Nomad Century by Gaia Vince

NOMAD CENTURY by Gaia Vince (Transcendence; Adventures in the Anthropocene) is all about “How Climate Migration Will Reshape Our World,” a topic which has been of high interest to our student researchers in the past few years. Her book has pre-pub blurbs from an impressive array of accessible non-fiction authors: Mary Roach, Bill McKibben, and Bill Bryson. Vince herself is an award-winning science journalist, author, broadcaster and speaker. Eloquently creating relevance, she states “Human movement on a scale never before seen will dominate this century and remake our world,” further noting "you will be among them, or you will be receiving them." She begins with a look at the nature of migration – both for people and “stuff.” A key point is the possibility of a “climate apartheid” where social inequality and poverty interact with climate change for even more devastating consequences. Vince devotes several chapters to outlining the problems, complete with shocking, but relatable, statistics (e.g., “the Welsh capital, Cardiff, is projected to be two-thirds under water by 2050”). The final chapters advocate for possible solutions (e.g., using technology like cloud brightening for solar reflectivity), including long-term efforts to restore areas for habitation by humans although many comments are rather general (e.g., “we must stop seeing the people who move as the problem, even if some of their reasons are”). Vince also includes an eight point manifesto, a few “further reading suggestions,” notes, and a helpful index, together comprising roughly twenty percent of the text. NOMAD CENTURY received a starred review from Kirkus. It is a call to action - sobering, but hopeful reading.