Review
Instead of traveling to exotic locations for pleasure, author Stephan Faris
spends a great deal of his time visiting developing nations to cover topics
which are not pretty. In
Forecast he examines global climate change in
countries where much of the citizenry already lives on the edge of subsistence
and where the effects of climate change are already tangible.
Faris introduces some thought-provoking ideas about the ramifications of climate
change. For example, in a discussion about the strife in Darfur, he maintains
that while many people view the plight as racially motivated, the distinction
between Arabs and Africans is primarily one of lifestyle: herders and
farmers who battle over what little productive land is available.
Before the area's devastating
drought, a grid system of grazing land alternating with crop land
permitted both groups...
Beyond the Book
Hammerfest & The Snow White Project
Global warming usually suggests images of wild
tempests and massive floods, but some countries are
trying to tap into what they see as potential
benefits of climate change. One of the numerous
fascinating places that Stephan Faris visited to
collect material for
Forecast is Hammerfest in northern Norway. Billing itself as the
northernmost city in the world, this small Arctic
city has witnessed a recent explosion of growth and
tourism thanks to melting ice and the resulting
increase of maritime accessibility.
