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Stephan Faris, author of Forecast: A Journey to the Frontiers of Climate Change, from the Amazon to the Arctic, from Darfur to Napa Valley, talks about his book and provides a brief insight into his personal life.
What is unique about Forecast and what does Forecast contribute to the
current dialogue concerning the environment?
What I tried to do in Forecast is show how traditionally environmental
concerns, in this case climate change, are really about much more than "the
environment." As I show in the book, climate change will change (and is
changing) the way we live. While proving direct causation is always tricky,
there's a strong case to be made that climate change has contributed to fighting
in Darfur and demographic changes along the coasts of the U.S. It's altered the
distribution of diseases, the taste of wine and the geopolitics of the north
pole. It also has the potential to spark catastrophe.
In Forecast, you write about the present-day impact of global warming and
how climate shifts have impacted the globe in the past. You essentially use the
past and present climatic and social response to global warming to predict
problems the world is likely to encounter in the future. If humans were to
change their damaging behavior, do you think your predictions for the future
could be reversed? Or have we reached the point of no return?
We've already contributed enough greenhouse gases to lock in much of what I
describe in Forecast. Our climate has been knocked off balance and it's going to
take us some time to readjust. That being said, further global warming has the
potential to be even more devastating. So it's not too late to change course.
How did you come to the understanding that environmental degradation
contributes to conflicts that, on the surface, appear unrelated to global
warming? For example, the conflict in Darfur and rising levels of poverty in
Haiti.
I first started thinking about this when I was in Darfur, covering the
beginning of the conflict for Time Magazine. It was clear even then that the
fighting had environmental roots. It was only during the research for Forecast
that I came to realize that environmental problems not only have the power to
spark violence, they can also make conflict harder to resolve.
Most people will probably be surprised to find a chapter on how global
warming is affecting the wine industry, as you are a journalist known for
writing about the developing world. What made you decide to research how the
various wine regions around the world are handling global warming?
Wine grapes are fascinating because they can be thought of as indicator
crops. Since the quality and taste of a vintage is so heavily dependent on the
weather in which the grapes were grown, you can think of wine as one of the
first places we'll see the effects of climate change. I was also intrigued by
how climate change was impacting what is essentially a luxury good.
In order to write Forecast, you traveled all over the world to better
understand the environmental situations in various countries from the
perspective of the people who live there. What was your most surprising
discovery?
This is a hard question, because I learned a lot during the research for this
book. If I had to choose one thing, however, it might be the extent to which
climate change has made itself felt along the Gulf Coast and Eastern Seaboard of
the United States. Everybody knows we've been hit by hurricanes, but it's
surprising how far the impact has spread (all the way up to Long Island, for
instance), simply through changes in insurance coverage and pricing.
Attempts by Europe's far right to couch their anti-immigrant arguments in the
language of the environment is another thing that surprised me.
Through all of your travels to research Forecast, where did you notice
the most aggressive changes taking place in terms of caring for the environment?
Which regions were making the biggest changes to adapt to present or future
global warming?
I was most surprised by how little we're doing to adapt. In most cases and
most industries I studied, I found people were just starting to study the
impact. They were far from doing anything about it. The most active people were
those trying to retool their businesses or lives to mitigate their contribution
to climate change. But as I think my book shows, it's going to take both:
mitigation and adaptation.
President-elect Barack Obama stated that he favors policies that will
protect the environment. What do you think Barack Obama's priorities for
environmental legislation should be?
Obama has made it clear he plans to tackle climate change head on, spending
some $15 billion a year on energy efficiency and renewable energy and taking the
lead internationally on climate change negotiations. If I were to advise him on
anything it would be to take adaptation into account. People all over the world
are already experiencing the impact of climate change, and we need to think
about that as well.
Forecast is undoubtedly a surprising and illuminating account of some of
the most pressing issues facing our planet. Were even you surprised by your
findings?
Absolutely. It was a continuous learning experience. I've tried to convey
that as much as possible in the book, to provide the reader with the same sense
of discovery.
Ultimately, is the message of Forecast one of hope or is it a warning of
certain devastation?
Forecast is a warning of things to come, but for the most part the events I
describe will damage, not devastate, our way of living. We have the ability to
adapt to them. So while we're in for some uncomfortable times, there's still a
chance to head of the worst. It's too early to give up on hope.
Now, a few questions about you ... Where are you from?
Tucson, Arizona
Who are your favorite writers?
There are probably too many to list, but to name a few off the top of my head: Adam Hochschild, Ryszard Kapuciski, Michael Herr, Philip Gourevitch, Edward P. Jones, Italo Calvino, Mark Bowden, Kazuo Ishiguro, Jon Krakauer, William Langewiesche, Michael Pollan, Cormac McCarthy, Paul Auster, Malcolm Gladwell, Elizabeth Kolbert.
Which book/books have had the biggest influence on your writing?
Again, there are far too many to list, but if I had to pick two, they would be Gourevitch’s We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families and Kapuciski’s The Emperor.
What are your hobbies and outside interests?
Spending time with my four-year-old son.
What is the single best piece of advice anyone ever gave you?
Always rewrite.
What inspired you to write your first book, Forecast?
I first started really thinking about climate change after I had visited Darfur, covering the beginning of the conflict for Time Magazine. As it gradually dawned on me that the conflict had environmental roots, I was intrigued enough to look into other impacts climate change was having on our lives.
Where do you write?
At home at my desk or in the offices of the Foreign Press Association in Rome.
Unless otherwise stated, this interview was conducted at the time the book was first published, and is reproduced with permission of the publisher. This interview may not be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the copyright holder.
Susan Casey is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Devil's Teeth: A True Story of Obsession and Survival Among America's Great White Sharks. She served as creative director of Outside Magazine, where she was part ... (more)
Charles Clover has been the Environment Editor of The Daily Telegraph, Britain's biggest selling broadsheet paper, since 1987. He won the British Environment and Media's National Journalist of the Year award in 1989... (more)
If you enjoyed:
Forecast
Try:
The End of the Line
by Charles Clover
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