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32 pages 1 hour read

Field Notes from a Catastrophe

Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 2006

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Book Brief

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Elizabeth Kolbert

Field Notes from a Catastrophe

Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 2006
Book Details
Pages

320

Format

Book • Nonfiction

Setting

Global • 2000s

Publication Year

2006

Audience

Adult

Recommended Reading Age

18+ years

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Super Short Summary

In Field Notes from a Catastrophe, Elizabeth Kolbert explores the urgent and multifaceted impacts of climate change, beginning with observations in Greenland and the Alaskan island of Shishmaref and tracing historical and contemporary scientific research. She examines global climate models, the political resistance to addressing emissions, and the consequences for biodiversity and human societies. Kolbert concludes that human activities have ushered in the Anthropocene epoch, significantly disrupting the earth's natural climate balance. The book contains discussions of environmental displacement and mentions large-scale famines.

Informative

Challenging

Melancholic

Unnerving

Contemplative

Reviews & Readership

4.3

5,301 ratings

78%

Loved it

18%

Mixed feelings

4%

Not a fan

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Review Roundup

Elizabeth Kolbert's Field Notes from a Catastrophe extensively discusses climate change, combining scientific insights with compelling narratives. Critics praise its accessible yet informative approach, though some find the tone overly pessimistic. The book effectively raises awareness, but its dire projections might overwhelm some readers.

Who should read this

Who Should Read Field Notes from a Catastrophe?

Readers who appreciate Field Notes from a Catastrophe by Elizabeth Kolbert are environmentally conscious individuals drawn to narratives blending scientific research with compelling storytelling. Fans of The Sixth Extinction by Elizabeth Kolbert or Silent Spring by Rachel Carson will find this book intriguing and insightful.

4.3

5,301 ratings

78%

Loved it

18%

Mixed feelings

4%

Not a fan

Character List

Elizabeth Kolbert

Initially a reporter for The New York Times, she moved to The New Yorker, focusing on politics and environmental issues; she's an author and member of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists’ Science and Security Board.

A Nobel Prize-winning Dutch chemist who introduced the term “Anthropocene” to describe the era in which human activity significantly influences the planet's climate.

Leader of the climate program at the Natural Resources Defense Council, he works on promoting sustainable energy initiatives, particularly in the US and China.

A Princeton professor emeritus who co-directs the Carbon Mitigation Initiative and developed strategies called "stabilization wedges" to manage climate change.

A physics professor at New York University focused on developing carbonless electricity sources and advocating significant financial investment in energy research.

A biologist specializing in butterflies and moths, he studies the impact of climate change on biodiversity and the potential threat to ecosystems and agriculture.

An Irish physicist who was among the first to document climate change by studying the greenhouse gas effect, which helps make Earth habitable.

Book Details
Pages

320

Format

Book • Nonfiction

Setting

Global • 2000s

Publication Year

2006

Audience

Adult

Recommended Reading Age

18+ years

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