studies as well as statistical analysis across cities, Climate Chaos documents the differential effects of climate change – both across and within cities – on life expectancy, health, COVID-19, educational outcomes, and even housing values. Drawing on case studies in the U.S. (such as Portland) and Europe (such as Amsterdam), Climate Chaos also makes a strong case for alternatives to the automobile: light rail, walking, and – close to my own heart – bicycling. The solutions offered are systemic, going beyond feel-good calls for planting more trees, arguing instead that cities – where most of the world’s population lives – can lead the way. This book is an important read: disturbing in its conclusions, leading to a compelling call for strong, community-based actions.”

— Richard Appelbaum, Distinguished Professor Emeritus and former MacArthur Chair in Sociology and Global & International Studies at the University of California at Santa Barbara

“Climate change will impact all of us in dramatic ways, but at the same time the devastation will be experienced, unequally across gender, race, income, and geographic positions. Gilderbloom's book draws on empirical evidence to outline the chaotic effects of climate change on health, life expectancy, and overall quality of life. Despite the climate chaos that we face, Gilderbloom's book also identifies practical, imaginative and proven solutions that can better control pollution and promote a more sustainable life for all, not just societal elites. The book is a comprehensive overview of how climate change will affect us, but a book that also offers a thoughtful agenda for change and hope for the future...an agenda that can start in our own cities and where we each can play a part.”

— Nancy C. Jurik, Professor Emeritus, Arizona State University and 2019-2020 Fulbright Scholar

“John Hans Gilderbloom is a fearless truth teller. He survived a brutal assault and learned to thrive despite some hearing and eyesight loss and PTSD. This book presents the award-winning research of his 30 colleagues that was originally removed from a university website. But Dr. Gilderbloom rescued and restored and expanded this critical research. People have the right to know the truth.”

— Mike Schindler, Exec Producer, 90000 Feet Productions, US Navy Veteran, three-time author, Co-founder of The VUCA Principle

Climate Chaos

Killing People, Places, and the Planet

Climate Chaos

Killing People, Places, and the Planet

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