About This Project

Beyond Climate Breakdown was written by Peter Friederici, a journalist and writer who lives in Flagstaff, Arizona. Friederici teaches at Northern Arizona University, where he also is active in projects aimed at building more resilient regional food systems.

“An insightful critique of the literary, political, and economic narratives that hide global warming from view, Beyond Climate Breakdown empowers us to acknowledge and repair the deep causes of the climate crisis that we’re usually taught to ignore.”

—Genevieve Guenther, Founding Director, End Climate Silence

“Careful, precise, and accessibly written, Friederici’s meta-perspective on climate discourse melds a journalist’s clear voice with a scholar’s incisive critique to ask, ‘what is the matter with a society that would willingly destroy its future?’”

—Sarah Jaquette Ray, Professor of Environmental Studies, California Polytechnic State University, Humboldt; author of A Field Guide to Climate Anxiety

“An affirmation of our collective agency: how we all actually have it, and darned well need to use it –there is simply no dogmatically individualistic route through the climate crisis.”

—Rupert Read, Associate Professor of Philosophy, University of East Anglia; author of Why Climate Breakdown Matters

The Beyond Climate Breakdown film was produced by animators Chris Johnson and Austin Frick of the Northern Arizona University School of Communication, and premiered at the 2024 ArtX Festival in Flagstaff. The script was written by children’s book author Sara Shacter.