The Pilkeys have made the interesting choice to illustrate their book not with the expected facts and figures but with colorful batik prints of important climate sites illustrated by South Carolina artist Mary Edna Fraser. . . . The stunning images are somehow more effective than traditional images would be, as the ancient batik cloth-dying technique and indigenous designs it produces generated for this reader an overriding mood of mourning, loss and regret-as if the disaster has already happened, as if we've already failed to stop it. - Gerry Canavan, Independent Weekly
The Pilkeys are excellent writers and do an impressive, thorough job covering most of the issues involved in global climate change. . . . the breadth of subject matter is impressive. Anyone interested in examining a specific climate change topic would do well to start with this primer. . . . As an introductory book on global climate change, this is by far the best I've found. It's ideal for the non-specialist who wants to learn more about the issues and get an appreciation for how far out to lunch the denial lobby is. This illustrations alone are worth the price. - Andrew Thaler, Southern Fried Science
[Fraser's] art meshes splendidly with the book's written material, engaging the imagination at the same time as the text does the intellect. It adds an appropriate poignancy to the message of the threats climate change carries for human life on the globe. . . . The book is an excellent survey for the layperson who wants an overview of the science and an understanding of what it points to for human society. - Bryan Walker, Hot Topic: Global Warming and the Future of New Zealand
[T]he book does a good job of explaining the foundations of climate science to an interested novice. The chapter on climate change sceptics stands out for its passionate description of how industrial groups spread doubt among the public. . . . Mary Edna Fraser's batiks . . . turn global catastrophes into works of art. Her beautiful illustrations have the same effect as the Earth from the Air photo series by Yann Arthus-Bertrand: landscapes are flattened into abstract patterns, illustrating our planet's unique beauty in the hope that, once impressed, you will want to protect it. - Catherine Brahic, New Scientist
Once again, the internationally recognized artist Mary Edna Fraser has created stunning batiks illustrating the beauty and vulnerability of our earth. In this book, color images of her large-scale silks powerfully reinforce the authors' message on the realities of global climate change.-Scott Shanklin-Peterson, former Senior Deputy Chairman, National Endowment for the Arts
Only someone like Orrin H. Pilkey, who has been working on climate all his life, could call this book a 'primer' on global climate change. It is, in fact, a gold mine of useful analysis, insights, and information on the subject. The writing is crisp, clear, and engaging. My favorite chapter is the one on the global warming denial lobby, an expose of the fossil fuel industry's effort to confuse the American public. And the batik illustrations by Mary Edna Fraser are extraordinary. Don't just buy a copy for yourself; get a few for your friends, too!-Lester R. Brown, President, Earth Policy Institute, and author of World on the Edge
This timely, informative book is exactly what the public needs to understand the ongoing disruption of the earth's climate. Orrin H. and Keith C. Pilkey present an excellent summary of what we know, and what we don't know, about the planet's climate. They also provide a superb overview of a huge campaign underwritten by corporate dollars and intended to confuse the public and manufacture doubt about climate issues.-Brent Blackwelder, President Emeritus, Friends of the Earth
Written by a world-famous geoscientist and his lawyer son, this little book is a sparkling contribution to global climate change arguments: the good, the bad, and the ugly. Orrin H. and Keith C. Pilkey go behind the scenes to debunk the myths that deniers are using to drown out the basic message from science: global warming is now upon us. The color reproductions of Mary Edna Fraser's splashing batiks capture aerial views of earthly landscapes and phenomena: ice caps and glacial moulins, Kilimanjaro's no-snow cap, oil on the water (after the BP spill), Hurricane Katrina before it struck the Gulf Coast, and Amazon tributaries as seen from space. Buy this book because it is beautiful. And then read it.-Philip N. Froelich, former Director, Oceans and Climates Division, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University
[Fraser's] art meshes splendidly with the book's written material, engaging the imagination at the same time as the text does the intellect. It adds an appropriate poignancy to the message of the threats climate change carries for human life on the globe. . . . The book is an excellent survey for the layperson who wants an overview of the science and an understanding of what it points to for human society. -- Bryan Walker * Hot Topic: Global Warming and the Future of New Zealand *
[T]he book does a good job of explaining the foundations of climate science to an interested novice. The chapter on climate change sceptics stands out for its passionate description of how industrial groups spread doubt among the public. . . . Mary Edna Fraser's batiks . . . turn global catastrophes into works of art. Her beautiful illustrations have the same effect as the Earth from the Air photo series by Yann Arthus-Bertrand: landscapes are flattened into abstract patterns, illustrating our planet's unique beauty in the hope that, once impressed, you will want to protect it. -- Catherine Brahic * New Scientist *
The Pilkeys are excellent writers and do an impressive, thorough job covering most of the issues involved in global climate change. . . . the breadth of subject matter is impressive. Anyone interested in examining a specific climate change topic would do well to start with this primer. . . . As an introductory book on global climate change, this is by far the best I've found. It's ideal for the non-specialist who wants to learn more about the issues and get an appreciation for how far out to lunch the denial lobby is. This illustrations alone are worth the price. -- Andrew Thaler * Southern Fried Science *
The Pilkeys have made the interesting choice to illustrate their book not with the expected facts and figures but with colorful batik prints of important climate sites illustrated by South Carolina artist Mary Edna Fraser. . . . The stunning images are somehow more effective than traditional images would be, as the ancient batik cloth-dying technique and indigenous designs it produces generated for this reader an overriding mood of mourning, loss and regret-as if the disaster has already happened, as if we've already failed to stop it. -- Gerry Canavan * Independent Weekly *
