Losing Earth: A Recent History

Rich documents the decade between 1979 and 1989 when the science was clear, the political will almost gathered, and the decision was made — by industry, by the Bush administration — not to act. Every subsequent year of climate inaction has its origin in those ten years. The book is a tragedy in the classical sense: we knew, we could have acted, we chose not to. The choice was made by specific people with names.