Future Arctic Press Release

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PRESS RELEASE

FUTURE ARCTIC Field Notes from a World on the Edge

By Edward Struzik “An engaging new account of a planet transformed.”

—Salon “Struzik blends biology and politics with firsthand experience to present a comprehensive… portrait of the future.”

—Publishers Weekly “Struzik's book is a thoughtful and impassioned argument that we need to respond to a warming world by researching, adapting, and changing what we are able to.”

—Pacific Standard

Washington, DC (September 2016) – The Arctic is often imagined as a desolate and remote place that is far removed from the rest of the world. But after three decades, Arctic explorer Edward Struzik knows first-hand it is full of life – home to many native peoples and a diverse array of plants and animals whose fate is intimately tied to those who live in the southern hemisphere. Newly available in paperback and with an updated conclusion, Future Arctic: Field Notes from a World on the Edge (Publication Date: October 4, 2016), explores how climate change will reshape this region and cause tremendous ecological, cultural, and economic shifts across the world.

Struzik delves deep into archaeology to answer questions about how the land was changed in the distant past and then delves into present challenges. Being swept up in the terror of a rare Arctic cyclone leads Struzik to investigate how warmer ocean temperatures will fundamentally alter waterways and create fiercer storm surges and storms. Alongside scientists, he counts caribou herds, tracks polar bears, and ventures up cliffs looking for bird nests to survey which species will

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disappear and which ones will thrive. Through interviews and visits to native communities, he explains what the people who depend on the Arctic are losing and how they might adapt.

The Arctic is a complicated region; many countries and people have a stake in its future. With its vast resources no longer inaccessible beneath the ice, governments are vying for a chance to claim land and ocean floor. In this rush to possess undiscovered riches, Struzik argues, the Arctic’s environmental and ecological value is consistently ignored—at our collective peril. In Future Arctic, he explores examples of past mistakes and current success stories to illustrate what’s at stake if the necessary policies and protections aren’t in place ahead of action in this changing landscape.

Whether surviving a peregrine falcon attack as he dangles on the side of a cliff or waking up to a shotgun pointed at his head, Struzik offers a rare look at how difficult it is to study the Arctic, and how important it is for the future that we do so. Future Arctic is a vivid tale of natural history populated with colorful characters, charismatic wildlife and remarkable landscapes. In it, he illuminates the spirit and beauty of the Arctic and makes a compelling case for charting a new course to shape its future.

Edward Struzik has been writing about the Arctic for more than thirty-five years. In 1996 he was awarded the prestigious Knight Science Journalism Fellowship and spent a year at Harvard and MIT researching polar issues. In 2008, he was awarded the Atkinson Fellowship in Public Policy. He is the author of The Big Thaw: Travels in the Melting North, which focused on the effects of climate change on the Canadian Arctic. He is an active speaker and lecturer, and is frequently interviewed as an expert on Arctic issues.

Future Arctic: Field Notes from a World on the Edge

By Edward Struzik Paperback Edition 216 pages | Price: $21.99 ISBN: 978-1-61091-717-9 www.islandpress.org/future-arctic Founded in 1984, Island Press works to stimulate, shape, and communicate the information that is essential for solving environmental problems. Today, with more than 1,000 titles in print and some 40 new releases each year, it is the nation’s leading publisher of books on environmental issues. Island Press is driving change by moving ideas from the printed page to public discourse and practice. Island Press’s emphasis is, and will continue to be, on transforming objective information into understanding and action. For more information and further updates be sure to visit www.islandpress.org. ###

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