Beyond Data: The Essential Role of Wonder, Love, and Hope in Combating Climate Change

Human Nature: Nine Ways to Feel About Our Changing Planet Kate Marvel Ecco (2025)

The concept that rising carbon dioxide levels could warm the planet goes back to the mid-1800s. Eunice Foote, a pioneering women’s rights advocate and scientist, demonstrated in 1856 that CO₂ and water vapor trap heat in our atmosphere¹. Although her groundbreaking research was largely ignored at the time, it has been confirmed by decades of studies. It’s clear: since the Industrial Revolution, global temperatures have risen, fossil fuels have increased CO₂ levels, and human actions are the primary drivers of global warming.

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However, as climate scientist Kate Marvel points out in Human Nature, little action has been taken by policymakers despite the overwhelming evidence. Efforts have been stymied by years of lobbying from powerful groups, including oil companies. In her compelling book, Marvel advocates for an emotional response alongside the data-driven approach to inspire meaningful action. Emotions like anger, fear, and grief are well-known in climate discussions, but she emphasizes the importance of wonder, love, and hope as well.

Through personal stories, she makes the science of climate change relatable, explaining how Earth’s systems work, the role of greenhouse gases, the impact of global warming, and the complexities of climate models. For example, she shares her haunting experience during Hurricane Ida in 2021, which caused catastrophic flooding in New York City. She ties this to the fact that warmer air holds about 7% more water vapor for every degree Celsius increase, leading to short, intense rain events. This chapter effectively illustrates how storms develop and why they become more severe due to warming.

An unsettling truth

I cannot help but share Marvel’s anger and frustration. The field of climate science has progressed to the point where denying human-induced climate change seems misguided. Although models vary in their specifics, they all reach the same undeniable conclusion: Earth is warming and will continue to do so unless greenhouse gas emissions are reduced to zero.

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Scientists have witnessed their climate predictions come to life during their own experiences, often faster than expected. While it can be exhilarating to confirm predictions, seeing climate change manifest—along with its visible consequences that could have been prevented—is profoundly unsettling.

The book emphasizes the dire impacts of extreme weather by connecting historical and modern examples: a massive volcanic eruption in 43 bc that caused chaos in the Roman Empire and famines in ancient Egypt; the devastating droughts during the Dust Bowl of the 1930s in the U.S.; and the catastrophic floods brought on by Hurricane Harvey in Texas in 2017. References to Greek myths and historical events, such as the downfall of ancient Egypt due to crop failures related to disrupted rainfall, enliven the narrative.

Nevertheless, Marvel could have included social science research demonstrating how climate events impact livelihoods and human well-being^2–4. These effects are rarely straightforward or isolated; they create ripples throughout economic, political, and environmental systems.

Exploring how climate change influences livelihoods also sheds light on why some communities are more vulnerable than others. For instance, droughts can incite conflict and migration, particularly in fragile nations with weak governance and poor resource management⁵. Recognizing these dynamics is essential, as they help policymakers devise effective intervention strategies.