Skip to Navigation
Skip to Content

Support PSR!

Make a difference in the challenge to confront global warming and prevent nuclear war and the development and use of nuclear weapons.

Donate Now »

Latest Action

Tell President Obama to abolish the Nuclear Loan Guarantee Program.

Field Notes from a Catastrophe

Man, Nature, and Climate Change

By Elizabeth Kolbert

On the burgeoning shelf of cautionary but occasionally alarmist books warning about the consequences of dramatic climate change, Kolbert's calmly persuasive reporting stands out for its sobering clarity. Expanding on a three-part series for the New Yorker, Kolbert (The Prophet of Love) lets facts rather than polemics tell the story: in essence, it's that Earth is now nearly as warm as it has been at any time in the last 420,000 years and is on the precipice of an unprecedented "climate regime, one with which modern humans have had no prior experience." An inexorable increase in the world's average temperature means that butterflies, which typically restrict themselves to well-defined climate zones, are now flitting where they've never been found before; that nearly every major glacier in the world is melting rapidly; and that the prescient Dutch are already preparing to let rising oceans reclaim some of their land. In her most pointed chapter, Kolbert chides the U.S. for refusing to sign on to the Kyoto Accord. In her most upbeat chapter, Kolbert singles out Burlington, Vt., for its impressive energy-saving campaign, which ought to be a model for the rest of the nation—just as this unbiased overview is a model for writing about an urgent environmental crisis. (Mar. 14)

Purchase this book from Amazon.com

Browse Resources

Action Alerts

More action alerts»

Resources

  • Sustancias quimicas peligrosas en el sector de la salud

    The Spanish-language version of the PSR report, "Hazardous Chemicals In Health Care," written with the American Nurses Association and Health Care Without Harm (HCWH), details the first investigation of environmental chemicals found in the bodies of health care professionals. Read more »

  • Hazardous Chemicals In Health Care

    Read PSR’s October, 2009, report: "Hazardous Chemicals In Health Care." Of 20 health care professionals tested for the presence of industrial chemicals in their bodies, all 20 had at least 24 individual chemicals present, many of which are associated with chronic illness and physical disorders. Read more »

  • Toxics tools and resources

    Happy holidays from the Environmental Health Policy Institute! This holiday season we highlight some of our favorite tools and resources for health professionals and others concerned about the health effects of industrial chemicals. Read more »

In the Spotlight