What if CO2 Were Pink?
A new, illustrated book about climate change for kids (and their adults) poses the interesting question: “What if we could SEE carbon dioxide?” Oregon author Gregg Kleiner has written the new book, which is aimed at helping kids, and their adults, start seeing the sources of CO2, then take action.
“As a father of two kids who will live in a climate altered by my generation’s excesses and emissions, I found myself lying awake nights worrying about their future, and the future of all children,” Kleiner said. “After one of those long nights, I wondered what would happen if CO2 were suddenly, say, pink. And since I’m a writer, I decided to tell a story about that, because stories tap the human imagination and have the power to move people.”
Kleiner said the inspiration for the new book, “Please Don’t Paint Our Planet Pink! A Story for Children and Their Adults” was the fact no one can see what’s causing climate change, mainly CO2 in the atmosphere.
“I’m troubled that although the science is clear about what’s coming if we keep burning fossil fuels, there’s very little action to stem climate change, especially in the U.S.,” he said. “It’s hard to fight, because we can’t see what’s causing it…we can’t feel, or hear, or taste it either, so there’s no clear enemy we can point to and go after. But what if we all woke up tomorrow and CO2 were were a nice, bright pink puffing out behind our cars, rising above our homes when we take showers?”
The new book features a “geeky dorkasaurus” dad who uses a pair of lens-less green goggles to encourage his 9-year-old son to tap his imagination to see carbon dioxide as pink plumes billowing up from factory smoke stacks and chimneys, puffing out behind airplanes and cars, and even rising above the butts of cows.
The book uses humor, watercolor illustrations by Laurel Thompson, and a dash of accessible climate science to help kids start seeing CO2. “Kids have such amazing, unadulterated imaginations that I wanted to write a story for them,” Kleiner said. “But adults who read this book say they learn a lot, too.”
Climate activist Bill McKibben said of the book, “I’ve often wondered what might happen if CO2 were visible. Now I know!”
The hardest part of writing the book, Kleiner says, was making sure it wasn’t frightening or filled with dry scientific facts, but instead inspired kids and their parents in a light-hearted way to look at a serious issue. The book teaches about the carbon cycle, but also about caring and carpooling and community, as well as some gender stereotypes.
Eugene writer and 350.org member Mary DeMocker calls the book, “A whimsical ‘we can do this!’ call to action for both children and adults.”
As a mother, DeMocker said she appreciates how the book opens the door for discussion with children, first about the science and then about solutions. “Without finger-wagging, mind-numbing science, or a hint of despair, Kleiner’s characters … exude hopeful attitudes without stepping away from the central issue we must solve,” Democker said.
Kleiner’s idea may not be as far-fetched as it seems; The Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) completed a similar project back in 2011 by installing infrared cameras at twelve natural gas drilling and processing sites in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and West Virginia, revealing “invisible air pollution rising from almost three quarters of those examined.” The released gases in the video are primarily methane. The same infrared video-monitoring methods are being used in a campaign in Denton, TX to prove that emissions within the permitted short-term pollutant exposure standards stick around long-term, potentially requiring different limits or a review of the standards.
For anyone looking to give a holiday gift that makes a difference in the world, consider giving this important book, which is available at the local bookstore ‘Another Read Through’ on
N. Mississippi Ave, Powell’s, Amazon, and through the book’s website:http://cloudburstcreative.com/pink
PLEASE DON’T PAINT OUR PLANET PINK! A Story for Children and Their Adults Written by Gregg Kleiner • Illustrated by Laurel Thompson
ISBN: 978-0990637301 • $12 • From Cloudburst Creative
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