Climate Crossroads: Action and Reckoning in the American South
by John M. Dunn
How communities across the US South are fighting to save their home from the effects of environmental change
Rising seas, extreme heat, fragile infrastructure, and long-standing social inequities make the American South particularly susceptible to the hazards of climate change and weather events. Climate Crossroads reveals how environmental factors are reshaping the South’s landscape, politics, and identity—and how the region’s history magnifies every storm, flood, and heat wave. This book asks a pressing question about the future of the region: How can communities facing the greatest climate risks fight to protect their home?
Drawing from on-the-ground investigations from Texas to Florida and the Carolinas, John Dunn highlights the South’s climate challenges, including threatened coastlines, accelerated population growth in cities struggling to adapt, and marginalized communities bearing some of the greatest environmental burdens. Dunn introduces the variety of groups working toward climate justice, including grassroots activists organizing to reduce their carbon footprint; local governments exploring resilience plans and rethinking land use and zoning; and federal legislators promoting national initiatives like the Green New Deal. He also profiles powerful counterforces working to block reform.
This book offers a sweeping look at how Southerners are reckoning with both a rapidly changing climate and the social and racial legacies that make its impacts so severe. It shows why the South stands at a decisive turning point—and why its choices about justice, adaptation, and resilience will shape America’s trajectory for decades to come. Despite ongoing headwinds, Climate Crossroads affirms that community-based activism gives reason for hope.
- “Climate Crossroads tackles tough, timely subject matter with aplomb. This is a fascinating story that is rife with historical fact and a smart, well-informed analysis of our current environmental problems and their potential solutions.”—Ayurella Horn-Muller, author of Devoured: The Extraordinary Story of Kudzu, the Vine That Ate the South
- “From the drowning coastlines of Louisiana to the sweltering streets of Houston, the American South stands at the front lines of the climate crisis. In this sweeping and deeply reported work, John Dunn reveals why the region that built America’s economic engine may also be the first to bear its catastrophic consequences—and why what the South does, or fails to do, will determine the nation’s future.”—Dale Finley Slongwhite, author of Fed Up: The High Costs of Cheap Food
- “This book is a fascinating historical blueprint, documenting the roots and progression of climate change with a focus on the American South. A must read for all in the Southland and beyond.”—John Cassani, Calusa Waterkeeper Emeritus
- “Presented in a readable and engaging style, Climate Crossroads provides a thorough but concise history of racial and economic injustice in the South. This book excels in its use of anecdotes to illustrate the devastating effects of climate change on Southern communities.”—Joseph Winters, science writer.
- Rising seas, extreme heat, fragile infrastructure, and long-standing social inequities make the American South particularly susceptible to the hazards of climate change and weather events. Climate Crossroads reveals how environmental factors are reshaping the South’s landscape, politics, and identity—and how the region’s history magnifies every storm, flood, and heat wave. This book asks a pressing question about the future of the region: How can communities facing the greatest climate risks fight to protect their home?
- Drawing from on-the-ground investigations from Texas to Florida and the Carolinas, John Dunn highlights the South’s climate challenges, including threatened coastlines, accelerated population growth in cities struggling to adapt, and marginalized communities bearing some of the greatest environmental burdens. Dunn introduces the variety of groups working toward climate justice, including grassroots activists organizing to reduce their carbon footprint; local governments exploring resilience plans and rethinking land use and zoning; and federal legislators promoting national initiatives like the Green New Deal. He also profiles powerful counterforces working to block reform.
- This book offers a sweeping look at how Southerners are reckoning with both a rapidly changing climate and the social and racial legacies that make its impacts so severe. It shows why the South stands at a decisive turning point—and why its choices about justice, adaptation, and resilience will shape America’s trajectory for decades to come. Despite ongoing headwinds, Climate Crossroads affirms that community-based activism gives reason for hope.
- John M. Dunn is a journalist, educator, and environmental advocate. He is the author of several books, including Drying Up: The Freshwater Crisis in Florida, winner of the Florida Historical Society Stetson Kennedy Award and the Florida Book Awards Bronze Medal for Florida Nonfiction.
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- https://floridapress.org/9780813081694/climate-crossroads/
