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Before It’s Gone
Book

Before It’s Gone

Stories from the Front Lines of Climate Change in Small-Town America

Jonathan Vigliotti
Atria Books, 2024
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Editorial Rating

9

getAbstract Rating

  • Eye Opening
  • Concrete Examples
  • Engaging

Recommendation

Award-winning journalist Jonathan Vigliotti offers a compelling overview of the escalating impacts of climate change on communities and individuals across the United States, in, for example, Red Lodge, Montana; Lahaina, Hawaii; and Paradise, California. Vigliotti highlights the urgent need for more intelligent policies, more resilient infrastructure, and a shift toward sustainability. He provides a wake-up call, urging leaders and individuals to confront the realities of a warming world and adopt solutions that protect the planet and its people.

Summary

Climate change transforms air, water, fire, and land.

Between 2020 and 2023, more than 80 mega, “unprecedented,” “record-breaking,” and “never-seen-before” disasters — each exacting costs of over a billion dollars — struck United States communities. Climate change drives these events and profoundly affects the natural systems of the planet’s air, water, fire, and land. Rising greenhouse gas emissions have intensified extreme weather patterns, leading to severe droughts, wildfires, and natural habitat destruction across the United States.

Across the country, communities and individuals suffer the effects of intensified weather, poor policy choices, and a lack of planning. In the year 2021, environmental disasters damaged the homes of 14.5 million Americans. A 2022 survey found one-third of people who moved did so at least partly due to climate change concerns.

People can mitigate the effects of climate change on the planet and its human inhabitants. Adopting renewable energy, restoring ecosystems, and planning the expansion and development of urban areas more wisely can reduce the impact of environmental disasters. Insurance industry reforms...

About the Author

Jonathan Vigliotti is an Emmy and Edward R. Murrow Award–winning journalist. His work has appeared on CBS Sunday Morning, Face the Nation, 48 Hours, and other national platforms.

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