The Parrot and the Igloo: Climate and the Science of Denial

David Lipsky

Jul 2023 · Highbridge Audio · Narrated by Mike Chamberlain

About this audiobook

In 1956, the New York Times prophesied that once global warming really kicked in, we could see parrots in the Antarctic. In 2010, when science deniers had control of the climate story, Senator James Inhofe and his family built an igloo on the Washington Mall and plunked a sign on top: AL GORE'S NEW HOME: HONK IF YOU LOVE CLIMATE CHANGE. In The Parrot and the Igloo, bestselling author David Lipsky tells the astonishing story of how we moved from one extreme (the correct one) to the other.



The story begins with a tale of three inventors—Thomas Edison, George Westinghouse, and Nikola Tesla—who made our technological world, not knowing what they had set into motion. Then there are the scientists who sounded the alarm once they identified carbon dioxide as the culprit of our warming planet. And we meet the hucksters, zealots, and crackpots who lied about that science and misled the public in ever more outrageous ways. Lipsky masterfully traces the evolution of climate denial, exposing how it grew out of early efforts to build a network of untruth about products like aspirin and cigarettes.



Featuring an indelible cast of heroes and villains, mavericks and swindlers, The Parrot and the Igloo delivers a real-life tragicomedy—one that captures the extraordinary dance of science, money, and the American character.

About the author

David Lipsky was born in New York City on July 20, 1965. He received a B.A. from Brown University in 1987 and an M.A. in creative writing from Johns Hopkins University. He is a contributing editor at Rolling Stone Magazine. His work has also appeared in numerous publications including The New Yorker, Harper's Magazine, The Best American Short Stories, The Best American Magazine Writing, The New York Times, and The New York Times Book Review. He contributes as an essayist to NPR's All Things Considered and teaches creative writing at the M.F.A. program at New York University. His books include The Art Fair, Three Thousand Dollars, and Absolutely American.