Author / Journalist
I'm an independent journalist and author of “Over the Seawall: Tsunamis, Cyclones, Drought, and the Delusion of Controlling Nature,” which will be published by Island Press on Halloween of 2023. The book travels the world investigating solutions to environmental disaster that were once deemed too smart and too big to fail. My goal was to understand what scientists call maladaptation—adaptations that backfire, often tragically. As people around the world race to prepare for the impacts of climate change, "Over the Seawall" tells the stories behind the unintended consequences of three techno-infrastructural solutions: seawalls built to protect Japan from tsunamis, a centuries-long effort to remake the Ganges River delta in Bengal, and the artificial ribbon of water that tethers a metropolis in the Arizona desert to the Colorado River. I explored engineering marvels and distant lands and cultures, seeking out locals and experts to better understand how complicated, grandiose schemes led to failure. Along the way, I unearthed harrowing stories of personal loss, alarming scientific omissions, blatant political corruption, the lasting imprint of colonialism, and even some unlikely reasons for optimism.
As an independent journalist, I've covered climate change, environmental conservation, adaptation, and agriculture for magazines including National Geographic, The Washington Post, The Guardian, Discover Magazine, and Audubon. I was a Ted Scripps Fellow at the University of Colorado's Center for Environmental Journalism and a senior editor at YES! Magazine.