The Heat Will Kill You First

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New York Times best-selling journalist Jeff Goodell presents a "masterful, bracing" examination of the impact of rising temperatures on our lives and the planet, offering crucial insights on our future, preparation, and the stakes of inaction. Heat, an invisible threat, is reshaping our environment—wildfires are now seasonal in California, winters in the Northeast are snowless, and polar ice sheets are melting rapidly. It drives all other climate crisis impacts, revealing deep fault lines in our governments, politics, economy, and values. The science is clear: halting fossil fuel use immediately would stop temperature rise, but delaying action will make parts of the planet uninhabitable. The book explores the extreme changes already underway, such as earlier springs and later falls, affecting everything from food supply to disease outbreaks. Goodell illustrates how typical summer temperatures in cities like Chicago or Boston could soar from 90°F to 110°F, with heatwaves increasingly impacting vulnerable populations. However, as these events become more intense and frequent, their effects will be felt more broadly. With decades of experience in environmental journalism, Goodell's provocative work combines scientific insights and compelling storytelling, addressing how extreme heat is a force we have yet to fully comprehend.