Explores how "anti-science" became so virulent in American life through a history of climate denial and its consequences. - (Baker & Taylor)

Starring heroes, villains, pioneers and con artists, this dramatic narrative of the long, strange march of climate science masterfully traces the evolution of climate denial, which grew out of early efforts to build a network of untruth about products like aspirin and cigarettes. - (Baker & Taylor)

In 1956, the New York Times prophesied that once global warming really kicked in, we could see parrots in the Antarctic. In 2010, when science deniers had control of the climate story, Senator James Inhofe and his family built an igloo on the Washington Mall and plunked a sign on top: AL GORE'S NEW HOME: HONK IF YOU LOVE CLIMATE CHANGE. In The Parrot and the Igloo, best-selling author David Lipsky tells the astonishing story of how we moved from one extreme (the correct one) to the other.

With narrative sweep and a superb eye for character, Lipsky unfolds the dramatic narrative of the long, strange march of climate science. The story begins with a tale of three inventors—Thomas Edison, George Westinghouse, and Nikola Tesla—who made our technological world, not knowing what they had set into motion. Then there are the scientists who sounded the alarm once they identified carbon dioxide as the culprit of our warming planet. And we meet the hucksters, zealots, and crackpots who lied about that science and misled the public in ever more outrageous ways. Lipsky masterfully traces the evolution of climate denial, exposing how it grew out of early efforts to build a network of untruth about products like aspirin and cigarettes.

Featuring an indelible cast of heroes and villains, mavericks and swindlers, The Parrot and the Igloo delivers a real-life tragicomedy—one that captures the extraordinary dance of science, money, and the American character.

A New York Times Editors' Choice • A New Yorker and Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2023 • A Goodreads Most Anticipated Book of 2023 • A USA Today Must-Read Summer Book • A Next Big Idea Must-Read Book • A Library Journal What To Read In 2023 Book

The New York Times best-selling author explores how “anti-science” became so virulent in American life—through a history of climate denial and its consequences. - (WW Norton)

Booklist Reviews

This tome by award-winning author Lipsky takes the reader on a journey through the evolution of climate-change denial—including how cancer-denial strategies and lobbying by tobacco companies paved the way for its brand of scientific obfuscation—and how it has prevented legislative action. Lipsky covers the science of climate change itself, starting with the discovery of the greenhouse effect in 1824. In 1956, scientist Roger Revelle wrote a piece for Time magazine that confirmed that burning fossil fuel increases carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and the results over time cause climate change. Sadly, even in 1965, the Washington Post postulated why no action on climate change would occur when it stated that it is not owing to lack of knowledge but inability to turn knowledge into effective public action." The major deniers would ultimately fall by the wayside, but the lack of response persists. With the amount of research that went into this book, this can be considered the historical record to date on climate action and inaction. Copyright 2023 Booklist Reviews.

Library Journal Reviews

A National Magazine Award—winning, New York Times best-selling author, Lipsky explains how antiscience sentiment became so strong in the United States by focusing on climate change denial. He lays bare the science of climate change, understood decades ago, then shows how fake news about products like aspirin created the tools for denier ideas to take hold.