No Rain in the Amazon: How South America's Climate Change Affects the Entire Planet

by Nikolas Kozloff

Acting as the planet€™s air conditioner, the rainforest sucks up millions of tons of greenhouse gases and stores them safely out of the atmosphere. South America's deforestation threatens to unleash a kind of €œcarbon bomb€ that will add to our already deteriorating climate difficulties. As he travels across Peru and Brazil, recognized South America expert Nikolas Kozloff talks to locals, scientists and activists about the rainforest and what should be done to avert its collapse. Drawing on his expertise of South American politics, Kozloff argues that cooperation between the world's countries is essential in turning back the tide of climate change and that the fate of the planet depends on our response to environmental problems within the southern hemisphere.

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Lisa]

Good, but rather depressing, as the same elements crop up over and over throughout the region, regardless of which country: moneyed interests ignore laws or pay off politicians, exploit the poor, and shred the forest (be it rain forest, cloud forest, or cerrado) in the process of making lots of money while releasing lots of carbon. South American countries repeatedly demand global North help them address climate change with money to fund infrastructure changes/ecosystem preservation or transfer of technology so they can make the switch to more sustainable energy; global North hems, haws, and does little/nothing. Non-rich and indigenous people suffer front-line effects of climate change, get ignored as soon as the headlines are stale.

[Katy Roberts]

I read this while working in the Amazon Rainforest in Peru and it opened my eyes to all of the horrible environmental degradation that is occurring that one can't always see on the surface. I definitely recommend it if one wants to learn more about how climate change is affecting the rainforest and vice versa.

[Erica Hudson]

I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/12862640