I Want a Better Catastrophe

Andrew Boyd is a writer, humorist, activist, and CEO (Chief Existential Officer) of the Climate Clock, a global campaign that blends art, science, and grassroots organizing to get the world to #ActInTime. He also co-created the grief-storytelling ritual the Climate Ribbon and led the 2000s-era satirical campaign Billionaires for Bush. Andrew's previous books include Beautiful Trouble: A Toolbox for Revolution, Daily Afflictions: The Agony of Being Connected to Everything in the Universe, and Life's Little Deconstruction Book: Self-Help for the Post-Hip. His lifelong ambition, cribbed from Milan Kundera, is "to unite the utmost seriousness of question with the utmost lightness of form." Andrew lives in New York City.

"Urgent, sobering reading."—Kirkus Reviews, starred review"The most realistic yet least depressing end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it guide out there."—Foreword Reviews, starred review"The book is stunning. By delivering its devastating news in imaginative, engaging, and sometimes even hilarious ways, it marks the emergence of a new and genuinely exciting kind of realism."—Brian Eno, musician and environmentalist"A profound meditation on how to live in a world on the brink of collapse. Boyd moves gracefully beyond the usual talk of hope and despair to provide a startling vision of a future shaped not only by chaos, but also by compassionate care."—Jenny Offill, author, Weather and Dept. of Speculation "A heartfelt and humorous take on how to show up at 'the end of the world as we know it'." —Britt Wray, PhD, Human and Planetary Health Fellow, Stanford University and author, Generation Dread "I Want a Better Catastrophe is unlike anything else I've ever read about climate change, and how to keep living through it. For a start it's extremely funny. It is also angry, passionate, curious, honest, surprising, and very well-researched. Beyond its signature gallows humor, it brings a kind of deeply felt "gallows love" for the beauty and wonder of the world, and how we must fight to defend it."—Nick Hunt, co-director, Dark Mountain Project, and author, Outlandish "Time is clearly short—but I Want a Better Catastrophe proves it's never too late for a good laugh, a good cry, and a good call to action!"—Bill McKibben, author, The Flag, the Cross, and the Station Wagon "Through expert interviews, compassionate analysis, and deliciously dark wit, Boyd beats a path through the messy emotional and psychological terrain we must travel in order to face the future."—Onnesha Roychoudhuri, author, The Marginalized Majority "A rowdy, taboo-busting get-together of climate emergency thinkers."—Josephine Ferorelli, co-founder, Conceivable Future"A must read for its wit, and for the insights it offers."—Paul D. Miller, aka DJ Spooky

• Prologue: It's the End of the World. Now What? Chapter 1: Impossible News Interview: Guy McPherson "If we’re the last of our species, let’s act like the best of our species.”Interview: Tim DeChristopher “It’s too late— which means there’s more to fight for than ever.”Chapter 2: The Five Stages of Climate Grief Interview: Meg Wheatley —“Give in without giving up.”Chapter 3: Existential Crisis Scenario Planning Interview: Gopal Dayaneni — “We’re going to suffer, so let’s distribute that suffering equitably.”Chapter 4: How to Be White at the End of the World Chapter 5: Is There Hope Interview: Joanna Macy — “Be of service not knowing whether you’re a hospice worker or a midwife.” Interview: Jamey Hecht — “Witness the whole human story through tragic eyes.”Chapter 6: What Is Still Worth Doing Interview: adrienne maree brown — “How do we fall as if we were holding a child on our chest?”Interview: Robin Wall Kimmerer — “How can I be a good ancestor?”Chapter 7: Experiments on the VergeChapter 8: Another End of the World Is Possible Epilogue: Now Is When You Are Needed Most Epi-Epilogue: Passing the TorchAppendix: Stuff You Can (Still) Do