More on nature and climate

In his introduction, American biologist E. O. Wilson describes RESCUING THE PLANET by Tony Hiss as “a dazzling blend of science, travelogue, and history.” Hiss argues that mass extinction of species can be curtailed by efforts to protect the wildness of half the land. He introduces readers to local activists like Steven Kallick and Stephen Kakfwi who are working together to create Indigenous Protected Areas. And, in subsequent sections, Hiss turns to others – explorers, engineers, geologists, ecologists, foresters, oceanographers and more – across time to describe numerous conservation efforts. Although the text can be a bit hard to follow due to Hiss’ “wandering” from topic to topic and time to time, RESCUING THE PLANET received starred reviews from Booklist (“an inspiring chronicle”); Kirkus (“excellent…”); Library Journal (“exceptional work”), and Publishers Weekly (“eye-opening survey”). 

TOURING THE CLIMATE CRISIS by Osseily Hanna details his travel across five continents and 32 countries over six years. Hanna, a writer, photographer, and filmmaker, summarizes the experience as being “simultaneously perturbed by the magnitude of the problems I saw and inspired by the courage of those who are overcoming them.” Hanna is an impassioned and  colorful writer; for example, he says, “it felt as if each city I visited was at a different stage in a rehab clinic for hydrocarbon addictions.” He uses geography to divide the chapters which detail his many observations (e.g., regarding America’s reliance on gasoline powered vehicles or looking at wind energy innovations with a Danish scientist or mining operations in South Africa). Hanna effectively utilizes the voices of those he met to build empathy and to contrast the lived experience in the Global North and Global South. Roughly a fourth of the book provides extensive notes, a bibliography and index – valuable aids to student researchers. 

Added 8/21- New United Nations Sixth Assessment Report on Climate Change

Unsettled by Steven E. Koonin

UNSETTLED by Steven E. Koonin is meant to be an apolitical look at climate change, focusing on “What Climate Science Tells Us, What It Doesn’t, and Why It Matters.” However, this new book has met with several challenges, perhaps most notably in a Scientific American article.  The business media, including Forbes and The Wall Street Journal, have instead tended to support his position. Koonin, a physicist, has an impressive list of credentials, including academic ties to CalTech and New York University, amongst others. He splits this book into two parts: The Science and The Response. Initially, he discusses aspects like heat waves, hurricanes, Greenland’s ice sheet, and economic impact of climate change, and then devotes a couple of chapters to “why the science has been communicated so poorly” and what improvements might be made.  At a time when two-thirds of Americans think government should do more, Koonin offers a confusing (or overly nuanced?) summary since he agrees that the planet is warming and appears to acknowledge that human-caused emissions are a major factor. Why such reluctance to embrace more proactive policy action then?

Advocating that we make only “low-risk changes,” Koonin merely suggests that “climate science would also be improved by deliberate efforts to involve scientists from other fields in studying climate … [and] we need to … help non-experts become more critical consumers of media coverage of climate.” While those are laudable goals, it seems that with all of his knowledge and experience, Koonin could press for more. He acknowledges this weakness, saying, “I have deliberately written this book in a descriptive manner rather than a prescriptive one.” His detractors might better ponder how to highlight those areas of scientific agreement, further informing the public so they, having come to a reasoned conclusion, are motivated to push for appropriate speed and scale of government response.

Added 8/21- New United Nations Sixth Assessment Report on Climate Change

How to prepare for climate change by David Pogue

HOW TO PREPARE FOR CLIMATE CHANGE by David Pogue is designed to be “A Practical Guide to Surviving the Chaos.” Pogue, a prolific Emmy-winning writer who was The New York Times’ tech columnist until 2013, uses data, graphs and maps to provide insights about a huge variety of climate related issues: disaster preparation, investment, and gardening are just a few. He has relied on fifty experts (brief biographies are included) to strengthen his own knowledge about coming changes and concerns, contributing to chapters ranging from Where to Live, Protecting your Children, and Preparing for Floods, Drought, etc. to Where to Find Hope. There is an extensive index and all endnotes are available online (includes links and an appendix on your carbon footprint). This is a text worth exploring; for example, he links to sites which model rising sea levels, changes in temperature, and economic impact of climate change (did you know that the University of Notre Dame keeps a list of 182 countries ranked by their vulnerability to climate change?). Kirkus describes this book as “perfect for reading in parts” and Pogue makes frequent use of headings and bold font to aid that process. Each page offers something more to explore from climate migration and gentrification to portable generators and solar panels – scary, but actionable – and therefore practical indeed! HOW TO PREPARE FOR CLIMATE CHANGE received a starred review from Booklist. 

Added 8/21- New United Nations Sixth Assessment Report on Climate Change 

The Atlas of Disappearing Places

THE ATLAS OF DISAPPEARING PLACES by Christina Conklin and Marina Psaros is all about “Our Coasts and Oceans in the Climate Crisis.” Conklin (an artist, writer, and researcher) and Psaros (a sustainability expert who works with NOAA and USGS) have created an absolutely breathtaking set of illustrations. They chose to focus on about twenty locations around the world (including Camden, Maine; Houston, Texas; Ben Tre, Vietnam; and Gravesend, United Kingdom). For each, they include a map which was created with water-soluble inks on dried “sea lettuce” and digitally layered onto a Google Earth image. Also in each chapter is an exploration of a key term (technology, vulnerability, resilience) related to climate change; plus, graphs, data, and a “speculative vignette about the future.” In a New York Times interview, Psaros says, “using art and storytelling to talk about the science and policy, was a way to hopefully make the issue more accessible to a broader range of people.” Students and faculty will be enthralled – and hopefully prompted to act. Extensive notes, image sources, and a helpful index are included.

Although changes (in ocean chemistry, extreme weather, warming waters and rising sea levels) along the coasts is the focus of THE ATLAS OF DISAPPEARING PLACES, Dan Egan has written an excellent feature for The New York Times about Chicago’s struggles with changing water levels: “A Battle between a Great City and a Great Lake.” Also of possible interest is this New Yorker article written by Bill McKibben – it deals with a variety of climate issues and part is an interview with Conklin about creating THE ATLAS OF DISAPPEARING PLACES. Several other texts about climate change are being added to our collection and we will provide additional reviews here soon. 

Added 8/21- New United Nations Sixth Assessment Report on Climate Change