WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLER

2022 IPPY AWARDS GOLD MEDALIST — SCIENCE

NATIONAL INDIE EXCELLENCE AWARDS FINALIST — POLITICAL

2021 WORLD MAGAZINE ACCESSIBLE SCIENCE BOOK OF THE YEAR — HONORABLE MENTION

InchUnsettled is a remarkable book—probably the best book on climate change for the intelligent layperson—that achieves the feat of conveying complex information clearly and in depth.Inch —Claremont Review of Books

“[Unsettled] is no polemic. It’s a plea for understanding how scientists extract clarity from complexity.” — Wall Street Journal

InchSurging sea levels are inundating the coasts.Inch

InchHurricanes and tornadoes are becoming fiercer and more frequent.Inch

InchClimate change will be an economic disaster.Inch

Youve heard all this presented as fact. But according to science, all of these statements are profoundly misleading.

When it comes to climate change, the media, politicians, and other prominent voices have declared that Inchthe science is settled.Inch In reality, the long game of telephone from research to reports to the popular media is corrupted by misunderstanding and misinformation. Core questions—about the way the climate is responding to our influence, and what the impacts will be—remain largely unanswered. The climate is changing, but the why and how arent as clear as youve probably been led to believe.

Now, one of Americas most distinguished scientists is clearing away the fog to explain what science really says (and doesnt say) about our changing climate. In Unsettled: What Climate Science Tells Us, What It Doesnt, and Why It Matters, Steven Koonin draws upon his decades of experience—including as a top science advisor to the Obama administration—to provide up-to-date insights and expert perspective free from political agendas.

Fascinating, clear-headed, and full of surprises, this book gives readers the tools to both understand the climate issue and be savvier consumers of science media in general. Koonin takes readers behind the headlines to the more nuanced science itself, showing us where it comes from and guiding us through the implications of the evidence. He dispels popular myths and unveils little-known truths: despite a dramatic rise in greenhouse gas emissions, global temperatures actually decreased from 1940 to 1970. Whats more, the models we use to predict the future arent able to accurately describe the climate of the past, suggesting they are deeply flawed.

Koonin also tackles societys response to a changing climate, using data-driven analysis to explain why many proposed InchsolutionsInch would be ineffective, and discussing how alternatives like adaptation and, if necessary, geoengineering will ensure humanity continues to prosper. Unsettled is a reality check buoyed by hope, offering the truth about climate science that you arent getting elsewhere—what we know, what we dont, and what it all means for our future.