Tales of Two Planets, edited by John Freeman, is an anthology of global climate stories in the form of nonfiction essays, short stories, and poetry. The thesis of the collection as a whole is that global economic and racial inequality, spurred by colonial legacies and capitalist expansion, is inseparable from the climate crisis. Authors from all over the world trace the devastating development of our current state of affairs and suggest innovative ways of thinking about climate dystopia, collective resistance, the making of history, the role of family, and the power of literacy and language. 

This unit was designed to facilitate student inquiry and personal meaning-making by providing students with ample context and background information necessary for comprehension and analysis. As a result of the diversity of the text’s voices and countries of origin, students will gain knowledge of a variety of different settings, authors, and audiences. Since the text is so wide-ranging and multivocal, teachers might choose specific chapters to emphasize, particularly stories from the Global South that are often ignored or silenced in discussions of climate change in the United States. This anthology, and accompanying curriculum unit, provide an opportunity for students to use inquiry-based strategies to develop and envision their own solutions and responses to the ongoing climate crisis, (neo)colonialism, and environmental racism.

Big Ideas:

• Climate change is a global reality that impacts all of us, but continues to be the most devastating in the Global South and in marginalized communities of the Global North. 

• Storytelling can be just as important as scientific fact in moving people to make change. 

• Rhetorical situations impact the overall message of texts. 

• Colonialism, capitalism, racism, and patriarchy shape our experiences of the climate crisis. 

• We all have our own stories to tell about climate change.