Climate Changed: A Personal Journey Through the Science

After suddenly realizing that he couldn’t coherently discuss climate change because he didn’t understand the underlying science, the author, a French artist and human rights observer, whose previous books include several nonfiction graphic novels, set out to investigate the subject. Framed as a personal exploration, Squarzoni details the issues involved, from the basic principles behind our climate models to the impact that climate change will have on the Earth and humanity; he also examines the well-funded effort to suppress constructive discussions about man’s impact on the environment and evolutionary changes that have masked the effects of greenhouse gases. Squarzoni’s text, skillfully translated by Hahnenberger, is supported by his detailed black-and-white art, which conveys the urgency of the situation without falling prey to despair or nihilism. The book covers a wide range of topics, steering a careful path between the Scylla of oversimplification and the Charybdis of stultifying detail; the result is a work on one of the most important topics of our time that is dense but comprehensible, informative and fascinating. (Apr.)