Jahren does not introduce this phrase until Chapter 10, but the theme itself is common throughout every chapter of the book. The mantra is simple: Consume less resources and make sure those resources are made available to those who need them. “What was only a faint drumbeat as I began to research this book,” she writes, “now rings in my head like a mantra: Use Less and Share More” (88).

While the mantra is clear, it’s nonetheless a tall order. It is no easy task to reduce global rates of poverty, disease, and hunger—ask any governmental body, nonprofit, or non-governmental organization working in that sector. Experts in the field of global health, poverty, and education might feel some skepticism that Jahren’s suggestion is too simplistic. However, as she herself writes, “[T]here is no magical technology coming to save us from ourselves” (88). In other words, it’s a place to start.

What’s probably more controversial about Jahren’s suggestion is the pressure she puts on the individual consumer to reduce their consumption habits. Other experts and scholars in the field of climate studies instead argue that we should enact strict regulations on the handful of companies and industries that are our world’s greatest polluters.