The uninhabitable earth

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The Uninhabitable Earth is the title of a 2017 article in New York Magazine and a 2019 book, both written by American journalist David Wallace-Wells . The original American edition is titled The Uninhabitable Earth: Life After Warming and is published by Tim Duggan Books. The subtitle of the book in the German edition is Life after Global Warming .

prolog

Various aspects of the climate crisis are often discussed in the media, but how the living conditions on earth could change in detail in the coming decades plays a rather subordinate role in the public discussion. David Wallace-Wells has developed concrete scenarios for a potentially unbearable future. The author admits: "I am not an environmentalist and do not even see myself as a nature lover". He didn't want to write about the scientific aspects of global warming, such as the exact physical consequences of carbon dioxide emissions. However, his texts are based on research and prognoses by recognized scientists. From this the journalist developed scenarios which concrete effects global heating could have on the biosphere and on human societies. The author describes the worst possible consequences in the context of various worst case scenarios , but is optimistic that humanity will be able to cope with the coming crisis.

Core theses of the article

The cover of the New York Magazine article depicts a male skeleton in sunglasses. The response to the article exceeded all expectations and became the most-read article in this publication.

Svalbard Global Seed Vault , worldwide seed reservoir in Northern Norway
Burning fields in Holmfirth

“It is, I promise, worse than you think.” With this sentence begins the first section about the man-made apocalypse , which, according to the author, has clearly heralded itself. He describes the problems of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault , a worldwide seed vault on Svalbard in Norway, built in 2006 and 2007, which got massive static problems due to climate change and the thawing of the permafrost environment. He sees the fate of this rescue structure as a metaphor for that of the earth. He recalls that 1.8 trillion tons of carbon are stored in the Arctic permafrost, more than twice as much as is currently floating in the earth's atmosphere, and how its release can accelerate climate change. The author's language is clear and unmistakable: “Most people talk as if Miami and Bangladesh still have a chance of survival. Most of the scientists I've spoken to assume that even if we stop burning fossil fuels in the next century, we'll lose them within the century. "

Doomsday stands in English for the end of the world, for the last judgment . The Norwegian seed vault was nicknamed "Doomsday". Wallace-Wells also cited the scenarios of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which estimate in the worst case ( representative concentration path RCP 8.5) a temperature increase of 2.6 to 4.8 ° C by the end of the 21st century, if the current emissions are not drastic be reduced. The IPCC predicts up to eight degrees as the upper possible value, although the consequences of the melting permafrost have not yet been factored in. The author also recalled the Permian Triassic event around 252 million years ago, during which around 95 percent of marine life forms and 75 percent of terrestrial fauna died out.

reception

According to a review by Österreichischer Rundfunk , the book does not offer any dedicated solutions. Only taxes, public investments in alternative energies and, above all, the choice of governments with climate-friendly agendas would be highlighted. The author sees individual consumption decisions such as not using plastic drinking straws or a vegan lifestyle as a distraction and a substitute for political action.

In an open letter, three well-known academics praised him for the drastically described scenarios, but contradicted the optimism and belief in the possible salvation of the planet. In particular, the prospects of geoengineering are presented too optimistically. In order to avoid a climate catastrophe, society must rather be made aware that a collapse ( “some kind of eco-induced societal collapse” ) is now not only possible, but also likely.

Award

The book is on the New York Times bestseller list and was recognized as a Books of The Times . The national German weekly newspaper Der Freitag chose the book as the book of the week .

items

Book publication

  • The uninhabitable earth: life after global warming , translated by Elisabeth Schmalen, Verlag Ludwig 2019, ISBN 978-3-453-28118-9 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ FM4 (Vienna): “The uninhabitable earth” creates scenarios of life after global warming , contribution by Maria Motter, August 28, 2019
  2. ↑ David Wallace-Wells: The Uninhabitable Earth, Annotated Edition , July 14, 2017
  3. ^ A b David Wallace-Wells: The Uninhabitable Earth , July 10, 2017
  4. ↑ Synthesis report : Climate Change 2014 - Synthesis report with long version and summary for Policymakers
  5. ↑ Book wants to shake up: World already "in the middle of the climate crisis". In: orf.at. April 4, 2019, accessed August 30, 2019 .
  6. ↑ Rupert Read , John Foster , Jim Bendell : An open letter to David Wallace-Wells , The Ecologist , April 4, 2019
  7. ↑ In 'The Uninhabitable Earth,' Apocalypse Is Now Article by Jennifer Szalai, March 6, 2019 in The New York Times. Retrieved August 29, 2019. (English)
  8. ↑ Book of the week article in Friday. Retrieved August 29, 2019. (English)
  9. ^ Wallace-Wells, David Schmalen, Elisabeth: The uninhabitable earth: Life after global warming. Ludwig Verlag, accessed on August 29, 2019 .