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Field Notes from a Catastrophe
Field Notes from a Catastrophe: Man, Nature, and Climate Change | Elizabeth Kolbert
20 posts | 11 read | 21 to read
Long known for her insightful and thought-provoking political journalism, author Elizabeth Kolbert now tackles the controversial and increasingly urgent subject of global warming. In what began as groundbreaking three-part series in the New Yorker, for which she won a National Magazine Award in 2006, Kolbert cuts through the competing rhetoric and political agendas to elucidate for Americans what is really going on with the global environment and asks what, if anything, can be done to save our planet. Now updated and with a new afterword, Field Notes from a Catastrophe is the book to read on the defining issue and greatest challenge of our times. Elizabeth Kolbert was a reporter for the New York Times for fourteen years before becoming a staff writer covering politics for the New Yorker. She and her husband, John Kleiner, have three sons. They live in Williamstown, MA. Praise for Field Notes from a Catastrophe: "[A] small miracle of concision, gaining by its brevity and its plan of attack a rhetorical power that elucidates, rises to meet and deftly answers the historic crisis in which we find ourselves." -Los Angeles Times "Important...Precise and measured. Visiting an Inupiat community in Alaska, a butterfly expert in England, or a midlevel Bush administration official in Washington, D.C., [Kolbert] lets readers connect the dots to form a frightening (and still avoidable) vision of our future...[Grade:] A." -Entertainment Weekly "If you have time this year for just one book on science, nature or the environment, this should be it."-San Diego Union-Tribune "Passionate...well-researched."-New York Times Book Review
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Riveted_Reader_Melissa
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Pickpick

I picked this one up based on the author after reading her The Sixth Extinction, it is equally good and the examples are telling even if it‘s a bit dated now. She talks with Bush appointees and his policies, and I felt like saying ugh, it‘s even worse now...but the patterns and problems hold still, apparently no matter who is in office. So maybe it‘s less dated than I would have hoped (only the names change) because we haven‘t changed much.

Graywacke I‘m embarrassed to admit I have this (unread) and listened to The Sixth Extinction and did not realize it was the same author until your post. Glad this still works. I was worried it was too dated after I waited so long. 4y
Riveted_Reader_Melissa @Graywacke She still goes with different scientists in different disciplines and looks at their work in the field and in models...and sadly that‘s all still true, and we are all still not paying enough attention....so it holds up pretty well. Although it was weird to be reminded of the Bush stuff since the last few years seem so much worse, it‘s like my memory of Bush‘s policies had faded into the background a bit more. Additionally, some of ... (edited) 4y
Riveted_Reader_Melissa ...the stuff she looked at covered droughts and hurricane intensity and I found myself thinking, yep saw that in action this year! (edited) 4y
Graywacke W and climate change 😡🤬... 4y
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Riveted_Reader_Melissa
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The end of this tied in unexpectedly with #Separated which I‘m also reading, as the refugees are coming, often from violence, but just as frequently drought.

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Riveted_Reader_Melissa
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Sometimes reading the just slight dated books are so informative. Again, published in 2006, and they weren‘t sure yet, and I think 2020 would respectfully disagree giving us an increase in intensity and frequency, and that‘s just 14 years later, not centuries.

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Riveted_Reader_Melissa
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This book was written in 2006, I couldn‘t help but think of all the wildfires in CA this year...how we know it‘s getting warmer & drier, have known for awhile, but yet our politicians still think they can adapt to it, apparently by raking these days 🙄

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Riveted_Reader_Melissa
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Bookmarkie
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It was 70 degrees here in Pennsylvania. Just sayin‘ #globalwarming

Owlizabeth I‘m in Richmond VA and had to turn on the AC!! 5y
Suet624 60 in Vermont. 😞 5y
MidnightBookGirl @Owlizabeth Ditto! At the bookstore today, we had the door open! 5y
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jpmcwisemorgan

Holy biscuits the evidence that global warming can affect evolution was first seen in mosquitoes!!!

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jpmcwisemorgan

One of the most awesome things about this book are its references to citizen science. Sometimes we know things because someone has kept careful records. They did it because they thought the flower was pretty, or they‘d never seen that particular bird before. It was just something someone wanted to know and now we can track changes over time because of someone‘s innate curiosity.

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jpmcwisemorgan
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This annoys me. It‘s even worse when authors feel compelled to describe scientists who are women. It‘s often comes across as “oh they‘re not very attractive so that‘s why they‘re scientists” or “they‘re attractive and it‘s so hard to believe they‘re scientists”. Mary Roach is terrible about this. Tell the reader their credentials and move on. Who cares about their grin?! Ahhhhhhhh!!!

tjwill Agreed. (edited) 5y
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jpmcwisemorgan

I‘ve decided that I need to move more inland to escape as much of the ocean rising as I can. I‘m not sure I should read this book right now!

rretzler I‘m trying to convince my husband that we need to invest in property in the middle of the US - when the worst happens it should be very handy and valuable!😜 5y
jpmcwisemorgan @rretzler You should move now. If things happen quickly, you won‘t have time to get there. I‘m worried that we‘re moving out of the period of slow and slowish change to a period of more rapid change. 5y
rretzler Fortunately, I think we‘re safe where we live unless the Great Lakes would flood somehow. The weather this summer has certainly got me thinking about how much weather patterns have changed over the 56 years of my life and what might be in store for my kids when they are my age in 40 or so years. It‘s frightening to say the least. 5y
sprainedbrain I‘m so afraid to read this book. 5y
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jpmcwisemorgan

Ok, so the #TalkGreenToMe book club meets tomorrow and I‘m only 6% done with the book. 😬 Right now I‘m reading about permafrost thawing and, not to be alarmist, but we‘re all going to die. I keep hoping I won‘t live to see how this all ends but I become increasingly afraid that I will. Don‘t worry about those plastic straws because we‘re going down in flames, possibly quite literally. Or in some version of the Big Water from Trial of Lightning.

Riveted_Reader_Melissa I read her The Sixth Extinction and have meant to pick this one up ever since, but I agree...that book proved to me that the alarm bells were ringing on high alert, and no one seems to care. 5y
Hooked_on_books The Sixth Extinction from her is outstanding. I found the tagged book a little tougher to get through, as it‘s a bit drier. I‘m sure it will spur great conversation, though. 5y
jpmcwisemorgan @Hooked__on__books I‘ve read The Sixth Extinction. I recall liking it but I don‘t think it was really too much of a surprise. This one isn‘t, either, but I sometimes like to forget that the clock is ticking and we‘re not doing anything to change it. We‘ve been past changing light bulbs and fuel efficient cars for a long time but that‘s what it seems people think will save us. 5y
jpmcwisemorgan @Riveted_Reader_Melissa Yes, I liked that one. I think Hooked_on_books is right about this one because it is a bit drier, and is heavier on the science but still reasonably accessible if you‘ve read other similar books. So far, I wouldn‘t recommend it to someone new to environmental issues. 5y
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jpmcwisemorgan

If you‘re in Austin or the Austin area, join me on Thursday, July 25th at Recycled Reads (Burnet) from 7pm to 8 pm to discuss this book. #TalkGreenToMe

Soubhiville You should share this event on Slack for the #LitsyATXreadersSociety ladies! I‘m marking my calendar. Do I need to read the book in order to attend? 5y
jpmcwisemorgan @Soubhiville No, you don‘t. We often talk about other books we‘ve read or what‘s happening in the news. I‘m going to make a real effort to read this one, I often only get half way through a book before the meeting. 😬 5y
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Hooked_on_books
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A backlist title from Kolbert, this is a good overview of the 5 Ws (and the How) of climate change. There is some hard science in here and I did not find it as accessible or well written as her outstanding The 6th Extinction, but it is a worthy predecessor.

#dogsofLitsy #Bindi #Greta #mylegsareundertheresomewhere

shanaqui Is it still worth reading if you've read Sixth Extinction, or is there a lot of repetition? 🤔 6y
Hooked_on_books @shanaqui Her focus is quite different here, so I think it‘s worth it. She focuses more here on water (permafrost, glaciers, sea level) rather than on amphibian deaths. 6y
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slightlyfoxed
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Seems like I‘ve been absent from Litsy forever - don‘t worry! I‘m not dead, my life is just in shambles (see messy shelves for an accurate representation). Between summer reading and planning our Big Read, I‘m running myself ragged at work. I took a (much needed) week off, and came back even more exhausted and unmotivated.
TLDR: Life sucks.
(PS #ShortStorySwap match & @CSeydel - my package is ready to go out first thing Thursday morning!)

Dr._Who_number10 @slightlyfoxed Well I hope you‘ll feel better and motivated☺️😊 and I hope work and everything will clear up and you‘ll have more energy and everything will get better🤗 I would give you a big hug if I could and help you with your book shelf if I could😂 6y
CSeydel I‘ll admit I was growing concerned that I hadn‘t heard from you! Sorry it‘s been so rough. Thanks for getting the swap package out - can‘t tell you how much I appreciate you following through despite aggravating circumstances! Hope things look up soon 💗💗 6y
Bklover Hope things get better for you soon! Hang in there!💜 6y
readordierachel Sorry to hear life sucks right now. *hugs* 6y
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Magic_Kiwi
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⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️.5/5
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This is my first complete book of the year that I read for my climate change program!
I really enjoyed it and hope by the end of this week I can write a full review on my wordpress, which I will then link on this post.
I‘m busy getting back on my feet and college really wants to take me out so here is a sad picture of the book + college life. Sorry folks college is not an esthetic 🤷🏻‍♀️❤️👌🏻

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Magic_Kiwi

“... some climate models -worldwide, there are about 15 major ones in operation- predict that the perennial sea-ice Cover in the arctic will disappear entirely by the year 2080. At that point, although there would continue to be seasonal ice that forms in the winter, in summer the Arctic Ocean would be completely ice free.

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captainpunchmerica
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While it's a few years out of date now (at least my edition is), this book is still a surprisingly readable and fun rundown on climate change, what can and should be done, and the science and scientists at the heart of the issue.

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captainpunchmerica
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Theme viewing while I read and a cute kitty for company! Not too shabby #catsoflitsy #planetearth #saturday

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Megld4
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My 13th book of the 2016 read harder challenge.

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RealLifeReading
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Reading while the 3yo naps. Surely I'm not the only one who uses my kids as props? 😜

Riveted_Reader_Melissa I just picked this one up to read this week! I read her Sixth Extinction earlier this year and it was very good. 8y
sprainedbrain Nope, I am guilty of that too! 8y
RealLifeReading @sprainedbrain glad to hear im not the only one! 8y
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