Life on a Little-Known Planet

Urgent and inspiring lessons from the front lines of the climate catastrophe – by one of our most important and influential environmental writers.

"Exceptional" — Times Literary Supplement

"A necessary voice on the environment" — Observer

"A clear-eyed, intimate portrait of the natural world" — New Yorker, Best Books of the Year

People say to me, 'Oh, this could take a hundred years.' And I say, 'Yeah, it could take a hundred years. What else are you doing?'

Climate change is the defining challenge of our age. Yet even as our planet breaks down around us, humankind is communing with nature like never before.

Here, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Elizabeth Kolbert takes us to the front lines of the climate catastrophe. We meet newly discovered species and the last members of others; witness the power of rewilding and conservation; and learn from the remarkable individuals steering us towards a better future. Through it all we are reminded of nature's abundant wonders, its fragility and resilience – and why we must act to save our incredible world, while we still can.

"To be a well-informed citizen of Planet Earth, you need to read Elizabeth Kolbert" — Rolling Stone

"An essential voice" — Helen Macdonald, author of H is for Hawk