Life on a Little-Known Planet: Dispatches from a Changing World

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