Life on a Little-Known Planet

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Brought to you by Penguin.

Elizabeth Kolbert, one of our most influential writers on the environment and author of the iconic The Sixth Extinction, brings together her most urgent reporting and inspiring lessons from the frontlines of the climate catastrophe.

From Greenland’s melting ice sheets to New Zealand’s protected mountaintops, we join Kolbert on the road as she travels to the places most dramatically affected by climate change – revealing a world which is both dangerously fragile and remarkably resilient.

We encounter newly discovered species and meet the last surviving members of others, witness the power of rewilding up close and are reminded of the abounding wonders of our natural world. Along the way we also meet countless brilliant individuals who are steering us towards a better future: scientists harnessing AI to commune with whales; activists successfully lobbying for the rights of nature; and ordinary people making extraordinary moves, such as the Samsø islanders leading completely carbon-neutral lives.

The natural world is changing profoundly, and the threats to our planet are only growing more serious. Now is the time to deepen our understanding of this incredible world we are in danger of losing – and to act, while we still can.

‘To be a well-informed citizen of Planet Earth, you need to read Elizabeth Kolbert’ ROLLING STONE

‘One the great science journalists ... An essential voice’ HELEN MACDONALD

'No one rivals Kolbert's ability to write deeply, empathetically and engagingly about mankind's relationship with the physical world' CHRIS GOODALL

'Kolbert's writing illuminates the world's complexities in vivid colour: no one contextualises the natural world better than she does' HARRIET RIX

'There is no better way to understand our changing world than through Elizabeth Kolbert' CHRIS FITCH

© Elizabeth Kolbert 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

Critics Review

An intimate portrait of the natural world ... With clear-eyed urgency and a measure of tenderness, Kolbert chronicles the lives of people trying to hold on to what's slipping away
New Yorker, Best Books of the Year 2025
No one rivals Kolbert’s ability to write deeply, empathetically and engagingly about mankind’s relationship with the physical world ... She brings curiosity and persistence to the most important issues facing humankind
Chris Goodall, author of What We Need to Do Now
Elizabeth Kolbert's writing illuminates the world's complexities in vivid colour. No one contextualises the natural world better than she does, and no one is able to describe its many facets better than her
Harriet Rix, author of The Genius of Trees
There is surely no better way to understand our changing world than through the uniquely engaging perspectives provided by Elizabeth Kolbert. Joining her on this round-the-world voyage to some of the most incredible places on Earth is a treat ... Immensely sobering yet also inspiring
Chris Fitch, author of Wild Cities
Kolbert is one of our most important and lucid voices on climate change, and she’s been ringing the bell for longer than most. This book ... will be essential
Literary Hub
Kolbert gracefully balances a realistic awareness of losses brought about by human activity -particularly by the use of fossil fuels - with a sense of wonder at just how much there is still to learn about this ‘little-known planet’ and admiration for those who quixotically explore and attempt to heal it. ... Despair and hope dance together [in these] thought-provoking speculations about a world on the edge of violent change
Kirkus Review, starred review
Kolbert brings every creature, place, person, fact, and issue to scintillating life in these deft, engaging, lucid, and thought-provoking dispatches covering 20 years of her world travels during epic planetary changes. ... Kolbert resolutely and brilliantly alerts us to how little we know about our precious planet, how much harm we do, and how we must and can do better
Booklist

PRAISE FOR ELIZABETH KOLBERT'S PREVIOUS BOOKS

One of the great science journalists, Kolbert has for many years been an essential voice, a reporter from the front lines of the environmental crisis ... Important, necessary, urgent and phenomenally interesting

New York Times
A meticulously researched and deftly crafted work of journalism that explores some of the biggest challenges of our age
Guardian
A wonderful book
Barack Obama

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