The Carbon Cycle: Crossing the Great Divide

In Rawles's account of her three-month, 4553-mile bicycle journey from Texas to Alaska through the Rocky Mountains, she describes scenes of extraordinary natural beauty, the rigors of mountain cycling, and the broad range of beliefs about climate change held by the people she encounters. An outdoor philosopher, Rawles is used to questioning generally accepted assumptions. Casually, she asks those she meets about climate change: Is it happening? Who is responsible? And what should be done about it? Sometimes she arranges to meet politicians or environmentalists. Opinions span the spectrum%E2%80%94some seeing climate change as a clash between insatiable desires to consume and the finite limits of the planet, while others deny that climate change is happening at all. Rawles's 75-miles-per-day target is challenged by brutal headwinds, torrential rain and blistering heat, reminding her of her dependence within the ecosystem. But some of the people she meets appear to have no awareness of the environmental impact of their activities. Rawles contemplates the whole experience and concludes that we all need to reconnect and define a new relationship with our ecosystems. The book is a timely, informative and thought-provoking way to experience a journey that few are ever likely to take. (Oct.)