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
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