A Farewell to Ice: A Report from the Arctic by Peter Wadhams (review)

• Main Author: Kavvatha, Eleni
• Other Authors: USL-B - Centre de recherches en science politique (CReSPo)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Global Environmental Politics 2019
• Subjects: Arctic; Review; Ice; Climate change; Sea ice
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2078.3/221987

A Farewell to Ice is a fascinating book that addresses the issue of the retreat of the Arctic ice and its implications for our planet in a way that is engaging, scientific, and yet easy to follow and understand. Peter Wadhams is not only an experienced Arctic researcher but also an excellent storyteller who manages to shed light on ice's role in Earth's past, present, and future, while presenting the problem of sea ice retreat in its true dimensions. Wadhams uses a historical review of the formation and evolution of ice on Earth to argue that not only is the ice melting rapidly but also that it is imperative for people to take measures to address this problem without further delay. The Arctic is his main focus; the fate of the ice in the region is vital for the [End Page 132] world's climate and consequently for humanity. Each of the fourteen chapters of the book follows a different issue with the same purpose: to persuade the reader that it is essential that we take action at every possible level to address the climate crisis we have put ourselves in. The book begins with a thorough analysis of the process by which sea ice is formed, a discussion of the importance of summer melt in the Arctic, and an overview of the properties of sea ice. Its retreat is both due to and a cause of climate impacts. Though Wadhams documents his arguments with all kinds of scientific data, he manages to keep the nonscientific reader engaged by using simple examples, such as ice skating over a lake, to explain complex concepts. He also engagingly reflects on his personal experiences, including memories of Arctic expeditions, such as a captivating narrative of an incident in one of his transarctic voyages in a submarine. These elements transmit to the reader almost the whole spectrum of emotions a researcher can feel when working in extreme circumstances in the Arctic. The book answers such questions as why we have witnessed the effects of human-induced climate change in such an apparent way in the twentieth century and not earlier, ...