Most Popular Books by Elizabeth Kolbert

A journalist reassesses the complex workings of power in New York in a collection of incisive portraits of such figures as Boss Tweed, Hillary Clinton, Rudolph Giuliani, Michael Bloomberg, Al Sharpton, and others to explain why certain people attain power, how they use it, and how they lose it. 15,000 first printing.

"Over the last half billion years, there have been five major mass extinctions, when the diversity of life on Earth suddenly and dramatically contracted. Scientists are currently monitoring the sixth extinction, predicted to be the most devastating since the asteroid impact that wiped out the dinosaurs. This time around the cataclysm is us. In this book the author tells us why and how human beings have altered life on the planet in a way no species has before. She provides a moving account of the disappearances of various species occurring all around us and traces the evolution of extinction as concept, from its first articulation by Georges Cuvier in revolutionary Paris up to Lyell and Darwin, and through the present day. The sixth extinction is likely to be mankind''s most lasting legacy, compelling us to rethink the fundamental question of what it means to be human". -- Back cover.

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • The Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Sixth Extinction returns to humanity’s transformative impact on the environment, now asking: After doing so much damage, can we change nature, this time to save it? RECOMMENDED BY PRESIDENT OBAMA AND BILL GATES • SHORTLISTED FOR THE WAINWRIGHT PRIZE FOR WRITING • ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The Washington Post • ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: Time, Esquire, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews • “Beautifully and insistently, Kolbert shows us that it is time to think radically about the ways we manage the environment.”—Helen Macdonald, The New York Times With a new afterword by the author That man should have dominion “over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth” is a prophecy that has hardened into fact. So pervasive are human impacts on the planet that it’s said we live in a new geological epoch: the Anthropocene. In Under a White Sky, Elizabeth Kolbert takes a hard look at the new world we are creating. Along the way, she meets biologists who are trying to preserve the world’s rarest fish, which lives in a single tiny pool in the middle of the Mojave; engineers who are turning carbon emissions to stone in Iceland; Australian researchers who are trying to develop a “super coral” that can survive on a hotter globe; and physicists who are contemplating shooting tiny diamonds into the stratosphere to cool the earth. One way to look at human civilization, says Kolbert, is as a ten-thousand-year exercise in defying nature. In The Sixth Extinction, she explored the ways in which our capacity for destruction has reshaped the natural world. Now she examines how the very sorts of interventions that have imperiled our planet are increasingly seen as the only hope for its salvation. By turns inspiring, terrifying, and darkly comic, Under a White Sky is an utterly original examination of the challenges we face.

In twenty-six essays—one for each letter of the alphabet—the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Sixth Extinction takes us on a hauntingly illustrated journey through the history of climate change and the uncertainties of our future. Climate change resists narrative—and yet some account of what’s happening is needed. Millions of lives are at stake, and upward of a million species. And there are decisions to be made, even though it’s unclear who, exactly, will make them. In H Is for Hope, Elizabeth Kolbert investigates the landscape of climate change—from “A”, for Svante Arrhenius, who created the world’s first climate model in 1894, to “Z”, for the Colorado River Basin, ground zero for climate change in the United States. Along the way she looks at Greta Thunburg’s “blah blah blah” speech (“B”), learns to fly an all-electric plane (“E”), experiments with the effects of extreme temperatures on the human body (“T”), and struggles with the deep uncertainty of the future of climate change (“U”). Adapted from essays originally published in The New Yorker and beautifully illustrated by Wesley Allsbrook, H Is for Hope is simultaneously inspiring, alarming, and darkly humorous—a unique examination of our changing world.

A new edition of the book that launched Elizabeth Kolbert''s career as an environmental writer-updated with three new chapters, making it, yet again, "irreplaceable" (Boston Globe). Elizabeth Kolbert''s environmental classic Field Notes from a Catastrophe first developed out of a groundbreaking, National Magazine Award-winning three-part series in The New Yorker. She expanded it into a still-concise yet richly researched and damning book about climate change: a primer on the greatest challenge facing the world today. But in the years since, the story has continued to develop; the situation has become more dire, even as our understanding grows. Now, Kolbert returns to the defining book of her career. She has added a chapter bringing things up-to-date on the existing text, plus three new chapters--on ocean acidification, the tar sands, and a Danish town that''s gone carbon neutral--making it, again, a must-read for our moment.

In this young readers adaptation of the New York Times-bestselling, Pulitzer Prize-winning The Sixth Extinction, Elizabeth Kolbert tells us why and how human beings have altered life on the planet in a way no species has before. Over the last half-billion years, there have been five mass extinctions, when the diversity of life on earth suddenly and dramatically contracted. Scientists around the world are monitoring the sixth extinction, predicted to be the most devastating extinction event since the asteroid impact that wiped out the dinosaurs. Adapting from her New York Times-bestselling, Pulitzer Prize-winning adult nonfiction, Elizabeth Kolbert explores how humans are altering life on Earth.

WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE ONE OF THE "NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW"''S 10 BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR A "NEW YORK TIMES" BESTSELLER A NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD FINALIST A major book about the future of the world, blending intellectual and natural history and field reporting into a powerful account of the mass extinction unfolding before our eyes Over the last half-billion years, there have been Five mass extinctions, when the diversity of life on earth suddenly and dramatically contracted. Scientists around the world are currently monitoring the sixth extinction, predicted to be the most devastating extinction event since the asteroid impact that wiped out the dinosaurs. This time around, the cataclysm is us. In prose that is at once frank, entertaining, and deeply informed, "New Yorker" writer Elizabeth Kolbert tells us why and how human beings have altered life on the planet in a way no species has before. Interweaving research in half a dozen disciplines, descriptions of the fascinating species that have already been lost, and the history of extinction as a concept, Kolbert provides a moving and comprehensive account of the disappearances occurring before our very eyes. She shows that the sixth extinction is likely to be mankind''s most lasting legacy, compelling us to rethink the fundamental question of what it means to be human.

WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE ONE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW''S 10 BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD FINALIST The 10th-anniversary edition of the instant classic, The Sixth Extinction, now with a new epilogue. Kolbert blends intellectual and natural history and field reporting into a powerful account of the mass extinction unfolding before our eyes. Over the last half a billion years, there have been five mass extinctions, when the diversity of life on earth suddenly and dramatically contracted. Scientists around the world are currently monitoring the Sixth Extinction, predicted to be the most devastating extinction event since the asteroid impact that wiped out the dinosaurs. This time around, the cataclysm is us. In The Sixth Extinction, two-time winner of the National Magazine Award and New Yorker writer Elizabeth Kolbert draws on the work of scores of researchers in half a dozen disciplines, accompanying many of them into the field: geologists who study deep ocean cores, botanists who follow the tree line as it climbs up the Andes, marine biologists who dive off the Great Barrier Reef. She introduces us to a dozen species, some already gone, others facing extinction, including the Panamian golden frog, staghorn coral, the great auk, and the Sumatran rhino. Through these stories, Kolbert provides a moving account of the disappearances occurring all around us and traces the evolution of extinction as concept, from its first articulation by Georges Cuvier in revolutionary Paris up through the present day. In the ten years since the book was originally published, evidence of the Sixth Extinction has continued to mount, making its message more urgent than ever. The Sixth Extinction is likely to be mankind''s most lasting legacy; as Kolbert observes, it compels us to rethink the fundamental question of what it means to be human.

An innovatively packaged literary anthology published to commemorate the International Polar Year-and remind us what we''re in danger of losing. The Arctic and Antarctic ice shelves have been an object of obsession for as long as we''ve known they existed. Countless explorers, such as Richard Byrd, Ernest Shackleton, and Robert Falcon Scott, have risked their lives to chart their frozen landscapes. Now, for the first time in human history, we are in legitimate danger of seeing polar ice dramatically shrink, break apart, or even disappear. The Ends of the Earth, a collection of the very best writing on the Arctic and Antarctic, will simultaneously commemorate four centuries of exploring and scientific study, and make the call for preservation. Stocked with first-person narratives, cultural histories, nature and science writing, and fiction, this book is a compendium of the greats of their fields: including legendary polar explorers and such writers as Jon Krakauer, Jack London, Diane Ackerman, Barry Lopez, and Ursula K. LeGuin. Edited by two contemporary authorities on exploring and the environment, and published to coincide with the International Polar Year, The Ends of the Earth is a memorable collection of terrific writing-and a lasting contribution to the debate over global warming and the future of the polar regions themselves.

Sie haben noch nie etwas vom Stummelfußfrosch gehört? Oder vom Sumatra-Nashorn? Gut möglich, dass Sie auch nie von ihnen hören werden, denn sie sind dabei auszusterben. Wir erleben derzeit das sechste sogenannte Massenaussterben: In einem relativ kurzen Zeitraum verschwinden ungewöhnlich viele Arten. Experten gehen davon aus, dass es das verheerendste sein wird, seit vor etwa 65 Millionen Jahren ein Asteroid unter anderem die Dinosaurier auslöschte. Doch dieses Mal kommt die Bedrohung nicht aus dem All, sondern wir tragen die Verantwortung. Wie haben wir Menschen das Massenaussterben herbeigeführt? Wie können wir es beenden? Elizabeth Kolbert spricht mit Geologen, die verschwundene Ozeane erforschen, begleitet Botaniker in die Anden und begibt sich gemeinsam mit Tierschützern auf die Suche nach den letzten Exemplaren gefährdeter Arten. Sie zeigt, wie ernst die Lage ist, und macht uns zu Zeugen der dramatischen Ereignisse auf unserem Planeten.

Que el hombre debería tener dominio «sobre toda la tierra y sobre todo reptil que se arrastra sobre ella» es una profecía convertida en realidad. Tan generalizado es el impacto de los humanos en el planeta que hemos categorizado la época en que vivimos como una nueva época geológica: el Antropoceno. Elizabeth Kolbert se ha convertido en una de las escritoras más influyentes sobre el medio ambiente. Ahora investiga los inmensos desafíos que enfrenta la humanidad mientras luchamos por revertir, en cuestión de décadas, los efectos que hemos ocasionado en la atmósfera, los océanos, los bosques, los ríos y en la topografía misma del globo. En Bajo un cielo blanco Elizabeth Kolbert analiza detenidamente el nuevo mundo que estamos creando y, en el camino, se encuentra con biólogos que están tratando de preservar el pez más raro del mundo, que vive en una pequeña piscina en medio del desierto de Mojave; ingenieros que están convirtiendo las emisiones de carbono en piedra en Islandia; investigadores australianos que están tratando de desarrollar un súper coral que pueda sobrevivir en un globo más caliente; y físicos que están contemplando la posibilidad de lanzar pequeños diamantes a la estratosfera para enfriar la tierra, cambiando el color del cielo de azul a blanco. Si en La sexta extinción exploró las formas en que nuestra capacidad de destrucción ha remodelado el mundo natural, ahora examina cómo el mismo tipo de intervenciones que han puesto en peligro nuestro planeta pueden ser la única esperanza de salvación. A la vez inspirador y aterrador, Bajo un cielo blanco es un examen completamente original de los desafíos a los que nos enfrentamos, ahora como creadores de una nueva naturaleza.

À travers l’histoire, notre planète a connu cinq grandes extinctions de masse. Les scientifiques estiment aujourd’hui que nous nous dirigeons vers la sixième et la plus dévastatrice des extinctions depuis la disparition des dinosaures : celle de l’humanité. Le grand responsable de ce fiasco ? L’homme lui-même. Pour saisir l’ampleur de ce moment critique, Elizabeth Kolbert a mené une enquête passionnante sur la grande histoire de la vie terrestre et sur le péril imminent qui la guette. Du Panamá à l’Islande, en passant par Gubbio, la cité fossile italienne, puis l’Amazonie, elle interroge une foule de chercheurs qui enregistrent chaque jour les indices d’une réalité implacable : notre monde agonise. Dans ce document-choc, salué dans le monde entier comme un événement, Elizabeth Kolbert propose un reportage saisissant, récompensé en 2015 d’un prix Pulitzer. Elle démontre que l’on ne peut plus ignorer la crise environnementale qui sévit sous nos yeux. Au risque de disparaître à notre tour.

A landmark collection of Pulitzer Prize winner Elizabeth Kolbert''s most important pieces about climate change and the natural world "To be a well-informed citizen of Planet Earth," Rolling Stone has advised, "you need to read Elizabeth Kolbert." From her National Magazine Award-winning series The Climate of Man to her Pulitzer Prize-winning book The Sixth Extinction, Kolbert’s work has shaped the way we think about the environment in the twenty-first century. Collected in Life on a Little-Known Planet are her most influential and thought-provoking essays. An intrepid reporter and a skillful translator of scientific idees, Kolbert expertly captures the wonders of nature and paints vivid portraits of the researchers and concerned citizens working to preserve them. She takes readers all around the globe, from an island in Denmark that’s succeeded in going carbon neutral, to a community in Florida that voted to give rights to waterways, to the Greenland ice sheet, which is melting in a way that has implications for everyone. We meet a biologist who believes we can talk to whales, an entomologist racing to find rare caterpillars before they disappear, and a climatologist who’s considered the "father of global warming," amongst other scientists at the forefront of environmental protection. The threats to our planet that Kolbert has devoted so much of her career to exposing have only grown more serious. Now is the time to deepen our understanding of the world we are in danger of losing.

Autoarea bestsellerului A șasea extincție, câștigător al Premiului Pulitzer, revine asupra impactului transformator al umanității asupra mediului cu întrebarea: După ce am făcut atât de mult rău, putem schimba natura, de data aceasta pentru a o salva? Că omul ar trebui să aibă în stăpânire întregul pământ și tot ceea ce trăieşte pe pământ este o profeție care s-a adeverit în fapt. Atât de răspândit este impactul uman asupra planetei, încât se spune că trăim într-o nouă epocă eră: Antropocenul. În Sub un cer alb, Elizabeth Kolbert analizează cu atenție noua lume pe care o creăm. În acest timp, ea întâlnește biologi care încearcă să conserve cel mai rar pește din lume, ce trăiește într-un singur ochi de apă, în mijlocul deșertului Mojave; ingineri care transformă emisiile de carbon în piatră în Islanda; cercetători australieni care încearcă să dezvolte un „supercoral“ ce poate supraviețui pe un glob mai fierbinte; și fizicieni care se gândesc să lanseze mici diamante în stratosferă pentru a răci Pământul. Una din modalităţile de a privi civilizația umană, spune Kolbert, poate fi ca pe un exercițiu de 10 000 de ani de a sfida natura. În A șasea extincție, ea a explorat modurile în care capacitatea noastră de distrugere a remodelat lumea naturală. Acum, examinează modul în care tipurile de intervenții care ne-au pus în pericol planeta sunt din ce în ce mai mult privite ca singura speranță pentru mântuirea ei. La rândul său inspiratoare, înspăimântătoare și cu umor negru, Sub un cer alb este o examinare complet originală a provocărilor cu care ne confruntăm. „Kolbert ne arată că este timpul să ne schimbăm radical modul în care ne gândim la gestionarea mediului.“ Helen Macdonald, The New York Times „Pentru a fi un cetățean bine informat al planetei Pământ trebuie să citești Elizabeth Kolbert... Este un omagiu adus abilităților lui Kolbert ca povestitoare, întrucât transformă cercetările asupra crizei climatice într-o poveste îmbogăţită cu umor și imaginație umană care ar putea să se termine fie în flăcări, fie într-o nouă viziune a Paradisului.“ Rolling Stone „O reflectare superbă și sinceră a vremurilor noastre extraordinare.“ Nature „Ceea ce face ca Sub un cer alb să fie o lectură atât de valoroasă și de convingătoare este relatarea lui Kolbert. Fără a-l bate pe cititor la cap, ea arată clar cât de departe suntem deja de o lume a naturii netulburate, perfect echilibrate – și cât de departe trebuie să mergem pentru a găsi un nou echilibru pentru viitorul planetei, care să ne includă în continuare și pe noi, oamenii.“ NPR „Din Mojave până la câmpiile de lavă din Islanda, Kolbert îi duce pe cititori într-o călătorie de-a lungul globului pentru a explora diverse proiecte în timp ce le cântărește argumentele pro, contra și implicațiile etice.“ The Nation Elizabeth Kolbert scrie pentru The New Yorker și este autoarea cărții A șasea extincție (apărută la Editura Litera în 2016), care a câștigat Premiul Pulitzer pentru non-ficțiune generală în 2015. Este de două ori câștigătoare a Premiului National Magazine. Activitatea ei a fost, de asemenea, onorată cu Premiul National Academies Communication, cu Premiul Blake-Dodd de la Academia Americană de Arte și Litere, un Premiu Heinz și o bursă Guggenheim. Kolbert este membră în Centrul pentru Studii de Mediu al Williams College. Locuiește în Williamstown, Massachusetts, împreună cu soțul și copiii ei.

Los humanos somos testigos de un acontecimiento dramático: la extinción en masa de un gran número de especies. No es la primera que se ha producido en la Tierra —se conocen cinco anteriores, las «Cinco Grandes»—, pero la sexta extinción nos atañe especialmente, no sólo porque tiene lugar en el momento presente, sino porque somos responsables de ella. Según los cálculos de Elizabeth Kolbert, al final del siglo xxi habrá desaparecido más del 20% de todas las especies vivas que pueblan la Tierra. Una de esas raras obras que nos ayudan no sólo a comprender el presente, sino también a orientar el futuro.

La catástrofe que viene es el libro de referencia sobre el cambio climático, un tema crucial y el mayor desafío de nuestros tiempos Conocida por su periodismo político perspicaz e inquisitivo, Elizabeth Kolbert nos trae un libro clave del ecologismo contemporáneo que muchos han comparado con el mítico Primavera silenciosa. Uniendo sus vastos conocimientos científicos a entrevistas a pie de campo con personas que han presenciado la innegable variación del clima en los últimos años, Kolbert ha escrito un libro imprescindible para comprender la manera en que el calentamiento global está afectando nuestras vidas. La autora se pregunta qué podemos hacer, si es que podemos hacer algo, para salvar el planeta.

Ένα σπουδαίο βιβλίο για το παρόν και το μέλλον του κόσμου που δεν πρέπει να μας τρομάξει αλλά να μας προβληματίσει.

Das Klima verändert sich, weil wir das Klima verändern. So tiefgreifend beeinflusst unser Handeln den Planeten, dass Wissenschaftler vom Erdzeitalter des Menschen sprechen, dem Anthropozän. Wir stehen vor einem Dilemma: Unsere Eingriffe in die Umwelt haben uns an einen Punkt geführt, an dem weitere Interventionen womöglich die letzte Hoffnung im Kampf gegen die globale Erderwärmung sind. Vielleicht sind sie aber auch der letzte Schritt auf dem Weg in die Klimakatastrophe. In ihrem neuen Buch gewährt uns Elizabeth Kolbert einen Blick auf die Natur der Zukunft. Die Pulitzer-Preisträgerin erzählt von Ingenieuren, die mit aberwitzigen Folgen für das Ökosystem den Verlauf von Flüssen ändern oder ganze Küstenstreifen vor dem ansteigenden Meerwasser schützen. Sie trifft Biologen, die den Teufelskärpfling, den wohl seltensten Fisch der Erde, retten wollen, und sie berichtet von den kühnen Plänen, CO2 aus der Luft zu saugen oder winzig kleine Diamanten in der Stratosphäre zu verteilen.

Anggapan bahwa manusia harus berkuasa Òatas seluruh Bumi dan atas segala binatang melata yang merayap di BumiÓ merupakan nubuat yang telah mewujud menjadi fakta. Saking luasnya dampak manusia di planet ini, telah disebutkan bahwa kita hidup dalam masa geologis baru, Antroposen. Dalam Under a White Sky, Elizabeth Kolbert mengamati dunia baru yang kita ciptakan. Sepanjang jalan, dia bertemu ahli biologi yang mencoba melestarikan ikan paling langka di dunia, yang hanya hidup di satu kolam kecil di tengah Gurun Mojave; para insinyur yang mengubah emisi karbon jadi batu di Eslandia; peneliti Australia yang mencoba mengembangkan Òkarang superÓ yang bisa bertahan di dunia yang lebih panas; dan ahli-ahli fisika yang mempertimbangkan menembakkan intan kecil-kecil ke stratosfer untuk mendinginkan Bumi. Satu cara memandang peradaban manusia, kata Kolbert, adalah sebagai suatu upaya sepanjang sepuluh ribu tahun untuk menantang alam. Dalam The Sixth Extinction, dia menjelajahi cara-cara kapasitas perusak kita mengubah alam. Kini Kolbert meneliti bagaimana jenis-jenis intervensi yang telah mengancam planet kita makin dipandang sebagai satu-satunya harapan untuk menyelamatkannya. Menginspirasi, membikin ngeri, sekaligus membuat geli, Under a White Sky merupakan pembahasan orisinal atas tantangan-tantangan yang kita hadapi.

Se spune că începuturile pot fi uneori ca o ceață de nepătruns. Așa este și cazul acestei povești, care începe cu apariția unei noi specii, probabil în urmă cu două mii de ani. Specia nu are încă un nume – nimic nu are încă unul – dar are capacitatea de a numi lucruri. Asemenea oricărei alte noi specii, starea acesteia este fragilă. Numărul membrilor săi este mic, iar teritoriul pe care îl ocupă este redus la o bucată din estul Africii. Populația sa crește treptat, dar apoi, destul de probabil, aceasta se diminuează din nou – unii ar spune că asta se întâmplă într-un mod aproape fatal – ajungând la doar câteva mii de perechi. Membrii speciei nu sunt neapărat foarte rapizi sau puternici sau fertili. Ei sunt însă nemaipomenit de descurcăreți. Progresiv, ei încep să exploreze teritorii cu diferite climate, diferiți prădători și diferite tipuri de vânat. Nici una dintre constrângerile aduse de habitat sau de geografia locului nu pare să îi afecteze prea tare.

Tauendes Polareis, Naturkatastrophen von ungeahnten Ausmaßen, ganze Landstriche, die im Wasser versinken. Erderwärmung und Klimawandel infolge des unkontrollierten Ausstoßes von Treibhausgasen sind längst keine graue Theorie mehr - für viele Menschen sind sie bereits bittere Realität. Elizabeth Kolbert begibt sich an die Orte, an denen die konkreten Auswirkungen des Klimawandels heute schon spürbar sind, spricht mit Wissenschaftlern und akut Betroffenen und zeichnet ein ebenso unbestechliches wie eindrückliches Bild der Lage. Sie besucht Inuit in Alaska, die umgesiedelt werden, weil das Eis ihre Häuser nicht mehr trägt, Bewohner »schwimmender Eigenheime« in den Niederlanden, Schmetterlingsforscher in England, Gletscherbeobachter in Island, vor allem aber auch zahlreiche Klimaexperten und politische Entscheidungsträger weltweit und lässt sie ihre Sicht der Dinge schildern. Einleuchtend und klar verknüpft Kolbert die historischen, wissenschaftlichen und politischen Zusammenhänge des anthropogenen Klimawandels und wagt einen Blick in die Zukunft des Planeten: Was ist zu tun? Kann uns das Kyoto-Protokoll retten? Und wird der Mensch in der Lage sein, sich den neuen Lebensbedingungen anzupassen? Scharfsinnig und doch frei von Alarmismus und Apokalyptik sucht Vor uns die Sintflut Antworten auf einige der wichtigsten Fragen des kommenden Jahrhunderts - lehrreich, aufrüttelnd und aktueller denn je.

入選歐巴馬、比爾•蓋茲2021年夏季推薦書單 普立茲得獎書《第六次大滅絕》作者環境報導新作 人為活動除了對地球帶來傷害，有沒有可能也是拯救自然、扭轉大滅絕的希望？ ┤各界人士好評推薦├ 朱淑娟 獨立記者 李根政 地球公民基金會執行長 李偉文 牙醫師、作家、環保志工 汪中和 中央研究院地球科學研究所兼任研究員 林子倫 行政院能源及減碳辦公室副執行長 柳中明 台灣大學大氣科學系退休教授 陳志勇 前中油獨立董事、前行政院科技會報（循環經濟材料組）首席評議專家 陳瑞賓 台灣環境資訊協會祕書長 陳映伶 台灣山海天使環境保育協會祕書長 數萬年來，現代智人這個物種建構出昌盛非凡的人類文明，卻也對大自然造成了嚴重衝擊。 舉凡物種滅絕、失控的碳排放量、海平面升高，在在都是本世紀亟需嚴陣以待的棘手問題。 如今，我們已經無法再靠「不做」什麼，期待自然能夠自我復原， 而是來到了該審視「人類要如何主動干預自然以拯救地球」的節骨眼。 在當今環境危機的最前線，有一群人相信，運用科技與智慧介入自然， 可能是人類僅存能夠逆轉生態災難、扭轉大滅絕的唯一希望。 普立茲獎得主、《第六次大滅絕》作者伊麗莎白‧寇伯特的這部新作， 就要帶我們親臨現場，不只探討「人禍」怎麼影響、重塑了自然界， 更見證在美國、歐洲、澳洲，乃至於全球更多地方， 已經有哪些將要或正在進行的人為解決方案與措施。 她也深入學界、政府、民間、產業界等不同團體， 多方汲取各種關於應對當前環境危機的意見與想法， 並從中仔細思索在「人為」介入後，我們星球上的「自然」前景何在。 在本書中，作者會帶我們看到── ⏳澳洲研究人員透過基因研究與人擇，試圖培育耐熱的「超級珊瑚」以搶救大堡礁， 即使無法保留完整、原始的大堡礁，那麼是否應量力而為，能救多少算多少？ ⏳地球工程學家研擬對平流層發射氣膠，模擬火山灰為地球降溫的效果，這會是對抗暖化的解方嗎？ 我們又能否接受在氣膠籠罩下，碧空如洗的藍天美景將不復存在？ ⏳在美國南方城市紐奧良，大自然經年累月藉河流沖積而完成的土地生成工作， 日漸受到人類開發與治水工程影響，再加上近年氣候變遷衝擊，洪患與土地流失加劇。 數十個動用各式管線、幫浦與柴油推動的大規模「創造沼澤」計畫正在力挽狂瀾，試圖還地於自然。 ⏳科學家運用基因編輯改造澳洲外來入侵種「甘蔗蟾蜍」，調整其體內毒腺， 不讓誤食蟾蜍的捕食者死亡，也爭取足夠時間讓當地特有種學會遠離甘蔗蟾蜍。 像這樣讓「不自然」與「自然」並存，是否將成為未來自然的常態？ 從作者第一手深度踏查、訪談的八則報導， 讀者會對全球當前環境危機的現實有更多的認識， 同時也能看到各界力挽狂瀾的現況，與其中牽涉層面之深、之廣。 無論是採「兩害相權取其輕」的思維，又或是「先求有，再求好」的出發點， 在大滅絕來臨前，扭轉自然界頹勢的工作中都有諸多尚待解決的問題點，值得更多人關注與思辯。 ┤國內人士好評推薦├ 2021年8月IPCC警告，1.5°C的升溫可能在二十年內就會達到， 一個更熱、更多洪水、枯旱，以及災難降臨的世界正迫切逼近。 為了挽救暖化危機，本書作者訪問了多位科學家，他們正熱切地推動包括碳捕捉、 加速風化、改變平流層動態等「負排放科技」。 然而，這些介入並改變大自然的科技，卻可能帶來新的問題。 面對氣候暖化我們該何去何從？本書提出許多深具啓發的觀點。 ──朱淑娟／獨立記者 這是個奇妙的世界，形形色色的人們，有的在荒野中冒險探索， 有的在高樓大廈中博弈籌謀，有的在為保護自然而努力， 有的在為創造財富而破壞大地。更奇特的是：所有事件並非在同一時空發生，但卻相互影響。 本書涵蓋非常廣泛的知識點，但重點是：以科學方式來補救人類過去創造的惡果。 「自然將不再完全自然」就是全書努力陳述的事實，也將是新生世代勢必要熟悉的一環。 ──柳中明／台灣大學大氣科學系退休教授 本書作者以《第六次大滅絕》榮獲2015年普立茲非小說類作品獎。 此次作者更以巧妙的方式，將人類文明、環境生態、減碳科技的發展軌跡交錯呈現，值得細細品味。 作者在文中提到「即便我們將碳排放量減半……二氧化碳的濃度也不會下降，只是會上升得慢一些。」 因此， 唯有將二氧化碳資源化，以負碳排技術創造出具經濟價值的產品，創造實質經濟誘因，才能落實永續環境目標 。 此外，作者更進一步精闢點出：「捕捉二氧化碳也『需要』能源。只要能源是透過燃燒化石燃料所產生的，那就一定會增加必須捕捉的碳量。」 明確抓住減碳問題核心，傳達出耐人尋味的科學問題，其思維的獨特性極富吸引力，是一本科技性相當高的文學作品。 我們所面臨的減碳問題與責任，不能以封存掩埋方式留給下一世代，成為氣候災難的代罪羔羊。 ──陳志勇教授／前中油獨立董事、前行政院科技會報（循環經濟材料組）首席評議專家 我們復育珊瑚，但一個夏天的熱浪，就可以毀掉數年的努力。人類可以扮演天公伯嗎？ 數十億人產生了改變世界的力量，但這力量是朝哪個方向前進呢?天公伯創造的世界， 已經被人類塗塗改改，試圖透過各種方法將這個地球改變成適合人類永續生存，結果如何呢？ 天公伯才有定見。但什麼都不做？上天可能會說：我給過你機會……做與不做之間，存在掙扎與矛盾。 ──陳映伶／台灣山海天使環境保育協會祕書長 ┤海外媒體好評推薦├ 成書巧妙；我們迫切需要這部作品。 ——《出版人週刊》（Publishers Weekly）星級好評 伊麗莎白．寇伯特這位普立茲獎得主擅長的領域即在於檢視人類對環境帶來的衝擊，而基本上，她的表現勝過其他所有人。 ——《文學中心》（Literary Hub）網站 優秀且真切地反映出我們當今這個極不尋常時代的情形。 ——《自然》（Nature）期刊

Over the last half billion years, there have been five major mass extinctions, when the diversity of life on Earth suddenly and dramatically contracted. Scientists are currently monitoring the sixth extinction, predicted to be the most devastating since the asteroid impact that wiped out the dinosaurs. This time around the cataclysm is us. In this book the author tells us why and how human beings have altered life on the planet in a way no species has before. She provides a moving account of the disappearances of various species occurring all around us and traces the evolution of extinction as concept, from its first articulation by Georges Cuvier in revolutionary Paris up to Lyell and Darwin, and through the present day. The sixth extinction is likely to be mankind''s most lasting legacy, compelling us to rethink the fundamental question of what it means to be human. -- Publisher description.

Over the last half billion years, there have been five major mass extinctions, when the diversity of life on Earth suddenly and dramatically contracted. Scientists are currently monitoring the sixth extinction, predicted to be the most devastating since the asteroid impact that wiped out the dinosaurs. This time around the cataclysm is us. In this book the author tells us why and how human beings have altered life on the planet in a way no species has before. She provides a moving account of the disappearances of various species occurring all around us and traces the evolution of extinction as concept, from its first articulation by Georges Cuvier in revolutionary Paris up to Lyell and Darwin, and through the present day. The sixth extinction is likely to be mankind''s most lasting legacy, compelling us to rethink the fundamental question of what it means to be human. -- Publisher description.

Elizabeth Kolbert nos trae un libro clave del ecologismo contemporáneo. Uniendo sus vastos conocimientos científicos a entrevistas a pie de campo con personas que han presenciado la innegable variación del clima en los últimos años, Kolbert ha escrito un libro imprescindible para comprender la manera en que el calentamiento global está afectando nuestras vidas. La autora se pregunta qué podemos hacer, si es que podemos hacer algo, para salvar el planeta.

Autora premiada com o Pulitzer lança reportagem sobre ações e pesquisas científicas que podem salvar o planeta Depois de causar tantos danos ao planeta, será que conseguimos transformar a natureza, mas dessa vez para nos salvar? Em reportagem original, Elizabeth Kolbert, vencedora do Pulitzer pelo alarmante A sexta extinção, entrevista biólogos, engenheiros genéticos e atmosféricos e outros especialistas para tentar responder a essa pergunta e nos mostrar como os cientistas estão remodelando a Terra. Com uma linguagem direta e por vezes bem-humorada, este livro é uma injeção de esperança e informação, e aponta que ainda há tempo de corrigir os problemas que colocam em risco a vida como a conhecemos. A autora exa¬mina com atenção o mundo novo que esta¬mos criando. Ao longo de sua trajetória, Kolbert encontra biólogos tentando preservar o peixe mais raro do mundo, que vive em uma pe¬quena piscina no meio do Mojave; engenhei¬ros transformando a emissão de carbono em pedras na Islândia; pesquisadores australia¬nos desenvolvendo um “supercoral” capaz de sobreviver a temperaturas mais altas; e físicos analisando a possibilidade de atirar fragmentos de diamantes na estratosfera para refrescar a Terra. Segundo Kolbert, a civilização pode ser vista como um exercício de dez mil anos de¬safiando a natureza. Em A sexta extinção, ela explorou como nossa capacidade de destrui¬ção remodelou o mundo natural. Dessa vez, reflete como muitas formas de intervenção que colocaram a Terra em risco estão cada vez mais sendo vistas como a única esperança para sua salvação. Sob um céu branco é uma investigação surpreendente dos desa¬fios que enfrentamos.

Livro vencedor do Pulitzer de Não Ficção de 2015. Ao longo dos últimos quinhentos milhões de anos, o mundo passou por cinco brutais extinções em massa, nas quais sua biodiversidade caiu de maneira abrupta. Dessas, a mais conhecida foi a que eliminou, entre outros seres vivos, os dinossauros, quando um asteroide colidiu com o planeta há 65 milhões de anos. Atualmente, vem sendo monitorada a sexta extinção, que tem potencial para ser a mais devastadora da história da Terra. Mas, dessa vez, a causa não é um asteroide ou algo semelhante. Nós somos a causa. Em A sexta extinção, a jornalista Elizabeth Kolbert explica de que maneira e por que o ser humano alterou a vida no planeta como absolutamente nenhuma espécie o fizera até hoje. Para isso, a autora lança mão de trabalhos de dezenas de cientistas nas searas mais diversas e vai aos lugares mais remotos em busca de respostas: de ilhas quase inacessíveis na Islândia até a vastidão da cordilheira dos Andes. Neste livro, Kolbert apresenta ao leitor doze espécies — algumas desaparecidas, outras em vias de extinção — e, partir daí, chega à conclusão assustadora de que uma quantidade inigualável de animais está desaparecendo bem diante de nossos olhos. Ao mesmo tempo, a jornalista traça um panorama de como a extinção tem sido entendida pelo homem nos últimos séculos, desde os primeiros artigos sobre o tema, do naturalista francês Georges Cuvier, passando por Charles Lyell e Charles Darwin, até os dias de hoje. Kolbert mostra que a sexta extinção corre o risco de ser o legado final da humanidade e nos convida a repensar uma questão fundamental: o que significa ser humano? Os debates sobre a interferência do homem na natureza nunca foram tão variados, e este livro é uma bela contribuição para quem quer se inteirar do assunto. A sexta extinção está na lista dos dez melhores livros do ano do New York Times Book Review. Elizabeth Kolbert trata de temas complexos de maneira simples e acessível. Seus livros são indicados tanto para iniciantes quando para estudiosos. “Poderoso. Uma contribuição inestimável ao nosso conhecimento.”Al Gore “Cientistas mostram que houve cinco grandes extinções ao longo da história da Terra (pense nos asteroides que dizimaram os dinossauros), e Elizabeth Kolbert revela, de maneira bastante convincente, que a atividade humana está levando o planeta para a sexta.” Bill Gates “O novo e surpreendente livro de Kolbert é um modelo de jornalismo ao abordar teorias e hipóteses muito complexas de maneira acessível até para os leitores mais leigos.” The New York Times “O excepcional no texto de Elizabeth Kolbert é a combinação entre rigor científico e humor ácido que prende o leitor a cada página.” National Geographic

Depuis l''apparition de la vie sur Terre, il y a eu cinq extinctions massives d''espèces. A présent, des scientifiques estiment que notre planète est en train de vivre la sixième, et cette fois, c''est l''homme qui en serait la cause. Pour prendre toute la mesure de ce moment critique, Elizabeth Kolbert est remontée aux découvertes de Cuvier et de Darwin. Elle a voyagé, des îles du Pacifique jusqu''au Muséum national d''histoire naturelle de Paris en passant par la forêt amazonienne, et est partie à la rencontre des scientifiques qui enregistrent chaque jour de nouveaux indices d''une réalité implacable.