in this book is reported from the field, through interviews not only
with scientists but also with ordinary working people whose lives and
livelihoods have already been profoundly affected by the very events
that Singer speculates are unlikely to occur.
Is the choking cloud of particulate matter over most of Asia “ben-
eficial for agriculture and human welfare”? Does the loss of beaches
and rising waves help the vital tourism industry in island paradises like
Antigua and Fiji? Is the disappearing ice in Alaska, which is already
decimating keystone species like the polar bear, a “severe weather
event”?
If the evidence in this book is not enough, consider these anecdotal
news stories reported in 2002 and 2003:
- April 22, 2002: Glaciers are disappearing in South America.
Within the next 15 years, all of the continent’s small glaciers (
percent of the total) will disappear, according to French glaciolo-
gist Bernard Francou. “The trend is so clear that you can’t argue
with the numbers,” he says (Grist Magazine). - November 9, 2002: Scientists are linking the loss of lobster pop-
ulations in Long Island Sound to global warming. Dr. Alistair
Dove of the State University of New York says that lobsters are
dying from what the New York Timessummarizes as the “stress of
an environment that had become hostile to their ancient internal
thermostats.” According to Dr. Dove, “The correlation is very
strong. Not proven, but strong. Climate is the killer here” (New
York Times). - December 9, 2002: The Arctic reports record ice loss, according
to scientists from the American Geophysical Union. Surface melt
in Greenland was the highest in recorded history. Arctic sea ice
also reached a record low (BBC). - December 11, 2002: The year 2002 will likely go down in history
as the second warmest on record, exceeded only by 1998.
“Studying [the] annual temperature data, one gets the unmistak-
able feeling that temperature is rising and that the rise is gaining
momentum,” says environmentalist Lester Brown (Earth Policy
Institute).
Preface ix