Fire and Flood

A People's History of Climate Change, from 1979 to the Present

Eugene Linden

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The definitive history of the modern climate change era, from an award-winning writer who has been at the centre of the fight for more than thirty years

In 1979, President Jimmy Carter was presented with the findings of scientists who had been investigating whether human activities might change the climate in harmful ways. "A wait-and-see policy may mean waiting until it is too late," their report said. They were right -- but no one was listening. Four decades later, we are haunted by the consequences of this inattention, and the years of complacency, obfuscation and denialism that followed. Today, the staggering scale and scope of what we have done to the planet is impossible to ignore: the seasons of fire and flood have crossed into plain view.

Fire and Flood is a comprehensive, compulsively readable history of climate change from veteran environmental journalist Eugene Linden. Linden retells the story of the modern climate change era decade by decade, tracking the progress of four ticking clocks: first, the reality of climate change itself; second, advances in scientific understanding; third, the spread of public awareness; and fourth, the business and finance response. Like no previous writer, Linden has drawn together the elements of the biggest story in the world, in a book that it is gripping as history, as economic investigation, and as scientific thriller.

Published: 5 April 2022
ISBN: 9780141999975
Imprint: Penguin eBooks
Format: EBook
Pages: 336

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About the author

Eugene Linden

Eugene Linden is an award-winning journalist and the author of The Parrot's Lament, The Future in Plain Sight, Silent Partners, and several other books on animals, the environment, and other issues relating to humanity's place in the natural order. His previous book on climate change, Winds of Change, received the Grantham Prize Special Award of Merit. He has consulted for the U.S. State Department, the UN Development Program, and he is a widely traveled speaker and lecturer before audiences ranging from the intelligence community to the congregation of the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine. He lives in the Hudson Valley, in New York.

Praise for Fire and Flood

Fascinating ... This will be a telling story for a long time to come (assuming we're around to hear it)
Bill McKibben

Praise for The Winds of Change
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Beautifully written ... a very thought-provoking volume. Linden manages to weave history, science, and narrative together in a compelling way
Science

Impressive ... Linden takes a penetrating historical view
The New York Times

Fascinating
NPR

Invaluable
Washington Post

Linden expertly and succinctly describes the natural cycles that control climate and the many ways they interact
Nature

Should be required reading for policy makers across the globe
Doug Macdougall, Chronicle of Higher Education

Fascinating-a tour de force. Linden has accumulated a greater comprehension of paleo-climatic and oceanographic issues than all but a very few scientists. I have nothing but admiration for this book
George Woodwell, founder of the Woodwell Climate Center and former president of the Ecological Society of America