The atlas of disappearing places : our coasts and oceans in the climate crisis /
Christina Conklin and Marina Psaros.
- New York : The New Press, c2021.
- xv, 220 pages : color illustrations, map ; 26 cm.
Includes index.
Part I. Changing Chemistry.--Part II. Strengthening Storms.--Part III. Warming Waters.--Part IV. Rising Seas.
Our planet is in peril. Seas are rising, oceans are acidifying, ice is melting, coasts are flooding, species are dying, and communities are faltering. Despite these dire circumstances, most of us don't have a clear sense of how the interconnected crises in our ocean are affecting the climate system, food webs, coastal cities, and biodiversity, and which solutions can help us co-create a better future. The authors describe four climate change impacts: changing chemistry, warming waters, strengthening storms, and rising seas-- using the metaphor of the ocean as a body to draw parallels between natural systems and human systems. Each chapter paints a portrait of an existential threat in a particular place, detailing what will be lost if we do not take bold action now. Weaving together contemporary stories and speculative "future histories" for each place, this work considers both the serious consequences if we continue to pursue business as usual, and what we can do, from government policies to grassroots activism, to write a different, more hopeful story.