Of Thingamabobbercanes and Stormy Worlds

I was going to comment on Chris' post, and then thought to myself, "Am I a co-blogger, or what?" So I'm sitting here in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, amid a whirlwind of conservation biologists with very little battery remaining on my laptop -- pausing to provide my perspective on the book that kept me in good company during a 15 hour flight here from DC.

Storm World is a thought-provoking piece of work. My co-blogger (there, conflict of interest disclosed!) has successfully managed to craft an interesting and honest account of the history of hurricanes and climate science, but what makes this book stand out is that he provides a serious look at the politics and players involved in the eye of the storm. Having spent a year in the Florida senator's office, and now much time in the company of climate scientists, I am extremely impressed with the accuracy and perspective Chris has been able to portray through the eyes of a journalist. He brings the complex interplay of relationships and complicated processes to his audience in a manner digestible to folks without a PhD -- while the book is also intelligently composed to be a page-turner. The characters are real and the "story" affects every one of us.

In my opinion, Mooney's personal experience with hurricanes and the way science has been portrayed by those with influence should be required reading for anyone with interest in engaging in the great science and policy divide. And with only 10% battery power remaining, I'll add that climate change is being explored, reexamined, and turned on it's head repeatedly this very week among the best and brightest in the conservation world at the '07 Society for Conservation Biology conference. And I forecast with 100% confidence that this subject - already a frenzied storm in it's own right - will only continue growing in significance.