Early Warming (Nancy Lord, 2011) is a must read if you are interested in global climate change and its effects on Alaska and Northern Canada. In Early Warming, Alaskan writer Nancy Lord takes a cutting-edge look at how communities in the north continue to cope with the challenges global climate change is producing. This well-written narrative takes readers deep into regions where people continue dealing with changes in their lifestyles due to a warming planet. Lord breaks her book into five parts: "My Salmon Home: Kenai Peninsula", "Boreal Forest", "Sea Ice and Ice Bears", "When a Village Has to Move, and The Oceanic Realm". Each one of these parts takes you into a new region of the north, demonstrating the effects of global climate change from the people that live there. Nancy Lord uses observations, lyrical descriptions of the land and sea, and many interviews of local offices and natives whose insight is chilling.
My Salmon Home, the first part of Lords book, talks about the effects of global climate change near her actual home. Alaska prides itself on fishing. Fishing is a major part of Alaska's economy, and with the challenges of global climate change. The salmon populations are on the down swing causing many Alaskans to worry if they will have enough food and money to support their families. Lord presents many facts showing that warmer temperatures are having a negative impact on the fish.
The Boreal Forest is major source of carbon for the world. With the trees dying and invasive species popping up everywhere, there is nothing to do besides worry. Many natives living in the Boreal Forest are struggling to keep the trees and keep their woods safe from wood harvest or mining. This is their home; many of the natives do not know what they would do if they were forced to leave. The Boreal Forest is a key to slowing down climate change because all of the trees are sucking in carbon dioxide and doing their best to keep up with the increasing carbon dioxide levels in our atmosphere today.
The sea ice is melting and there is no slowing down. The polar bears are struggling; what should we do? Lord interviews bear biologist to get their take on the situation. Most of them want oil and gas exploration to slow down, and to create new habitats for the bears where they can be protected and away from possibly life threatening thin ice and far away from oil and gas reservoirs that could potentially kill them due to the toxins. The sea ice melt shows no signs of slowing down and the bear's populations continue to drop. Lord wants the United States to think about its people, its animals, and its land and make the right decisions to help slow down the damages caused by global climate change.
Fourth, there is Shishmaref Island where the Inupiaq have already voted to relocate because of erosion and flooding. With the sea level rising, more erosion and flooding is taking place on the island. The Inupaiq people are running around trying to figure out what to do and where to move. How would you like if your house was flooding and nobody was there to help. The choices they are making in Washington D.C. are impacting small native populations in rural Alaska.
Last is Bethel, Alaska, where village elders near the Bering Sea gather to advise fishery managers and to consider the effects of ocean acidification, "climate change's evil twin." The ocean is changing and there is no slowing down. With this part of Alaska dependent on the fish for their major income and food, what should the locals do when the fish are leaving due to the changing sea? Many natives of the area are instrumental when pushing for fast changes so their livelihood does not change.
Early Warming is a fantastic book about global climate change and the effects it is having on the people in the far north. Lord presents many facts, uses her own observations, and uses strong interviews to support her in her fight and so spread awareness of the negative impacts of global climate change. This book is a must read if you are interested in global climate change. I could not say enough good things about this book.
Scotty
