I’m a scientist. We don’t write books.
Nonsense. I know plenty that do. You need to apply for a Guggenheim and write a book.
Four years later the book is done thanks to their advice, a fellowship from the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation, and the support of three other especially encouraging colleagues—John Agnew, Jared Diamond, and David Rigby, also UCLA geographers.
I thank my agent, Russell Weinberger of Brockman, Inc., for taking on a first-time book author with no experience writing for a lay audience. His patience in fielding my many questions was surpassed only by the patience of my editors Stephen Morrow (Dutton, New York) and Duncan Clark (Profile Books, London).
I am indebted to my amazing wife, Abbie Tingstad, who I met researching the book. Aside from her graciousness upon discovering her new husband would embed at his desk for nearly two years, she was the book’s foremost critic and sounding board. I thank my parents, Norman and Judith Smith, and brother, Daniel, for being so supportive of me throughout the project.
Maps and illustrations were drawn by the superb cartographer and artist Chase Langford. Vital research assistance was provided by UCLA students Vena Chu, Nora Hazzakzadeh, and Scott Stephenson.
The manuscript was substantially improved thanks to critical expert reviews of one or more chapters by John Agnew, Richard Alley, Doug Alsdorf, Lawson Brigham, Marshall Burke, Richard Glenn, John Grace, Richard Forster, Dennis Lettenmaier, David Perrin, and Gavin Schmidt. Scott Lefavour and Gary Levy provided helpful feedback on the final chapter. Norman Smith and Abbie Tingstad read and commented on the manuscript in its entirety.
Many people sacrificed time from their busy lives to grant interviews. These include Trevor Amiot, Daniel Augur, David Barber, Jeremy Beal, Kathryn Boivin, Cathie Bolstad, Jason Box, Ron Brower, Guylaine Charbonneau, Nellie Couroyea, Joanne Delaronde, Lloyd Dick, John Donihee, Ken Drinkwater, Kamyar Enshayan, Lyle Fetterly, Patrick Frank, Beth Freeman, Melissa Gibbons, Richard Glenn, Michael Goodyear, John Grace, Robert Grandjambe, Jackie Grebmeier, James Hansen, Udloriak Hanson, David Henry, Tony Hill, Harry Hillaker, Tom Hoefer, Stella Hoksbergen, Robert Huebert, Richard Janowicz, Anne Jensen, Lars-Emil Johansen, Brenda Jones, Eli Kavik, Aili Keskitalo, Andrei Kortunov, Jason Langis, Brian and Susan Lendrum, Diana Liverman, Kim Ma, Lise Marchand, John Marshall, Stephanie Martin, Dan McKenney, Jim McLaughlin, Jobie Meeko, Josee Michaud, Ellen Mosley-Thompson, Kevin Mulligan, Dona Novecosky, Adrian Orr, Pentti and Ritva Peltokangas, Tony Penikett, Dorothy Peteet, Laurie Renauer, Andrew Revkin, John Richardson, Ed Schultz, Glenn Sheehan, Elisapee Sheutiapik, Mary Simon, Duane Smith, Rodney Smith, Guy Smith, Mike Spence, Sara Tabbert, Greg Thessen, Lonnie Thompson, Daniela Tommasini, Wayne Tuck, Paningoak’ Vaengtoft, Sophie Vandenbergh, Alexei Varlamov, Aino Viker, Don Wallette, George Wandering Spirit, Sheila Watt-Cloutier, and Robert Zywotko.
Individuals who provided data, readings, photographs, advice, or other forms of assistance include Joseph Alcamo, Kim Barnes, Jason Box, Marsha Branigan, Lawson Brigham, David Dodge, Gebisa Ejita, Kamyar Enshayan, Martina Florke, Gail Fondahl, Louis Fortier, Cary Fowler, Karen Frey, Ivan Frolov, Harry Gill, Maya Gold, Ken Hinkel, Larry Hinzman, Ben Jones, Tommy Jordan, Sergey Kirpotin, David Lawrence, Glen MacDonald, Ross MacDonald, James Martell, Philip Micklin, Tatiana Mikhailova, Kevin Mulligan, Tom Narins, Heather Nicol, Matthew Nisbitt, Samuel Niza, Trevor Paglen, Martin Pasqualetti, Tamlin Pavelsky, Fred Pearce, Dorothy Peteet, Tom Puleo, John Rasmussen, Asa Rennermalm, Anthony Repalone, Bruce Robison, Vladimir Romanovsky, Michael Shermer, Nikolay Shiklomanov, C. K. Shum, Dimas Streletskiy, and Sara Wheeler.
Travel for this project was supported in part by the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation, with sabbatical release time granted by the University of California-Los Angeles. Several months of office space were kindly provided by the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York, and a Bellagio Residency from the John D. Rockefeller Foundation.
INDEX
Note: Page numbers in
Abdulkadir, Ibrahim
Abdulkadir, Shehu
aboriginal peoples: geographic distribution of power; and globalization; and the high Arctic; and human settlement patterns; and land claims; and mineral rights; and the “New North,” and political power; and regional corporations; and traditional hunters
Achuku, Vincent
Afghanistan
Africa.
African Development Bank
agriculture: and carbon dioxide fertilization effect; decline of; and demography; and ethanol production; and global warming; and the Louisiana Purchase; and urbanization; and water resources; and water transportation
Al Qaeda
Alaska: and aboriginal peoples; Alaska Highway; Alaska Platform; Alaska Purchase; and Arctic resources; and global warming; and human settlement patterns; and oil resources; and population growth; and Russian foreign policy; and the Siberian Curse; and UNCLOS; and U.S. foreign policy; and water resources; and winter roads; and World War II,
Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA)
Alaskan Federation of Natives
albedo effect
Alberta Tar Sands
Alcamo, Joseph
Algeria
Alley, Richard B.
Alsdorf, Doug
Altiplano Plateau
Amazon basin
American Geophysical Union
American Indians
Amur Oblast
Annan, Kofi
Annin, Peter
Antarctica
Anuka, Godwin
aquatic ecosystems
aquifers
Arabian Desert
Arctic Circle
Arctic Climate Impact Assessment
Arctic Council
Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy
Arctic Ocean: and indigenous peoples; and natural resources; and river runoff; and the rule of law; and sea ice levels; and the seabed; and shipping; and UNCLOS
Argentina
Arrhenius, Svante
