Leading Environmental Activism Author and Journalist to Speak at Carleton

Bob Riess, a leading environmental activism writer, will present the convocation address “The Coming Storm” at 10:50 a.m. on April 25 at Carleton’s Skinner Memorial Chapel. A book signing will follow the convocation. The event is free and open to the public.

Reiss’ most recent book, “The Coming Storm,” discusses the unusual weather patterns and phenomena that have occurred since the 1980s and the belief of many scientists that these events foreshadow coming catastrophic weather changes. Focusing on global warming, Reiss describes the origins, politics and science behind the concept of global warming, detailing storms and weather patterns that could be a result of global warming.

To write “The Coming Storm,” Reiss traveled the world, talking to the scientists researching global warming, the politicians debating whether they should do anything about it, and to victims of the extreme weather that has marked the past decade—a college student killed in Nashville, a president in the Indian Ocean watching his capitol sink into the ocean and the Cook County coroner handling 750 dead during a recent heat wave.

At Carleton, Reiss will discuss his experiences in researching for “The Coming Storm” as well as the conclusions he drew from these travels, offering suggestions as to where this may all be headed.

Reiss is the author of several acclaimed novels and works of non-fiction. “The Last Spy” was a Washington Post Bestseller and 14th best-selling paperback nationally. Excerpts of his book “The Road to Extrema,” about the massive rainforest destruction in the Amazon, were finalists for the National Magazine Award. He has also covered stories in South Africa, Sudan, Australia, Hong Kong and Mexico.

Reiss is a former Chicago Tribune reporter who has also written for the Washington Post, Outside, Parade, Smithsonian, GQ and Rolling Stone. He has also served on the staff of the Bread Loaf Writers Conference and a consultant for the Rainforest Alliance.