Climate change is now doing far more harm than marooning polar bears on melting chunks of ice--it is damaging the health of people around the world. Brilliantly connecting stories of real people with cutting-edge scientific and medical information, Changing Planet, Changing Health brings us to places like Mozambique, Honduras, and the United States for an eye-opening on-the-ground investigation of how climate change is altering patterns of disease. Written by a physician and world expert on climate and health and an award-winning science journalist, the book reveals the surprising links between global warming and cholera, malaria, lyme disease, asthma, and other health threats. In clear, accessible language, it also discusses topics including Climategate, cap-and-trade proposals, and the relationship between free markets and the climate crisis. Most importantly, Changing Planet, Changing Health delivers a suite of innovative solutions for shaping a healthy global economic order in the twenty-first century.
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"If ever there was a book that ought to be on everybody's reading bucket list this is it."--Booklist
"A harrowing look at the road ahead that should urge immediate, proactive change."--Kirkus Reviews
"Makes it clear that the health threats from climate change are here, and need immediate coordinated effort to keep in check."--E! the Environmental Magazine
"An eye-opener "--Publishers Weekly
"Because human health is 'the bottom line' at which the many adverse consequences of climate change will converge, Changing Planet, Changing Health is an excellent corrective for climate-change myopia."--Nature
From the Inside Flap
"Changing Planet, Changing Health is a landmark book that will raise our consciousness about how we should respond to a growing emergency and save lives. Dr. Paul Epstein and journalist Dan Ferber offer stunning revelations about the ways that the climate crisis is jeopardizing food security and accessibility to drinking water while propelling disease vectors that are threatening public health worldwide. This book, the first to solely focus on the connection between the climate crisis and its damaging health effects, sounds a clarion call that shows how we can heal the earth, and ourselves."--Al Gore
"Climate change has brought a new imperative to global health efforts worldwide as the 'changing planet' both contributes to the spread of disease and worsens existing inequities. We must be ambitious in our response and heed the personal, political, economic, and institutional advice so keenly prescribed here by Paul Epstein and Dan Ferber. Our collective failure to intervene, or even to understand, portends disaster. But this volume also shows us just how much we can do to slow or arrest these adverse trends."--Paul Farmer, MD, author of Pathologies of Power: Health, Human Rights, and the New War on the Poor and Co-founder, Partners in Health
"You'll never find a clearer or smarter explanation of one of the toughest problems the world faces as the Holocene ebbs and the warming era begins."--Bill McKibben, author of The End of Nature and Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet
"Paul Epstein has long been at the forefront in alerting the public and our leaders on the many ways our lives and health are threatened by climate change. Together with journalist Dan Ferber, they have now written the book on the health effects of global warming. From malaria-carrying mosquitoes entering new regions now warm enough to support their life cycle to asthma triggered by higher carbon dioxide concentrations, to lives lost by extreme weather, Changing Planet, Changing Health is a vivid reminder of the urgency of the need for action. It can only be hoped that this sweeping and articulate book will trigger a renewed focus on this crucial challenge at a time when so many are distracted by other events."--Paul Volberding, MD, University of California, San Francisco
"This valuable and insightful book provides, in highly readable form, the most basic reason for concern over human source change in the climate system--the impact this change has on our health."--Paul Andrew Mayewski, Climate Change Institute, University of Maine
"Climate change isn't just 'inconvenient'-- it kills. Bravo to Paul Epstein and Dan Ferber for laying out a clear explication. Deny the heat wave around you? OK, but brace yourself for the hospital bills."--Laurie Garrett, Pulitzer Prize winning writer and author of The Coming Plague
"Changing Planet, Changing Health is an illuminating, important, and deeply sobering book."--Elizabeth Kolbert, author of Field Notes from a Catastrophe: Man, Nature, and Climate Change
"As compelling as a detective novel, Changing Planet, Changing Health reveals the important--and often unnerving--links between climate and survival in a world in a world in which we are watching our known environment slip away. This is a vital story, and authors Paul Epstein and Dan Ferber have told it beautifully, so that their exploration of human behavior and consequences is wonderfully readable as well as being wonderfully smart."--Deborah Blum, author of The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York
"Climate change has brought a new imperative to global health efforts worldwide as the 'changing planet' both contributes to the spread of disease and worsens existing inequities. We must be ambitious in our response and heed the personal, political, economic, and institutional advice so keenly prescribed here by Paul Epstein and Dan Ferber. Our collective failure to intervene, or even to understand, portends disaster. But this volume also shows us just how much we can do to slow or arrest these adverse trends."--Paul Farmer, MD, author of Pathologies of Power: Health, Human Rights, and the New War on the Poor and Co-founder, Partners in Health
"You'll never find a clearer or smarter explanation of one of the toughest problems the world faces as the Holocene ebbs and the warming era begins."--Bill McKibben, author of The End of Nature and Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet
"Paul Epstein has long been at the forefront in alerting the public and our leaders on the many ways our lives and health are threatened by climate change. Together with journalist Dan Ferber, they have now written the book on the health effects of global warming. From malaria-carrying mosquitoes entering new regions now warm enough to support their life cycle to asthma triggered by higher carbon dioxide concentrations, to lives lost by extreme weather, Changing Planet, Changing Health is a vivid reminder of the urgency of the need for action. It can only be hoped that this sweeping and articulate book will trigger a renewed focus on this crucial challenge at a time when so many are distracted by other events."--Paul Volberding, MD, University of California, San Francisco
"This valuable and insightful book provides, in highly readable form, the most basic reason for concern over human source change in the climate system--the impact this change has on our health."--Paul Andrew Mayewski, Climate Change Institute, University of Maine
"Climate change isn't just 'inconvenient'-- it kills. Bravo to Paul Epstein and Dan Ferber for laying out a clear explication. Deny the heat wave around you? OK, but brace yourself for the hospital bills."--Laurie Garrett, Pulitzer Prize winning writer and author of The Coming Plague
"Changing Planet, Changing Health is an illuminating, important, and deeply sobering book."--Elizabeth Kolbert, author of Field Notes from a Catastrophe: Man, Nature, and Climate Change
"As compelling as a detective novel, Changing Planet, Changing Health reveals the important--and often unnerving--links between climate and survival in a world in a world in which we are watching our known environment slip away. This is a vital story, and authors Paul Epstein and Dan Ferber have told it beautifully, so that their exploration of human behavior and consequences is wonderfully readable as well as being wonderfully smart."--Deborah Blum, author of The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
Changing Planet, Changing Health by Paul R. Epstein, MD, and Dan Ferber
"Changing Planet, Changing Health" is an excellent book about how climate change harms our health now , and how it will devastate us in the future unless we transform society and our global economy. This insightful 368-page book is composed of the following thirteen chapters: 1. Mozambique, 2. The Mosquito's Bite, 3. Sobering Predictions, 4. Every Breath You Take, 5. Harvest Trouble, 6. Sea Change, 7. Forests in Trouble, 8. Storms and Sickness, 9. The Ailing Earth, 10. Gaining Green by Going Green, 11. Healthy Solutions, 12. Of Rice and Tractors, and 13. Rewriting the Rules.
Positives:
1. A comprehensive topic that was well researched.
2. Engaging prose and accessible for the masses.
3. Written with passion and conviction this book reads like a well crafted novel.
4. The authors rely on sound science and their love for this planet to share some very important information.
5. Great use of charts, illustrations and even great photos that further engages the reader into the topics of the book.
6. This great book emphasizes the direct impact climate change has on our species, namely on our health.
7. Great wisdom throughout this book.
8. Great explanation of systems theory, and how it plays a vital role in addressing global issues.
9. The fascinating story of cholera researcher Rita Colwell. Kudos to her!
10. The importance of rain forests.
11. A medical look at illnesses, epidemics and their relation to climate change. Great stuff!
12. A historical look at the term greenhouse effect.
13. So how do humans contribute to climate change? Find out in a comprehensive manner.
14. The impact of El Niño, and why is it called that?
15. So many great examples. The authors do a wonderful job of taking the reader to different parts of the world like Mozambique and Honduras. They proceed to explain with a luxury of details how climate change impacts their environments and how illnesses arise as a result of it.
16. How big oil (as I like to call them) and their money purposely confuse the public by creating a global warning controversy. Global warmer deniers.
17. Cholera, malaria, dengue, lyme disease, asthma, oh my...
18. Great tidbits of knowledge throughout, did you know Rubisco is the most common protein on Earth? You do now.
19. The wonders of evolution never ceases to amaze me. Some great examples...
20. The impact of global warming and our food source.
21. The link between our ocean and our health.
22. Oysters, a keystone species, who knew?
23. Coral reefs and how they are being threatened.
24. Whitebark pine, another keystone species, find out why.
25. What part of the U.S. has been hit the hardest by global warming...find out.
26. We need more people like Dr. Juan Almendares.
27. Global warming and links to extreme weather.
28. Politics and its impact on how we deal with global warming. Some insightful stuff, including scandals.
29. What factors can cause climate to change rapidly?
30. Our living planet a unique look.
31. The impact of global warming and economics.
32. Why nuclear energy, clean coal and biofuels are not good for people.
33. Chicago as a work in progress in turning itself into a green city.
34. Keynes enormous influence through his proposed method of economic development, the Third Way.
35. The uncoupling of the value of the dollar to gold and its impact. Interesting.
36. How deregulation impacted our economy. The Washington Consensus.
37. How we can address our problems. Many excellent guidelines.
38. The web of relationships.
39. Policies for sustainability.
40. The links worked great.
Negatives:
1. Some people might be turned off by the politics but I consider it necessary and integral part of the book.
In summary, what an excellent and informative book. Insightful, educational and inspirational. This book's unique perspective on health was a much needed contribution to climate change and much thanks go out to these wonderful people for writing such a great book. Get this book, I highly recommend it!
Further recommendations: " The Weather of the Future" by Heidi Cullen, "The Crash Course" by Chris Martenson, "Warnings: The True Story of How Science Tamed the Weather" by Mike Smith, "Merchants of Doubt" by Erik M. Conway, "Science Under Siege" by Kendrick Frazier, and "Storms of my Grandchildren" by James Hansen.
"Changing Planet, Changing Health" is an excellent book about how climate change harms our health now , and how it will devastate us in the future unless we transform society and our global economy. This insightful 368-page book is composed of the following thirteen chapters: 1. Mozambique, 2. The Mosquito's Bite, 3. Sobering Predictions, 4. Every Breath You Take, 5. Harvest Trouble, 6. Sea Change, 7. Forests in Trouble, 8. Storms and Sickness, 9. The Ailing Earth, 10. Gaining Green by Going Green, 11. Healthy Solutions, 12. Of Rice and Tractors, and 13. Rewriting the Rules.
Positives:
1. A comprehensive topic that was well researched.
2. Engaging prose and accessible for the masses.
3. Written with passion and conviction this book reads like a well crafted novel.
4. The authors rely on sound science and their love for this planet to share some very important information.
5. Great use of charts, illustrations and even great photos that further engages the reader into the topics of the book.
6. This great book emphasizes the direct impact climate change has on our species, namely on our health.
7. Great wisdom throughout this book.
8. Great explanation of systems theory, and how it plays a vital role in addressing global issues.
9. The fascinating story of cholera researcher Rita Colwell. Kudos to her!
10. The importance of rain forests.
11. A medical look at illnesses, epidemics and their relation to climate change. Great stuff!
12. A historical look at the term greenhouse effect.
13. So how do humans contribute to climate change? Find out in a comprehensive manner.
14. The impact of El Niño, and why is it called that?
15. So many great examples. The authors do a wonderful job of taking the reader to different parts of the world like Mozambique and Honduras. They proceed to explain with a luxury of details how climate change impacts their environments and how illnesses arise as a result of it.
16. How big oil (as I like to call them) and their money purposely confuse the public by creating a global warning controversy. Global warmer deniers.
17. Cholera, malaria, dengue, lyme disease, asthma, oh my...
18. Great tidbits of knowledge throughout, did you know Rubisco is the most common protein on Earth? You do now.
19. The wonders of evolution never ceases to amaze me. Some great examples...
20. The impact of global warming and our food source.
21. The link between our ocean and our health.
22. Oysters, a keystone species, who knew?
23. Coral reefs and how they are being threatened.
24. Whitebark pine, another keystone species, find out why.
25. What part of the U.S. has been hit the hardest by global warming...find out.
26. We need more people like Dr. Juan Almendares.
27. Global warming and links to extreme weather.
28. Politics and its impact on how we deal with global warming. Some insightful stuff, including scandals.
29. What factors can cause climate to change rapidly?
30. Our living planet a unique look.
31. The impact of global warming and economics.
32. Why nuclear energy, clean coal and biofuels are not good for people.
33. Chicago as a work in progress in turning itself into a green city.
34. Keynes enormous influence through his proposed method of economic development, the Third Way.
35. The uncoupling of the value of the dollar to gold and its impact. Interesting.
36. How deregulation impacted our economy. The Washington Consensus.
37. How we can address our problems. Many excellent guidelines.
38. The web of relationships.
39. Policies for sustainability.
40. The links worked great.
Negatives:
1. Some people might be turned off by the politics but I consider it necessary and integral part of the book.
In summary, what an excellent and informative book. Insightful, educational and inspirational. This book's unique perspective on health was a much needed contribution to climate change and much thanks go out to these wonderful people for writing such a great book. Get this book, I highly recommend it!
Further recommendations: " The Weather of the Future" by Heidi Cullen, "The Crash Course" by Chris Martenson, "Warnings: The True Story of How Science Tamed the Weather" by Mike Smith, "Merchants of Doubt" by Erik M. Conway, "Science Under Siege" by Kendrick Frazier, and "Storms of my Grandchildren" by James Hansen.
6 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
What a revelatory book this was. I knew about some of the ways in which climate change threatens human health and safety, but had no idea of the breadth and scope of those dangers, or of the ways in which some are interconnected. Epstein and Ferber paint an impressively--if frighteningly--detailed picture of the health menace that our planet's inarguably changing climate poses. And somehow they transform this dauntingly complex material into something that is a pleasure to read, with the tangible human dimensions of the problems (and some solutions) evident on almost every page, from a Kenyan mother's desperate fight to rescue her deathly ill daughter from malaria contracted in a region once deemed "malaria-free," to the daily grind of a graduate student whose work in a Midwestern experimental soybean field aims to address the question of whether and how, in the face of increasing CO2 levels, we will be able to grow enough food to feed the planet. But Epstein and Ferber don't just present problems and then leave us with the depressing sense that we've long since passed our chance for redemption. Although they're clear that modern wants and needs have brought us to a dangerous precipice ("Again and again, we want too much, waste too much, and fail to consider the consequences," they write), they also propose thought-provoking solutions which I only hope will capture both the public's and the policy makers' serious attention.
4 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By Mike
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
This could have been a interesting and innovative take on the often overlooked health effects of climate change, but unfortunately very little of the book is actually on the topic that its title suggests. The rest is mix of decent but basic overviews of the effect of climate change on various eco systems and far reaching rants on economic inequalities. While I can appreciate that the authors can see a variety of large problems as tightly interconnected, the last third of the book came across as a relatively naive take on international finance. When I got to the section on the effects of currency speculation on third-world economies I actually flipped back to the cover to make sure I was still reading the same book. It's not that I disagree with the author's opinions, but I didn't buy a book on climate change and health to get a simplistic opinionated overview of economic reform. It seems that they just couldn't resist the temptation to expand the original scope of the book to include topics that stray too far from their areas of expertise. It's a shame too, because the topic that authors originally set out to write about is an important one and one that deserves additional focused attention.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Humane MD makes climate change health effects vividly clear
The author, the late Dr. Paul Epstein, traveled the world and had seen first hand much of what he wrote about. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Katherine Forrest
5.0 out of 5 stars
Changing Now!
Clearly, compassionately and compellingly told.
Medical doctor Paul R. Epstein and science journalist Dan Ferber share stories of intrepid curiosity and commitment to... Read more
Medical doctor Paul R. Epstein and science journalist Dan Ferber share stories of intrepid curiosity and commitment to... Read more
Published 22 months ago by Loretta J. Williams
4.0 out of 5 stars
a physician's viewpoint, not a politician's
While he does get into some political issues towards the end, for the most part the focus is on what happens when the earth gets too warm. Read more
Published 23 months ago by Amy Henry
5.0 out of 5 stars
Way Overdue
It certainly is evident, as we read our daily paper, that climate change
is linked to health related conditions;our potable water, food crops,and
pollution control... Read more
is linked to health related conditions;our potable water, food crops,and
pollution control... Read more
Published 23 months ago by Gregory Warren
5.0 out of 5 stars
Compelling, Convincing, Constructive
Epstein and Ferber have done a masterful job of connecting the dots between climate change and health, from a malaria epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa, to airborne soot in Harlem... Read more
Published on April 27, 2011 by Jeanne Erdmann
5.0 out of 5 stars
really great review of this book in Nature magazine
I just ordered this book after reading a really great review of it in Nature magazine, where the reviewer concluded by writing: "We urgently need to comprehend that the risks to... Read more
Published on April 24, 2011 by Kathy DiCenzo
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