Environmentalism and Climate Change

Ken's hike, and by extension Trespassing Across America, is motivated by Ken's desire to raise awareness about environmentalism and climate change and to encourage people to take action, with a specific focus on trying to stop the installation of the Keystone pipeline. Ken's concerns about climate change spur his desire to not only raise awareness but also spark a movement that would "more or less bring down the entire fossil-fuel industry" (83). Initially, Ken attempts to raise awareness and spark a movement through the hike itself. However, with the publication of Trespassing Across America, the book becomes a method of achieving those same goals as Ken educates and advocates about environmentalism throughout the manuscript. The main issue contributing to climate change which is discussed in this book is our society's dependence on fossil fuels. This is commonly recognized as one of the biggest factors — if not...