Author: Mike Gunter Jr.

Publisher: SUNY Press

Published: 2017-11-21

Total Pages: 462

ISBN-13: 143846679X

Combining humor and memorable anecdotes, five famous ecotourist destinations offer a breathtaking backdrop to better understanding climate change. Crossing the far corners of the globe, Tales of an Ecotourist showcases travel, from the hot and humid Amazon jungle to the frozen but dry Antarctic, as a simple yet spellbinding lens to better understand the complex issue of climate change. At its core, climate change is an issue few truly understand, in large part due to its dizzying array of scientific, economic, cultural, social, and political variables. Using both keen humor and memorable anecdotes, while weaving respected scientific studies along the way, Mike Gunter Jr. transports the reader to five famous ecodestinations, from the Galapagos Islands to the Great Barrier Reef, revealing firsthand the increasing threats of climate change. Part travelogue, part current events exposé, with a healthy dose of history, ecology, and politics, these tales of ecoadventure tackle such obstacles head on while fleshing out much-needed personal context to perhaps society’s greatest threat of all. “Gunter takes us to the far corners of the globe to understand the lived experience of climate change. More than a travelogue, Tales of an Ecotourist explains how getting outside—out of our houses, immediate surroundings, and comfort zones—can awaken all of us to the realities and urgency of a warming world. This is a rich, beautifully written, and compelling book.” — Paul Wapner, author of Living Through the End of Nature: The Future of American Environmentalism “In Tales of an Ecotourist Mike Gunter Jr. takes you on a remarkable journey, both figuratively and literally, as he recounts his experiences visiting some of the most amazing places on our planet. As a genuine, true-to-principles ecotourist, he has an important lesson for us: If we are to veer from our current path of global environmental degradation, we will have to come to appreciate firsthand its remarkable wonder and beauty.” — Michael E. Mann, coauthor of The Madhouse Effect: How Climate Change Denial Is Threatening Our Planet, Destroying Our Politics, and Driving Us Crazy