Earth under Fire
How Global Warming Is Changing the World
$34.95, £19.95 hardcover
978-0-520-24438-2
Available Now
295 pages, 8-1/2 x 10 inches, 110 color illustrations, 5 line illustrations, 6 maps
October 2007, Available worldwide
Categories: Ecology, Evolution, Environment; Conservation; Photography
October 2007, Available worldwide
Categories: Ecology, Evolution, Environment; Conservation; Photography
"A clearheaded, comprehensive look at the state of the science, and the planet. . . . Earth under Fire may be not simply a book, but a benchmark."—Orion
"The pictures are truly eye-opening. . . . Looking at the changes already underway paints a staggering picture and perhaps highlights what a visual society we have become; we may not truly believe what we've done to the planet until we actually see the results for ourselves." —The Ecologist
"What normally would be a dull repetition of emissions reduction policies becomes, in this author's hands, a refreshing take on theories, facts and scientific opinions, sprinkled with comment from leading policymakers. Braasch has told the story of climate change in a new way by bringing together startling and breathtaking imagery with personal accounts and the best available scientific evidence."
—Nature
"What surprised me about this book was not its rich photographic element, I was already familiar with the stunning landscape and wildlife imagery by Ansel Adams Award-winning photojournalist, Gary Braasch. No. What caught me more off balance was the depth of his research and reporting. Earth Under Fire: How Global Warming is Changing the World is a personal record, via his camera and keyboard, of the consequences of modern affluence on this planet we call home. Read this book and your head will be swimming, just like weary polar bears, outside of ones' usual realm."—Treehugger.com
"Nothing takes climate change out of the abstract quite as effectively as photographs. . . . Photojournalist Gary Braasch spent eight years observing and documenting the evidence and impacts of global warming for his book, Earth Under Fire. The result is a meticulously researched, visually stunning work that performs the equally important tasks of convincing the reader of the scope of the problem and the urgent need to tackle it, as well as prescribing how to do that."—Canwest News Service — 1/5/2008
"The visuals are stunning."—Kansas City Star
"A meticulously researched, visually stunning work that performs the equally important tasks of convincing the reader of the scope of the problem and the urgent need to tackle it, as well as prescribing how to do that."—The Montreal Gazette
"Braasch uses his award-winning skill behind the camera to produce a practical, level-headed and thorough overview of the current state of global warming, from a ground-level definition to stunning images of its effects."—Publishers Weekly
"While the science underlying global warming is complex, its impact is made comprehensible in this richly photographic blend of memoir and reportage. . . . This lucid, accessible, and handsome volume's cogent commentary includes discussion of social and political issues, including the Kyoto agreement. . . . Braasch and his contributors pull no punches about the seriousness of the consequences of global warming, and conclude with a chapter detailing the positive steps that can be taken toward using resources more responsibly."—Booklist
"The pictures are truly eye-opening. . . . Looking at the changes already underway paints a staggering picture and perhaps highlights what a visual society we have become; we may not truly believe what we've done to the planet until we actually see the results for ourselves." —The Ecologist
"What normally would be a dull repetition of emissions reduction policies becomes, in this author's hands, a refreshing take on theories, facts and scientific opinions, sprinkled with comment from leading policymakers. Braasch has told the story of climate change in a new way by bringing together startling and breathtaking imagery with personal accounts and the best available scientific evidence."
—Nature
"What surprised me about this book was not its rich photographic element, I was already familiar with the stunning landscape and wildlife imagery by Ansel Adams Award-winning photojournalist, Gary Braasch. No. What caught me more off balance was the depth of his research and reporting. Earth Under Fire: How Global Warming is Changing the World is a personal record, via his camera and keyboard, of the consequences of modern affluence on this planet we call home. Read this book and your head will be swimming, just like weary polar bears, outside of ones' usual realm."—Treehugger.com
"Nothing takes climate change out of the abstract quite as effectively as photographs. . . . Photojournalist Gary Braasch spent eight years observing and documenting the evidence and impacts of global warming for his book, Earth Under Fire. The result is a meticulously researched, visually stunning work that performs the equally important tasks of convincing the reader of the scope of the problem and the urgent need to tackle it, as well as prescribing how to do that."—Canwest News Service — 1/5/2008
"The visuals are stunning."—Kansas City Star
"A meticulously researched, visually stunning work that performs the equally important tasks of convincing the reader of the scope of the problem and the urgent need to tackle it, as well as prescribing how to do that."—The Montreal Gazette
"Braasch uses his award-winning skill behind the camera to produce a practical, level-headed and thorough overview of the current state of global warming, from a ground-level definition to stunning images of its effects."—Publishers Weekly
"While the science underlying global warming is complex, its impact is made comprehensible in this richly photographic blend of memoir and reportage. . . . This lucid, accessible, and handsome volume's cogent commentary includes discussion of social and political issues, including the Kyoto agreement. . . . Braasch and his contributors pull no punches about the seriousness of the consequences of global warming, and conclude with a chapter detailing the positive steps that can be taken toward using resources more responsibly."—Booklist
"Earth under Fire is an important work documenting climate change. With an accessible text and startling photographs, it takes the reader on a world tour of the human effect on our climate."—Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
"Braasch's descriptions and photographs of how climate change is unraveling ecosystems and human lives make real and vivid what for too many remains speculative and abstract. Each deeply researched story—the rising suicide rate in a melting Inuit village, fields of European butterflies killed by a false spring, coastal houses falling into the sea in North Carolina—becomes a memorable character in a rapidly unfolding drama that threatens to engulf us all."—Amory B. Lovins, Rocky Mountain Institute
"There are scant books equal to the task of spelling out the greatest challenge in human history-global climate change. Rarer still is an author who can both write and photograph it, seamlessly marrying text and images. Earth under Fire is that rare book."—Paul Hawken, author of Blessed Unrest and The Ecology of Commerce
"This is a well-written description of the effects of human-driven climate change on our all-too-vulnerable planet. The pictures give a marvelously direct account of what is happening almost before our eyes."—Sir Crispin Tickell, former British Ambassador to the United Nations
"Global warming has found its Baedeker in Gary Braasch. Braasch has traveled all over our changing world and recorded in word and photograph what's going on. We all need to see what he saw, and Earth under Fire does a beautiful job of that."—James Gustave Speth, author of Red Sky at Morning: America and the Crisis of the Global Environment
"Braasch's descriptions and photographs of how climate change is unraveling ecosystems and human lives make real and vivid what for too many remains speculative and abstract. Each deeply researched story—the rising suicide rate in a melting Inuit village, fields of European butterflies killed by a false spring, coastal houses falling into the sea in North Carolina—becomes a memorable character in a rapidly unfolding drama that threatens to engulf us all."—Amory B. Lovins, Rocky Mountain Institute
"There are scant books equal to the task of spelling out the greatest challenge in human history-global climate change. Rarer still is an author who can both write and photograph it, seamlessly marrying text and images. Earth under Fire is that rare book."—Paul Hawken, author of Blessed Unrest and The Ecology of Commerce
"This is a well-written description of the effects of human-driven climate change on our all-too-vulnerable planet. The pictures give a marvelously direct account of what is happening almost before our eyes."—Sir Crispin Tickell, former British Ambassador to the United Nations
"Global warming has found its Baedeker in Gary Braasch. Braasch has traveled all over our changing world and recorded in word and photograph what's going on. We all need to see what he saw, and Earth under Fire does a beautiful job of that."—James Gustave Speth, author of Red Sky at Morning: America and the Crisis of the Global Environment
Six years ago, award-winning photojournalist Gary Braasch began an extraordinary journey around the world to observe and document environmental changes resulting from the warming of our climate. In this stunning, eye-opening book, he brings us along to witness firsthand what he saw as he crossed both the Antarctic and Arctic Circles, trekked above 15,000 feet in the Andes, dove on damaged coral reefs, and followed scientists into the field on four continents. In more than one hundred photographs, including dramatic before-and-after comparisons, Braasch records communities, landscapes, and animals at risk because of receding glaciers, eroding coastlines, rising sea levels, and thawing permafrost. In the accompanying text he surveys the science behind climate change and introduces native people, lifelong observers, scientists, and others who are noticing striking changes right now. Alongside Braasch's compelling words and images, essays by eminent scientists discuss the impacts of climate change on the oceans, biodiversity, fresh water, mountain cultures, plants and animals, and our health. More than a warning, Earth under Fire, the most complete illustrated guide to the effects of climate change now available, offers an upbeat and intelligent account of how we can lessen the effects of our near total dependence on fossil fuel using technologies and energy sources already available.
Foreword
Introduction
1. Fire on the Ice
2. Polar Thaw
3. Breaking the Boundaries of Life
4. Tomorrow's Climate Today
5. Neros or Heroes: Choosing a Better, Safer, Cleaner—and Cooler—World
Epilogue: Emissions Accomplished—Now the Battle Must Be Fought
Afterword
Acknowledgments
References
Index
Introduction
1. Fire on the Ice
2. Polar Thaw
3. Breaking the Boundaries of Life
4. Tomorrow's Climate Today
5. Neros or Heroes: Choosing a Better, Safer, Cleaner—and Cooler—World
Epilogue: Emissions Accomplished—Now the Battle Must Be Fought
Afterword
Acknowledgments
References
Index
The Atlas of Climate Change: Mapping the World's Greatest Challenge, Revised and Updated, by Kirstin Dow and Thomas E. Downing
The Atlas of Climate Change: Mapping the World's Greatest Challenge, by Kirstin Dow, and Thomas E. Downing
The New Atlas of Planet Management, Revised Edition, edited by Norman Myers and Jennifer Kent
Global Climate Change and California: Potential Impacts and Responses, by Joseph B. Knox and Ann Foley Scheuring, editors
Blue Frontier: Dispatches from America's Ocean Wilderness, Second Edition, by David Helvarg
The Atlas of Climate Change: Mapping the World's Greatest Challenge, by Kirstin Dow, and Thomas E. Downing
The New Atlas of Planet Management, Revised Edition, edited by Norman Myers and Jennifer Kent
Global Climate Change and California: Potential Impacts and Responses, by Joseph B. Knox and Ann Foley Scheuring, editors
Blue Frontier: Dispatches from America's Ocean Wilderness, Second Edition, by David Helvarg