Anyone who has life insurance, health insurance, or fire insurance already understands the idea of preparing for a bad event you hope won’t happen, so I’m often surprised by how reluctant otherwise thoughtful people are to consider what they might do to make sure they and their loved ones are better prepared for an emergency. We had Katrina in New Orleans, we saw what happened in Japan after the Touhouku quake and tsunami in Japan, we just had Hurricane Sandy in the northeast, and there are countless other examples, some relatively small, some major, that provide ample proof that civilization and its protections and comforts aren’t things we ought to take for granted.

If you’re here today, you’re already sensibly concerned, and having read Mat’s book, I can guarantee you’re about to acquire valuable information that combined with your existing concern will make you better prepared.

Mark Hertsgaard is one of America’s veteran environmental journalists, a forceful voice for two decades. His important book, Earth Odyssey, was an early attempt to help Americans understand the underlying dynamics that would give rise to, say, the Chinese economic explosion, with its attendant environmental implications. His work in the Nation and elsewhere has been an essential part of the dialogue about climate change, the most pressing of our environmental issues.