Under A White Sky
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''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: An Unnatural History.''


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 Climate change mitigation is action to limit climate change by reducing Greenhouse gas emissions, emissions of greenhouse gases or Carbon sink, removing those gases from the atmosphere. The recent rise in global average temperature is mostly caus ...
strategy, solar geoengineering, designed to reflect sunlight from the earth. Throughout the book she explores how a
technological fix A technological fix, technical fix, technological shortcut or (techno-)solutionism refers to attempts to use engineering or technology to solve a problem (often created by earlier technological interventions). Some references define technologi ...
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 ngtravelogue, 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 ngby 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


External links

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Interview with the author on WHYY "Radio Times" podcastDiscussion on the LA Review of Books podcast
{{Elizabeth Kolbert 2021 non-fiction books Climate change books Environmental non-fiction books Climate history Science books Climate change mitigation 2021 in the environment Crown Publishing Group books Futurology books