Wednesday, August 18, 2010

The Flooded Earth

by Peter D. Ward

Art Director: Nicole Caputo // Basic Books

Renowned paleontologist Peter Ward tells why the effects of sea-level rise from global warming will be more profound than you think—and how humanity will adapt.

Sea level rise will happen no matter what we do. Even if we stopped all carbon dioxide emissions today, the seas would rise one meter by 2050 and three meters by 2100. This--not drought, species extinction, or excessive heat waves--will be the most catastrophic effect of global warming. And it won't simply redraw our coastlines--agriculture, electrical and fiber optic systems, and shipping will be changed forever. As icebound regions melt, new sources of oil, gas, minerals, and arable land will be revealed, as will fierce geopolitical battles over who owns the rights to them.
In "The Flooded Earth," species extinction expert Peter Ward describes in intricate detail what our world will look like in 2050, 2100, 2300, and beyond--a blueprint for a foreseeable future. Ward also explains what politicians and policymakers around the world should be doing now to head off the worst consequences of an inevitable transformation.

I originally designed this with just the Manhattan skyline under water but I was asked to adapt the concept to put across that this is a Global event. So I included San Francisco's Transamerica building and Paris' Eiffel Tower. I like it, although the final kinda looks like Las Vegas is under water.

Various comps:

As you can see, the shocking twist ending written by Rod Serling for the Planet of the Apes left a big impression on me growing up: