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Events Calendar
Sep
15
Kieran Mulvaney, author of Arctic Passages: Ice, Exploration, and the Battle for Power at the Top of the World
Monday, September 15
6:30 pm
Location: Shorewood Village Center
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In conjunction with Boswell Book Company and University School of Milwaukee, Shorewood Public Library presents an evening with wilderness journalist Kieran Mulvaney, author of Arctic Passages, a unique book about climate change and the Arctic which ties together past, present, and future to explore how historical fancies of a navigable Arctic are becoming future realities.
Almost two centuries after British explorer Sir John Franklin and his men died amid paralyzing cold and ice in pursuit of the mythical Northwest Passage, the Arctic, in response to temperatures greater than at any time in the last ten thousand years, is melting at an alarming pace. Instead of heeding this clear sign that the world must reduce greenhouse gas emissions to prevent runaway warming, countries such as the United States, Russia, China, and Canada are instead racing to control newly ice-free waters and the riches in the seabed below. But by choosing short-term self-interest over cooperative action, they may be condemning the world to an uninhabitable future.
Mulvaney's work speaks to those fascinated by the potent intertwining of environmental and geopolitical issues. Ultimately, the fate of the Arctic will not be decided in the Arctic, but by the rest of the world and how it decides to take action - if it’s not too late. This event is free to attend. Books will be available for sale.
Kieran Mulvaney is author of books including The Great White Bear, The Whaling Season, and At the Ends of the Earth. He's written for National Geographic, Washington Post Magazine, BBC Wildlife, and several other publications. Born in England, he spent several years living in a cabin in Alaska and visits the Arctic and subarctic regularly.