Fragility

Over the course of Under a White Sky, Kolbert illustrates the fragility of the natural world by exploring little-known regions and species. In "Down the River," Kolbert's examinations of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, the invasive Asian carp, and the Plaquemines Parish provide throughways into her conversation. In "Into the Wild," Kolbert's travels to Devils Hole and studies of the pupfish further illustrate the fragility of the natural world. In "Up in the Air," Kolbert's research regarding atmospheric and climatic changes over the course of recent decades illustrate the ways in which human culture and advancement has compromised every facet of the environment. These rich and diverse examples grant Kolbert, and the reader along with her, a network of avenues for discovery.

Throughout the text, Kolbert explores the ways in which human civilization has incidentally destroyed the planet, thus begetting impossible conundrums for twenty-first century populations. In...