Becoming Earth: How Our Planet Came to Life

Becoming Earth is a "Vivid. Eloquent. Beautiful" (WSJ) exploration of the interconnectedness of our living planet.

The notion of a living world is one of humanity’s oldest beliefs. Though once scorned by many scientists, the concept of Earth as a vast interconnected living system has gained acceptance in recent decades. Life not only adapts to its surroundings—it also shapes them in dramatic and enduring ways. Over billions of years, life transformed a lump of orbiting rock into our cosmic oasis, breathing oxygen into the atmosphere, concocting the modern oceans, and turning rock into fertile soil. Life is intertwined with Earth’s capacity to regulate its climate and maintain balance.

To reveal life’s profound influence on the planet, Jabr transports the reader to such extraordinary places as an observatory halfway between the treetops and clouds, an experimental nature reserve in Siberia, and a former gold mine nearly one mile underground. We learn how microbes may have played a role in forming the continents. We discover how plants help keep oxygen levels high enough to support complex life, but not so high that Earth becomes disastrously flammable. We see how termites, elephants, and other animals sculpt the planet’s landmasses; how kelp forests and coral reefs store carbon and buffer ocean acidity; and how bacteria change the weather.

Humans are one of the most extreme examples of life changing Earth. Through fossil fuel consumption, agriculture, and pollution, humans have radically altered more aspects of the planet in less time than any other species, pushing Earth into a crisis. But we are also in a unique position to understand and protect the planet’s wondrous ecology and self-stabilizing processes. Jabr introduces us to a diverse cast of fascinating characters doing exactly that. Through compelling narrative, evocative descriptions, and lucid explanations, he shows us how Earth became the world we’ve known, how it is rapidly becoming a very different world, and how we will determine what kind of Earth our descendants inherit for millennia to come.

Story Locale: Amazon rainforest, Kamilo Beach, Hawai'i, Kelp Forests off of ,Californian coast, Caves of South Dakota, Siberian steppes, Portland garden

“A glorious paean to our living world.”—Ed Yong, Pulitzer Prize winner and bestselling author of An Immense World

“Infectiously poetic . . . The way he revels in the wonder of this world is exhilarating. . . . The overall uplifting outlook that he imparts is sure to reenergize even the most hardened climate pessimist. An absolutely delightful read.”—Science

“Wide-ranging and thought-provoking . . . The best books manage to entertain, educate, astonish and even galvanize the reader. . . . They expand awareness [and] serve as celebrations and warnings, challenges and pleas. . . . With Becoming Earth, Oregon-based journalist Ferris Jabr achieves all of these aims and more.”—The Guardian

Ferris Jabr is a contributing writer for The New York Times Magazine. He has also written for The New Yorker, Harper's, The Atlantic, National Geographic, and Scientific American. He is the recipient of a Whiting Foundation Creative Nonfiction Grant and fellowships from UC Berkeley and MIT. His work has been anthologized in several editions of Best American Science and Nature Writing. Ferris Jabr lives in Portland, Oregon, with his husband, Ryan, their dog, Jack, and more plants than they can count.

Author Residence: Portland, Oregon

Author Hometown: California