No Immediate Danger: Volume One of Carbon Ideologies

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In his nonfiction, William T. Vollmann has established himself as a distinctive voice addressing critical issues, including poverty, violence, and the complexities of American imperialism at the U.S./Mexico border. He now confronts a pressing global concern: the human actions and factors contributing to climate change. Vollmann begins the first volume of Carbon Ideologies by analyzing the various causes of global warming, such as industrial manufacturing, agricultural practices, fossil fuel extraction, and the universal desire for comfort. He focuses initially on nuclear power, recounting his perilous seven-year journey to the contaminated no-go zones and ghost towns of Fukushima, Japan, following the 2011 tsunami and reactor meltdowns. Armed with a dosimeter and later a scintillation counter, he measured radiation levels while interviewing tsunami survivors, nuclear evacuees, anti-nuclear activists, and pro-nuclear utility workers. With his characteristic depth of knowledge, sardonic wit, and extensive research, Vollmann crafts a compelling and sobering narrative that reveals the ongoing crisis at Fukushima, challenging the comforting reassurances of official Japanese energy experts.