The Response

This fascinating and gripping book has the power to open our eyes and shift our thinking in ways that few others can. By revealing the devastating personal stories of families who have lost what they most love due to disasters triggered by the UK's changing climate, Shukman jolts us into realising that the future we have feared is already with us - and how shockingly ill-prepared we are as a nation to face it. A master of exquisite storytelling, he brings a journalist's life-long determination to get to the root of what has gone wrong. Read on and get ready. -- Kate Raworth, author of DOUGHNUT ECONOMICS David Shukman is a master storyteller on science and the environment. He handles these issues deftly and accessibly; this is such an important book. -- Jon Sopel A vital wake-up call for a world already on the frontlines. This is climate change stripped of rhetoric and abstraction, delivered at the painful ground level. -- Christiana Figueres While I saw the fragile beauty of our planet from space, David Shukman reveals how incredibly vulnerable we are on the ground. Brilliantly researched and compellingly told, this is a powerful book that exposes the surprising and shocking climate risks that we all face and shows how acting now can help to protect us. -- Tim Peake The opportunity for humanity to do something beneficial, not just for ourselves, but for all life on this planet is present and inspiring. Is this actually the reason why we are on this divine planet at this time? Is this our moment as a species? David's book gives you a resounding answer, yes. -- Mark Rylance A gripping, forensic account of how climate extremes are no longer future threats but present-day shocks to Britain’s infrastructure and daily life. David Shukman combines frontline reporting with crystal clear analysis to show how heat, fire and flood expose the fragile seams of a modern nation. An urgent wake-up call about the need to prepare in an age when ‘unthinkable' events are already here. -- Peter Frankopan