Overview

An inspiring call to action that links today’s climate crisis to Earth’s evolution throughout history. Our Time is a true story. Alasdair Skelton takes readers through time, from the formation of the Earth to the present day, reflecting on the finely tuned climate system and its elegant workings that have made it possible for living things to thrive on Earth for three-and-a-half billion years. Skelton explores what happened when Earth’s climate spiraled out of control and how it repaired itself time and time again, and as we plunge into our own chapter of time, he highlights our separation from nature as a root cause of the crisis in which we now find ourselves. Skelton tells this story as a geologist who was awoken to climate activism by the voices of his own students. He shares a perspective on the climate crisis as a blink of an eye amidst the enormity of time. Concluding with what will happen if we fail to act, and what will happen if we do act, Skelton compares alternative futures and explains how we can still choose a good one. Throughout, and without ever betraying scientific truth, Our Time navigates the narrow path from the inaction of denial and despair to the action of hope. This is a beautiful history of planet Earth and the role humans can play in its evolving climate story.

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Reviews

A remarkable account of the earth's long history and our very odd and dangerous moment in that story, from someone who has both the scientific credibility to tell the story, and the human courage to be doing something about it! -- Bill McKibben, author, “Here Comes the Sun” Professor Alasdair Skelton is a well-established Earth scientist gifted at explaining complex scientific concepts to the general public. In Our Time: Finding Hope in a Climate Crisis, Skelton masterfully explains the scientific basis for humans’ imprint on climate, the impacts of global warming, and a much-needed view of the hope we can have for the future. The author’s personal experiences of living in a warming world bring his message to a level we can all relate to. The book is well-grounded in scientific literature and clearly referenced, so the curious reader can explore concepts in more detail. It is a must-read for people from all walks of life. -- Todd A. Ehlers, professor and head of school, University of Glasgow For the first time since I began my journey as a climate justice activist in 2018, I find myself completely engulfed in a book about the climate crisis. For so long I have waited and longed for a book with a real story that is filled with the kind of storytelling we really, really need. The kind of storytelling that gives a perspective on time and our age on this Earth that makes me relate to and understand my surroundings in a completely new and so, so refreshing way. I can only say: read it! -- Andreas Magnusson, climate justice activist

Author Information

Alasdair Skelton is professor of geochemistry and petrology at Stockholm University. His academic works are on geology, earthquakes, tsunamis, climate of the past and the ongoing climate crisis. He was Director of the Bolin Centre for Climate Research for 9 years. He is also a climate activist. He lives in Sweden.

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