As soon as I returned from Belgrade with fifty copies of my new book on climate change and what is to be done about it, I sent it to many people. Among them are the editors of all the newspapers repeatedly commented upon in the book. In particular, packages went to John Micklethwait of The Economist, Dean Baquet of The New York Times, Lionel Barber of the Financial Times, Gerard Baker of The Wall Street Journal, Pete Clifton of The Guardian, Amol Rajan of The Independent, Wolfgang Buchner of Der Spiegel Online, and Jason Pontin of the MIT Technology Review. Having introduced myself and having said a few things about the book and its publisher, I put forward my most modest plea:

I am not looking for an agreeable review, it goes without saying. All I would appreciate is a timely discussion of things to come. If my book helps in the process, I would be more than content with its fate.

I concluded the letter with thanks for the editors’ attention to the book, and I added that I was looking forward to seeing it reviewed in their pages. Tomorrow will be two weeks since the packages went out. I would assume that they have already reached all the European newspapers, and that they will reach the American ones sometime next week. So, what are the chances that any one of the newspapers will pay any attention to my plea? They are pretty close to zilch, of course. And yet, I am kind of hopeful. Why? The only answer that comes to my mind is hardly surprising: in spite of my many disappointments with the human species up to this stage of its evolution, I still believe that it will eventually evolve to the point of presiding over its own fate. And what is even a million years in the case of such a lofty ideal?

Addendum I (December 6, 2014)

This morning I wrote to all the good editors once again, albeit by electronic mail. For good measure, I sent them a file with all the letters to the editors sent a month ago, as well as a Portable Document File or PDF of the book itself. Some of them will perhaps find it easier to handle. It is especially useful for searches. At any rate, I reminded them all of the importance of the subject treated in the book. Among other things, I wrote the following:

Disaster management is our only option at this stage, but a number of other things can be done before it is too late. For instance, how best to preserve the accumulated knowledge? And how best to preserve the “seeds” of so many species that will disappear soon? The sooner such questions are addressed, the better.

I also reminded them that my book is dedicated to James Lovelock, whose ideas I extend by thinking through the socio-economic repercussions of the impending catastrophe. In the end, I pointed out that the book offers a happy end of sorts, but that the road back to prehistory will surely be arduous. So, to repeat my question, what are the chances that any one of the newspapers will pay any attention to my plea? This time around, they are even closer to zilch. But I have done my best to alert my fellow humans of what is to come. My most modest plea is my last.

Addendum II (January 7, 2015)

Have any of the newspapers paid any attention to my most modest plea, though? As expected, they have not. No-one close to the mighty editors has even sent me a few words of thanks, no matter how brief and superficial. Although the chances of such a miracle were close to zilch from the start, I did try my luck one more time. The last time, I keep promising myself. But I still caught myself penning yet another letter to the good editors earlier today. And here is the key paragraph in full:

I wish you and your newspaper all the good fortune, while it lasts. As the future becomes ever murkier, your readers will need all the entertainment you can think of. But it would be good if you started working on your last issue, just in case. This is where your best talent should go. Just for fun, you should dedicate an entire page to disaster management, which your readers would appreciate in due time. The best format for it would be a cartoon, I reckon. The funnier, the better.

Luckily, I stopped myself before I completed the letter. Chances are no-one would even look at it, anyway. John Micklethwait, Dean Baquet, Lionel Barber, Gerard Baker, Pete Clifton, Amol Rajan, Worlfgang Buchner, and Jason Pontin do not have any time for silly jokes like mine. Which is why I will leave them in peace from now on. But the idea of the last issue still strikes me as a very good one. The cartoon dedicated to disaster management is a smashing idea, too. Alas, time’s up!