The world is facing immediate destruction because of climate change. Across the world, people are facing different disasters — including massive fires, flooding because of things like hurricanes, and issues with the ice. Two Degrees introduces readers to three characters, each of whom is forced to contend with a separate climate disaster and find safety— somewhere, anywhere that is not impacted.
One of the main characters in the novel, Akira Kristiansen, is in California in the United States. One day, Akira and her family are driving through the mountains of California when a wildfire sparks and quickly begins to grow out of control, leaving them with hardly any time to escape the fire. But the family runs into a problem: which way will be safe when the fire is growing so fast that it seemingly closes off every exit? To survive, the family makes a series of important, but difficult decisions. And ultimately, things worked out for them in the end.
In Churchill, Manitoba, Canada, another character named Owen runs a tour for travelers and tourists to the area (Churchill is known for its polar bear population). But the polar bears have shown up in Owen's town with increasing frequency as the ice thins because of climate change. Because of the ice and because the polar bears are getting a little too close for comfort, he must fend off attacks from the bears — and the ice around him. To survive, Owen must use the limited resources around him to survive despite the harsh conditions around him caused by climate change. Ultimately, he does survive.
Finally, in Miami, Florida, in the United States, a young woman named Natalie must deal with an incoming hurricane. That situation, she found, has played out several times during her life, so she figures that she has nothing to worry about. But people around her — including her family — think that this incoming hurricane could be the big one that destroys everything around them. Those people were right. Natalie and her mom don't have anywhere to go to escape the storm, so they hunker down in their home. They quickly learn, though, that it was a bad idea to do so. Natalie is swept away by stormwater and is forced to use the little tools she has to survive the hurricane and the water which will surely kill her.
Though each of the previously mentioned stories seem to not be connected, they are. Each character has the power to change the world and right the ship before climate change causes the destruction of the rest of the world—and the rest of the world. With that power comes great responsibility, and each of the characters work hard to prevent further damage to the planet and prevent other people from becoming climate refugees too.
