JOHN YANG: This week, the Biden administration# finalized new rules ordering power companies to## slash greenhouse gas emissions from coal burning# plants.

Data shows that global levels of the## three main heat trapping greenhouse gases,# carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide,## all reached record highs in 2023 for the second# year in a row.

And experts say there's no end in## sight.

But a new book says there is reason for# hope.

William Brangham spoke with its author.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Climate.

Change# from A to Z.

That is the premise of## a new collection of 26 essays, one# for each letter of the Alphabet,## like c for capitalism or K# for kilowatt, Q for quagmire.

Journalist and Pulitzer Prize winning author# Elizabeth Kolbert wrote the words.

Artist## Wesley Alsbrook did the illustrations, and# together they delve into everything from## the history of climate change to the deep# uncertainty about its future, from sobering## facts about our warming planet that may# seem overwhelming to innovations to fuel## our optimism.

The book is called H is for# hope.

And Elizabeth Kolbert joins us now.

Elizabeth, welcome back to the program.

You are# one of the journalists who has helped me and so## many of us understand the climate crisis and the# ecological crisis that we are living through right## now.

When I saw a book by you that was trumpeting# hope, I was really struck by that.

I mean,## given everything, you know and everything that you# document in this book, how did you land on hope?

ELIZABETH KOLBERT, Author, "H Is for Hope":# I mean, you used the word overwhelming, and## I think the climate crisis can seem overwhelming# to people.

It's a science story, it's a technology## story, it's a political story, it's a geopolitical# story.

And so the goal of the book, which is## really following the style of a children's# book, but is not a children's book, breaking## things down by Alphabet, was to break the story# down into pieces and put it back together again.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: It is shorter than most of# your works, and it is constructed in this way## with some chapters being quite brief and yet# illustrated beautifully by Wesley Alsbrook.## It isn't a children's book, as you say, but# I'm curious as to why you chose this format.

ELIZABETH KOLBERT: There's a lot of,# I hope, resonance is there.

I sort of## was wanting to play with a lot of different# ideas.

So I hope there's a certain amount of## playfulness in the book.

And one of them was# playing with this antiquated form of an ABC## book to deal with a question that is very# much a present day question and also very## much a question of our future.

So bringing# those sort of different styles together.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: You talk a lot about the# narratives and the stories that we tell about## climate change.

One of the many that really leaps# out in this book is the chasm between the rich and## the poor, both in our emissions and the impacts# of those emissions, the millions of people who## are now refugees because of climate change.

Why# do you think that narrative has not moved people?

ELIZABETH KOLBERT: Well, that's a really good# question.

And especially since the issue of## immigration is so much a hot button issue in# our own politics, we should be having a much## more sober and thoughtful conversation about# all of these issues and how climate change,## how continuing to burn fossil fuels is going# to drive a refugee crisis the likes of which## the world has possibly never seen before, is# something that all of our politicians should## be discussing once again, not in a way,# not in the sort of way that unfortunately,## they're discussing immigration today, but# in a much more considered, thoughtful way.

Because we are looking at a future in which many,## many millions of people are likely to be on# the move, because the places that they have## lived for many centuries are going# to become very difficult to live in.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: I want to ask you a little# more about Wesley Alsbrook's artwork, because## it is such a striking parallel to your words.# One of the drawings is an image of our earth,## the great globe, inside of a snow globe.# And it's part of the chapter V for Vast,## where you talk about the irony here that# our taming of nature, quote, unquote,## with oil and gas and electricity# and heating and transportation,## has now come back to haunt us in the sense that it# has, as you say, put nature firmly back in charge.

Can you tell us about that illustration and# that message that's coming through there?

ELIZABETH KOLBERT: Well, that# chapter is a reference to this## very famous quote from the 1950s from# one of the first people, Roger Revell,## to raise the alarm about climate change.# And he called what we were doing a vast## experiment.

And that vast experiment, that# vast unsupervised experiment continues.

And so I think what Wesley was driving out with# that wonderful illustration of the globe inside## a snow globe was, we are shaking this thing, and# that thing is, unfortunately, the whole planet.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Your shortest chapter# D for Despair.

I'm going to read it in## full.

Despair is unproductive.

It's# also a sin.

That could easily have## been the title of your book, but# you obviously chose the opposite.## What cumulative effect do you want# people to take away from this work?

ELIZBETH KOLBERT: Well, I think the cumulative# effect that I want people to take away is we## are dealing with this problem one way or the# other.

It's coming at us, and we can choose## to deal with it as constructively and wisely and# as intelligently as possible.

Or we can throw up## our hands, or alternatively, put our heads# in the sand, and it will still come at us.

So those are the choices that we face.

They're not# necessarily the choices that we would have chosen,## but those are the choices we face.

And# that is why I think despairing about## it is not productive.

We really need to# focus on what we can do and get it done.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: The title# of the book is "H Is for Hope:## Climate Change from A to Z."

Elizabeth Kolbert,# great to talk to you again.

Thank you so much.

ELIZABETH KOLBERT: Oh, thanks for having me.