A Hole in the Wind

April 24, 2017
In 2011, Goodrich, retired head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Observation and Monitoring Program, traded his office chair for a bike seat and set off cross-country seeking a more personal look at the questions that occupied his science career: whether climate change is man-made and what can be done about it. He quotes Jane Goodall: “The only way I’ve found to change people’s minds is to tell them stories.” His cycle tales—gleaned from pedaling over 4,500 miles through gas-drilling Pennsylvania, tornado-prone Missouri, drought-ridden Kansas, and wildfire-choked Montana—aim to convince people that the planet is in danger. But Goodrich finds that it’s a hard sell in many places. He peppers his narrative with historical anecdotes, environmental science asides, and lots of travel details. The result is quaint but not earthshaking. Too often, the chapters read like a travelogue of where he ate and slept. His most interesting observation is that small-town America has its head in the sand regarding climate change. Across the country he discovers that “you could talk about the weather, but not the climate.” Had Goodrich pumped his subject as willfully as his pedals, this may have become a more meaningful book. Maps & photos. Agent: John Silbersack, Trident Media.

May 15, 2017
Climate scientist Goodrich chronicles his cycling journey across the United States.Throughout his travels, the author compared how people are experiencing, and discussing, changes in the weather with what he has learned about climate change during his scientific career. Goodrich was director of the U.N. Global Climate Observing System in Geneva and also served as the head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Climate Observations and Monitoring Program. Beginning in Delaware, the author cycled 4,200 miles around the country, and his narrative serves as a unique profile of the U.S. and its people. He writes of particular cases in which, season to season--and even day to day--changes in the weather indicate longer-term consequences for the overall climate. His conversations with fellow scientists and others--e.g., Annie Larsen, a biologist at Delaware's Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge--give fascinating insight into how the process is perceived. Though the details differ with topographic and climatological zones, the overall problems remain the same, whether it's the growing dead zone at the bottom of the Chesapeake Bay, bigger, more dangerous tornadoes in the Midwest (which the author encountered), pine beetle infestation in the Rockies, or the shrinking winter snow pack in the Bitterroot Mountains. Throughout the narrative, Goodrich smoothly interweaves the stories of the people he met and the places he visited, and he is clear about how the many dangers he faced during his journey were offset by the hospitality he discovered. Native American history provides a further dimension to the story, and the author also provides helpful explanations of how climate scientists work and develop their data. This cyclist's view of how things really are effectively cuts across head-butting arguments about global warming. A compelling narrative enlivened as much by the author's encounters on the road as by his skillful unfolding of scientific knowledge.

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May 15, 2017

Trans-American travelogs have become a genre in themselves, describing the natural beauty and the social makeup of the United States. Goodrich, who worked at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and served as director of the UN Global Climate Observing System, intended his 2011 journey to be an opportunity to observe evidence of climate change and speak with small-town Americans about the topic. Unfortunately, most would "talk about the weather, but not the climate" and dismissed examples of climate change as local or temporary phenomena. The majority of Goodrich's formal interactions were with school or college groups, and many were as curious about the logistics of his bike trip as his environmental message. He notes global warming-related effects such as sea-level rise, increased wildfires, extreme weather events, drought, and animal habitat shift or loss. The final chapter addresses head-on the question of whether there is still time to stop or reverse global warming, with well-reasoned arguments from a lifelong climatologist. For those interested in an ecowarrior, activist approach, Rob Greenfield's Dude Making a Difference may be a complementary choice. VERDICT A diverting memoir for long-distance bikers and hikers. This title may be more effective at educating about climate change than chronicling the author's trip, making it an alluring option for those who want to learn about global warming as well.--Wade M. Lee, Univ. of Toledo Lib.

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