Under a White Sky: 8 key ideas
The core ideas of Under a White Sky, each in under a minute, written in our own words. Want the full depth? Get the book.
- IDEA 1 OF 8
We fix nature with more control
Kolbert argues that humans now try to solve environmental problems caused by earlier interventions by intervening again.
Each fix, she shows, often creates new problems. In her view, this pattern makes it hard to simply step back and let nature heal.
- IDEA 2 OF 8
Rivers were reversed and invaded
Kolbert describes how Chicago reversed the flow of its river, linking two great water systems.
Now officials use electric barriers to keep invasive carp from spreading. The story shows how fixing one problem can create another.
- IDEA 3 OF 8
A tiny fish needs human help
Kolbert describes the Devils Hole pupfish, which lives in a single desert pool.
Scientists have built a copy of its pool to keep the species alive. It shows how some species now survive only because people look after them.
- IDEA 4 OF 8
A coast is washing away
Kolbert describes how levees and canals in Louisiana stopped the Mississippi from rebuilding land with mud.
Now the coast is disappearing, and engineers try to divert the river. Controlling the river for people's safety had a hidden cost.
- IDEA 5 OF 8
Scientists breed tougher corals
Kolbert describes researchers trying to breed corals that can survive warmer seas.
They hope to help reefs adapt faster than nature alone could. The idea is to give corals a better chance of surviving as oceans warm.
- IDEA 6 OF 8
Genes can be spread deliberately
Kolbert describes gene drives, which could spread a chosen gene through a whole population.
They might wipe out invasive pests, but raise serious risks. Because they spread on their own, such changes would be very hard to undo.
- IDEA 7 OF 8
Carbon could be pulled from air
Kolbert describes efforts to capture carbon dioxide from the air and store it underground.
She explores whether this could be done at a large enough scale. It would be a huge task, because the amount of gas involved is so great.
- IDEA 8 OF 8
The sky might be dimmed
Kolbert describes solar geoengineering, spraying particles into the upper air to reflect sunlight and cool Earth.
It might make the sky look whiter, which gives the book its title. Kolbert notes that it carries big risks and unknowns.
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