Wednesday, March 08, 2006
By Jim Motavalli
Eugene Linden's book, The Winds of Change: Climate, Weather and the Destruction of Civilizations (Simon and Schuster) has only been out for a month, but already it's in its fourth printing. That is, one hopes, an indication that the public's interest in global warming is accelerating, even as the planet itself is sending increasingly desperate signals. Linden argues that climate has acted as a "serial killer" in the historical record (from the Assyrians and Minoans of 700 BC to the Vikings in the 14th century), and its most savage outburst may be just ahead of us. The New York Times praised the book for its focus on "fundamental human certitudes, not least of them the reluctance of editors and television producers to illuminate tough, confusing issues when snap judgments will do. And [Linden] appreciates the value of complex, ambiguous data in forging roundabout paths to new discoveries."
Eugene Linden: "Climate has been through history a weapon of mass destruction."
© Marion Ettlinger
E recently talked to Linden, a veteran environmental journalist who has published six other books and written for Time, MSNBC.com, Atlantic, New York Times Magazine, Conde Nast Traveler, the Wall Street Journal, Fortune and the Los Angeles Times.
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