Losing Earth

Book summary

Nathaniel Rich is an award-winning journalist and novelist. His nonfiction work has regularly appeared in the New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic, and The New York Review of Books.

In 1979, the inaugural World Climate Conference in Geneva highlighted the urgent need to address rising carbon dioxide levels caused by human activity, marking the beginning of modern climate advocacy. That same year, environmental activist Rafe Pomerance uncovered a dire report by the Jasons, predicting catastrophic global warming due to unchecked emissions. Teaming up with geophysicist Gordon MacDonald, Pomerance pushed for governmental action, leading to the pivotal Charney Report, which warned of a three-degree temperature rise without intervention. Despite these early efforts, progress was slow. By the late 1980s, momentum grew as Jim Hansen’s congressional testimony and the Toronto Conference spurred global attention, with nations tentatively committing to emission reductions. However, fossil fuel industries launched campaigns to sow doubt, undermining scientific consensus and delaying action. Simultaneously, political efforts like the Pink Palace conference faltered, and Reagan’s administration prioritized deregulation over environmental concerns. Although climate change began gaining public awareness, legislative progress remained elusive, leaving scientists like Hansen and advocates like Pomerance facing significant setbacks.

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