Schmidt, a climate scientist at NASA, and photographer Wolfe seek to advance public education about human-induced climate change in a combination of arresting images and lucid explanations of the science of global warming and the pursuit of global cooperation in adopting new, sustainable ways of living. With contributions by 16 scientists, engineers, writers, activists, and photographers, Schmidt and Wolfe address a host of observable changes, from the melting of ice and permafrost at the poles to the rising of sea levels in cities such as Venice and Miami. From discussions of increasing drought, forest fires, and extreme storms to the deadly buildup of industrial and agriculture chemicals, the coverage is clear and bracing. And it’s inspiring to learn about the work of these cutting-edge experts as they marvel over the finely calibrated checks and balances of the earth’s systems, elucidate the ways human-induced climate change is making the planet less conducive to life, and chronicle inventive approaches to averting environmental catastrophe. In the midst of sobering reportage, the authors manage to appeal to our fascination with epic challenges. --Donna Seaman
Review
"A combination of arresting images and lucid explanations of the science of global warming and the pursuit of global cooperation in adopting new, sustainable ways of living….the coverage is clear and bracing....In the midst of sobering reportage, the authors manage to appeal to our fascination with epic challenges."
― Donna Seaman, Booklist
"[A]n impressive, informative and surprisingly accessible work, leaps and bounds ahead of the half-baked analysis consumers have come to expect from the corporate media…compelling."
― Jason Zasky, Failure Magazine
"Breathtaking images."
― Popular Science
"A rich photographic record of a warming world."
― Peter Dizikes, Salon
"[A] masterful account of the science of climate change…It will leave you both in awe of the Earth we inhabit and of the science itself, with all of its uncertainties and incomplete answers."
― Seed Magazine
"[A]n inspired work… a compelling and captivating book."
― Leonard David, Space Coalition Blog
"Gavin Schmidt, a NASA climatologist, has in many ways become the news media’s conscience on climate science, exposing exaggeration and opinion in climate coverage…[a] no-nonsense approach."
― Laura Shin, The New York Times
About the Author
Gavin Schmidt is a climate scientist at the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies as well as a cofounder of RealClimate.org.
Joshua Wolfe’s photography, represented by the Henry Gregg Gallery, has appeared in Outside, Time Out, and the Village Voice. He is a founder of GHG Photos, a leading photography agency focusing on climate change. Wolfe has won the Sierra Club 2009 Ansel Adams Award, which honors an individual who has made superlative use of still photography to further a conservation cause.
