Ever Green: Saving Big Forests to Save the Planet

One ofÊKirkus Review's Best Nonfiction Books of 2022

Clear, provocative, and persuasive, Ever Green is an inspiring call to action to conserve EarthÕs irreplaceable wild woods, counteract climate change, and save the planet.

Five stunningly large forests remain on Earth: the Taiga, extending from the Pacific Ocean across all of Russia and far-northern Europe; the North American boreal, ranging from AlaskaÕs Bering seacoast to CanadaÕs Atlantic shore; the Amazon, covering almost the entirety of South AmericaÕs bulge; the Congo, occupying parts of six nations in AfricaÕs wet equatorial middle; and the island forest of New Guinea, twice the size of California.

These megaforests are vital to preserving global biodiversity, thousands of cultures, and a stable climate, as economist John W. Reid and celebrated biologist Thomas E. Lovejoy argue convincingly in Ever Green. Megaforests serve an essential role in decarbonizing the atmosphere_the boreal alone holds 1.8 trillion metric tons of carbon in its deep soils and peat layers, 190 yearsÕ worth of global emissions at 2019 levels_and saving them is the most immediate and affordable large-scale solution to our planetÕs most formidable ongoing crisis.

Reid and Lovejoy offer practical solutions to address the biggest challenges these forests face, from vastly expanding protected areas, to supporting Indigenous forest stewards, to planning smarter road networks. In gorgeous prose that evokes the majesty of these ancient forests along with the people and animals who inhabit them, Reid and Lovejoy take us on an exhilarating global journey.

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