Glacial

The Inside Story of Climate Politics

By: Chelsea Henderson

Narrated by: Sarah Welborn

From mavericks to party standard-bearers, United States Senators, members of the House of Representatives, and presidential candidates have campaigned for four decades espousing their intentions to address the impacts of climate change.

Glacial: The Inside Story of Climate Politics is the first Inside-the-Beltway account to lay bare the machinations of what went wrong in Washington-how and why our leaders failed to act on climate change as mounting scientific evidence underscored the urgency to do so. Glacial tells a story of behind-the-scenes infighting and power struggles that blocked or derailed federal legislative progress on climate change, even in times of bipartisanship and with polls showing most Americans favored action.

The good news today is that public opinion is at its highest level of support for climate action, from corporate boardrooms embracing sustainability for business reasons to movements led by passionate younger generations who can't afford to stand mute because it is they who will inherit the worst environmental catastrophes. If the missed opportunities in Washington are instructive, the path to doing so is clear. Our elected officials must use their offices not solely for the power and prestige it bestows upon them personally, but for the public good-and they must do so while there is still time.

©2024 Stephen Dando-Collins (P)2024 Tantor

Anyone demanding climate action should read or listen

Chelsea Henderson masterfully summarizes the last six decades of US climate politics. She uses a well-balanced combination of events, key players, political calculus, climate science, and memorable anecdotes to explain the current political reality of climate action - and where it likely goes from here. If you care about climate action, this book is both sobering and hopeful, carefully analyzing the political mistakes of the past while providing a winning playbook for the future.