Ever Green: Saving Big Forests to Save the Planet
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5.0 • 1 Rating
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- $13.99
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
One of Kirkus Review's Best Nonfiction Books of 2022
Clear, provocative, and persuasive, Ever Green is an inspiring call to action to conserve Earth’s irreplaceable wild woods, counteract climate change, and save the planet.
Five stunningly large forests remain on Earth: the Taiga, extending from the Pacific Ocean across all of Russia and far-northern Europe; the North American boreal, ranging from Alaska’s Bering seacoast to Canada’s Atlantic shore; the Amazon, covering almost the entirety of South America’s bulge; the Congo, occupying parts of six nations in Africa’s wet equatorial middle; and the island forest of New Guinea, twice the size of California.
These megaforests are vital to preserving global biodiversity, thousands of cultures, and a stable climate, as economist John W. Reid and celebrated biologist Thomas E. Lovejoy argue convincingly in Ever Green. Megaforests serve an essential role in decarbonizing the atmosphere—the boreal alone holds 1.8 trillion metric tons of carbon in its deep soils and peat layers, 190 years’ worth of global emissions at 2019 levels—and saving them is the most immediate and affordable large-scale solution to our planet’s most formidable ongoing crisis.
Reid and Lovejoy offer practical solutions to address the biggest challenges these forests face, from vastly expanding protected areas, to supporting Indigenous forest stewards, to planning smarter road networks. In gorgeous prose that evokes the majesty of these ancient forests along with the people and animals who inhabit them, Reid and Lovejoy take us on an exhilarating global journey.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Conservationist Reid and biologist Lovejoy (Biodiversity and Climate Change) convincingly argue in this trenchant work that preserving Earth's five megaforests is vital to stop climate change. The authors cite studies that suggest "stopping tropical deforestation would reduce global emissions by 16 to 19 percent," and interview activists, scientists, and Indigenous people who are researching the impact of deforestation activities such as logging and mining. In Russia, they tour the Taiga forest—the world's largest—and speak to a botanist and an ecologist who mapped the world's intact forests. In the Congo, they visit a research team observing the cohabitation habits of gorillas and chimps, and in New Guinea, they visit Yunus Yumte, who leads an organization that "helps Indigenous peoples keep their livelihoods and spiritual lives entwined with nature." The authors depict the flora and fauna of these far-flung locations in vivid descriptions that chart how each species is part of a vast ecosystem, and make a strong case for the inherent value of the plants, animals, and people that live in the megaforests. This clarion call should have a spot on the shelves of climate-minded readers. Photos.
