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Under a White Sky

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2021 non-fiction book by Elizabeth Kolbert
Under a White Sky
AuthorElizabeth Kolbert
Original titleFirst edition
PublisherCrown Publishing Group
Publication date2021

Under a White Sky: The Nature of the Future is a 2021 environmental book by Elizabeth Kolbert. The book follows many of the themes she explored in The Sixth Extinction.

Summary

Under a White Sky is focused on the various kinds of environmental crises created by the Anthropocene and different degrees of technological solutions available to humanity to address them – while also being critical of full-blown techno-solutionism.

The title refers to the most extreme climate change mitigation strategy, solar geoengineering, designed to reflect sunlight from the earth. Throughout the book she explores how a technological fix for one problem can lead to further problems while also acknowledging the important role those technologies might play.

Reception

Reception of the book was generally positive. The Washington Post praised it for "expertly mix travelogue, science reporting, and explanatory journalism, all with the authority of a writer confident enough to acknowledge ambiguity." The New York Times review focused on how the book explores the ambiguities of our current environmental crisis. A NPR review described the book as "tell by showing. Without beating the reader over the head, she makes it clear how far we already are from a world of undisturbed, perfectly balanced nature – and how far we must still go to find a new balance for the planet's future that still has us humans in it." The Rolling Stone's Jeff Goodell lauded Kolbert by saying, "To be a well-informed citizen of Planet Earth, you need to read Elizabeth Kolbert..."

Under a White Sky was shortlisted for the 2021 Wainwright Prize in the Global Conservation Writing category. The book made the long list for the 2022 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction. It was selected for The Washington Post's "10 Best Books of 2021" list.

References

  1. "UNDER A WHITE SKY". Kirkus. 2020-12-22. Retrieved 2021-08-06.
  2. ^ Szalai, Jennifer (2021-02-10). "Electrified Rivers and Other Attempts to Save the Environment". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-03-08.
  3. ^ Frank, Adam (8 February 2021). "'Under A White Sky' Examines What It Might Take For Humans To Continue To Exist". NPR. Retrieved 2021-03-08.
  4. ^ Lozada, Carlos. "Review | Why humanity can't be trusted to repair its own environmental damage". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2021-03-08.
  5. "Elizabeth Kolbert".
  6. Comerford, Ruth (2021-08-21). "Sethi, Winn and Rebanks shortlisted for Wainwright Prize". The Bookseller. Retrieved 2021-08-05.
  7. "2022 Winners". American Library Association. 17 October 2021. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
  8. "The 10 Best Books of 2021". The Washington Post. November 18, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2021.

External links

Elizabeth Kolbert
Works
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