“What capacity for good lies in the hidden depths of people?”
Starting with this question, award-winning author Charles Wohlforth sets forth on a wide-ranging exploration of our relationship with the world. In The Fate of Nature, he draws on science, spirituality, history, economics, and personal stories to reveal answers about the future of that relationship.
There is no better place to witness the highs and lows of our treatment of the natural world than the vast wilds, rocky coasts, and shifting settlements of Alaska. Since the first encounter between Captain Cook's crew and the Alaskan Natives in 1778, there have been countless struggles between people who have had different plans for the region. Some have hoped to preserve Alaska as they found it, while others aimed to create something new in its place.
Incidents such as the Exxon Valdez oil spill may seem like cause for despair. In the face of such profound tragedies, Charles Wohlforth has found heartening developments in the science of human altruism. This new understanding of what causes humans to cooperate and act conscientiously may be the first step toward taking the actions necessary to preserve an environment that has already been altered drastically in our lifetime.
A clear-eyed, original work of research, reportage, and philosophical reflections, The Fate of Nature gives us a chance to change the way we think about our place in society and the world at large.

The Fate of Nature: Rediscovering Our Ability to Rescue the Earth

History

Wohlforth, Charles

Americas

Thomas Dunne Books

The Fate of Nature is a profoundly relevant call to action from journalist Charles Wohlforth, whose award-winning reportage addressed the infamous 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill. In the wake of the tragic 2010 BP disaster, Wohlforth's voice has never been more necessary. Using as a stage coastal Alaska, populated by an array of odd and inspiring characters, he presents both an insightful assessment of our present state and a hopeful vision for our planet in his "thoughtful and felicitous new book . . . an inspired view of humankind's future" (Anchorage Daily News).

Picador

With its vast diversity of land, people, and wildlife, Alaska is the last true American frontier. For the armchair traveler, those planning and dreaming of a future vacation, or those savoring a past trip of a lifetime, this spectacular volume brings together the majestic splendor of America’s largest state—591,104 square miles and twice the size of Texas—as captured by some of the world’s top outdoor photographers. Spectacular Alaska celebrates the land—including Mt. McKinley, the highest point in North America at 20,320 feet—the animals—including bald eagles, walruses, moose, whales, wolves, and Alaskan brown bear—and also the people. Much of Alaska is still covered in wilderness, and here lie the giants of America’s national parks: Wrangell-St. Elias, almost six times the size of Yellowstone; Denali National Park, which is the size of Massachusetts and known as the Serengeti of the North because of its glorious wildlife; and many other national parks, monuments, and preserves. These parks, as well as the cities, villages, and regions in between are explored in the two hundred photographs and stunning panoramic gatefolds of Spectacular Alaska.

Spectacular Alaska

Arts & Photography

Photography & Video

Universe

We are at the cusp of a golden age in space science, as increasingly more entrepreneurs—Elon Musk, Richard Branson, Jeff Bezos—are seduced by the commercial potential of human access to space. But Beyond Earth does not offer another wide-eyed technology fantasy: instead, it is grounded not only in the human capacity for invention and the appeal of adventure, but also in the bureaucratic, political, and scientific realities that present obstacles to space travel—realities that have hampered NASA's efforts ever since the Challenger disaster. In Beyond Earth, the authors offer groundbreaking research and argue persuasively that not Mars, but Titan—a moon of Saturn with a nitrogen atmosphere, a weather cycle, and an inexhaustible supply of cheap energy—offers the most realistic, and thrilling, prospect of life without support from Earth.

Beyond Earth: Our Path to a New Home in the Planets

Science & Math

Hendrix Ph.D., Amanda R.

Astronomy & Space Science

Vintage

From a leading planetary scientist and an award-winning science writer, a propulsive account of the developments and initiatives that have transformed the dream of space colonization into something that may well be achievable. We are at the cusp of a golden age in space science, as increasingly more entrepreneurs—Elon Musk, Richard Branson, Jeff Bezos—are seduced by the commercial potential of human access to space. But Beyond Earth does not offer another wide-eyed technology fantasy: instead, it is grounded not only in the human capacity for invention and the appeal of adventure but also in the bureaucratic, political, and scientific realities that present obstacles to space travel—realities that have hampered NASA’s efforts ever since the Challenger disaster. In Beyond Earth, Charles Wohlforth and Amanda R.Hendrix offer groundbreaking research and argue persuasively that not Mars, but Titan—a moon of Saturn with a nitrogen atmosphere, a weather cycle, and an inexhaustible supply of cheap energy, where we will even be able to fly like birds in the minimal gravitational field—offers the most realistic and thrilling prospect of life without support from Earth. (With 8 pages of color illustrations)

Pantheon

The Whale and the Supercomputer: On the Northern Front of Climate Change

Scientists and natives wrestle with our changing climate in the land where it has hit first--and hardest A traditional Eskimo whale-hunting party races to shore near Barrow, Alaska--their comrades trapped on a floe drifting out to sea--as ice that should be solid this time of year gives way. Elsewhere, a team of scientists transverses the tundra, sleeping in tents, surviving on frozen chocolate, and measuring the snow every ten kilometers in a quest to understand the effects of albedo, the snow's reflective ability to cool the earth beneath it. Climate change isn't an abstraction in the far North. It is a reality that has already dramatically altered daily life, especially that of the native peoples who still live largely off the land and sea. Because nature shows her footprints so plainly here, the region is also a lure for scientists intent on comprehending the complexities of climate change. In this gripping account, Charles Wohlforth follows the two groups as they navigate a radically shifting landscape. The scientists attempt to decipher its smallest elements and to derive from them a set of abstract laws and models. The natives draw on uncannily accurate traditional knowledge, borne of long experience living close to the land. Even as they see the same things-a Native elder watches weather coming through too fast to predict; a climatologist notes an increased frequency of cyclonic systems-the two cultures struggle to reconcile their vastly different ways of comprehending the environment. With grace, clarity, and a sense of adventure, Wohlforth--a lifelong Alaskan--illuminates both ways of seeing a world in flux, and in the process, helps us to navigate a way forward as climate change reaches us all.

Earth Sciences

NORTH POINT PRESS

In The Whale and the Supercomputer, scientists and natives wrestle with our changing climate in the land where it has hit first --and hardest
A traditional Eskimo whale-hunting party races to shore near Barrow, Alaska-their comrades trapped on a floe drifting out to sea-as ice that should be solid this time of year gives way. Elsewhere, a team of scientists transverses the tundra, sleeping in tents, surviving on frozen chocolate, and measuring the snow every ten kilometers in a quest to understand the effects of albedo, the snow's reflective ability to cool the earth beneath it. 
Climate change isn't an abstraction in the far North. It is a reality that has already dramatically altered daily life, especially that of the native peoples who still live largely off the land and sea. Because nature shows her footprints so plainly here, the region is also a lure for scientists intent on comprehending the complexities of climate change. In this gripping account, Charles Wohlforth follows the two groups as they navigate a radically shifting landscape. The scientists attempt to decipher its smallest elements and to derive from them a set of abstract laws and models. The natives draw on uncannily accurate traditional knowledge, borne of long experience living close to the land. Even as they see the same things-a Native elder watches weather coming through too fast to predict; a climatologist notes an increased frequency of cyclonic systems-the two cultures struggle to reconcile their vastly different ways of comprehending the environment. 
With grace, clarity, and a sense of adventure, Wohlforth--a lifelong Alaskan--illuminates both ways of seeing a world in flux, and in the process, helps us to navigate a way forward as climate change reaches us all.

Politics & Social Sciences

Social Sciences

Why America's health care system failed so tragically during the Covid pandemic, and how the forces unleashed by the crisis could be just the medicine for its long-term cure.Covid patients overwhelmed American hospitals. The world's most advanced and expensive health care system crumbled, short of supplies and personnel. The U.S. lost more patients than any other nation during the pandemic. How could this happen? And how could this disaster lead to a more resilient, rational and equitable health care system in the future?How Covid Crashed the System answers these questions with compelling stories and wide-angle analysis. Dr. David Nash, a founder of the discipline of population health, and Charles Wohlforth, an award-winning science writer, pick up the pieces of the Covid disaster like investigators of a crashed airliner, finding the root causes of America's failure to cope, and delivering surprising answers that may reorient how you think about your own health.From the broadest, cultural flaws that disabled our health system to particular, institutional issues, America's defenses fell due to racism and poverty, combined with a culture of misguided individualism that tore communities apart. We suffered from failed leadership and crippled public health agencies, and hospitals built to make money from services, not deliver health. But How Covid Crashed the System goes beyond analyzing those problems, providing hope for change and fundamental improvement in ways that will transform Americans' health. Covid's market disruption encouraged new technology that allows for remote health care. Integrated health organizations gained ground, working to manage clients' total wellness from cradle to grave. Covid also accelerated changes in medical education, to make doctor training more equitable and better aligned to the skills we need. And Covid forced employers to accept responsibility for their workers' health in a new way, making them partners in this new movement. Using systemic analysis of the Covid crash, the authors find reasons to hope. America's health care establishment resisted reform for decades, mired in waste and avoidable errors. Now, the pandemic crisis has exposed its flaws for all to see, creating the opportunities for systemic changes. Even without new laws or government policies, America is moving toward a transformed health system responsible for our wellness. How Covid Crashed the System tells that story.

How Covid Crashed the System: A Guide to Fixing American Health Care

Nash, David B.

Health, Fitness & Dieting

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

These are the stories of the people who made Anchorage over its first 100 years - the adventures, tragedies and triumphs behind the city's growth from railroad construction camp to northern metropolis and crossroads of commerce and culture. Richly illustrated with photographs provided through the generosity of the Alaska Dispatch News, the Anchorage Museum, and private collectors, From the Shores of Ship Creek celebrates the city's centennial with the energy and verve of the city itself.

From the Shores of Ship Creek: Stories of Alaska's First 100 Years

Todd Communications

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Wohlforth, Charles. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Wohlforth, Charles

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Wohlforth, Charles. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

The Fate of Nature: Rediscovering Our Ability to Rescue the Earth

The Fate of Nature: Rediscovering Our Ability to Rescue the Earth

Spectacular Alaska

Beyond Earth: Our Path to a New Home in the Planets

Beyond Earth: Our Path to a New Home in the Planets

The Whale and the Supercomputer: On the Northern Front of Climate Change

The Whale and the Supercomputer: On the Northern Front of Climate Change

Spectacular Alaska

How Covid Crashed the System: A Guide to Fixing American Health Care

From the Shores of Ship Creek: Stories of Alaska's First 100 Years