The Octopus in the Parking Garage: A Call for Climate Resilience
Advanced Praise
"We are past the point where anything we do will stop climate change cold. It's coming and it's bringing with it everything from sea-level rise to more instances of animal viruses infecting humans. We need to focus on how we prepare for the change, minimize the damage, and recover from extreme events. Rob Verchick has given us both a tour of and a tour-de-force on the subject. Ranging from comparative anatomy to anthropology, history, philosophy, engineering, and politics, it's fascinating, provocative--and important."
–JOHN M. BARRY, author of The Great Influenza; The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History and Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How It Changed America.
–JOHN M. BARRY, author of The Great Influenza; The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History and Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How It Changed America.
"The Octopus in the Parking Garage is a very important addition to the canon of climate literature—thinking ahead even further out, investigating the colossal mess we'll have on our hands even after we've stopped the rise in atmospheric CO2."
–PO BRONSON, author of Decoding the World and NurtureShock
–PO BRONSON, author of Decoding the World and NurtureShock
“Rob Verchick reminds us that we must have a comprehensive response to climate change, focusing our attention and resources first on those who will be most affected and least able to deal with the inevitable changes. Every leader with any kind of platform should read this book and use whatever platform we have to help drive the changes needed to save our planet.”
-TOM LINEBARGER, Executive Chairman, Cummins Inc. and former member of the Business Roundtable
-TOM LINEBARGER, Executive Chairman, Cummins Inc. and former member of the Business Roundtable
"A splendidly written book, The Octopus in the Garage sounds a sobering eight-armed alarm about the catastrophic threats posed by climate change, yet simultaneously offers wonderfully engaging and hopeful stories of effective community collaboration and resilience to avoid many of its worst consequences."
–RICHARD LAZARUS, Howard and Katherine Aibel Professor of Law, Harvard University
–RICHARD LAZARUS, Howard and Katherine Aibel Professor of Law, Harvard University
"One of [Verchick's] mottos is “persist and prevail.” And he follows that path with facts and persuasion, rather than finger-pointing and shouting."
–BOB MARSHALL, Pulitzer Prize-winning environmental journalist
–BOB MARSHALL, Pulitzer Prize-winning environmental journalist
“Even as we battle to lower emissions, we have already emitted so much planet-warming carbon pollution that there’s no avoiding significant climate-related damage. That means we must step up and invest to protect ourselves from rising seas, worsening storms, more frequent floods, more intense wildfires, and all the other effects of climate upheaval — all while fighting fossil fuel emissions and disinformation. Rob Verchick has created a smart roadmap for planning for the future on a changing planet.”
-SHELDON WHITEHOUSE, U.S. Senator of Rhode Island
-SHELDON WHITEHOUSE, U.S. Senator of Rhode Island
In the Media
- A Climate Change, with Matt Matern, podcast, discussing The Octopus in the Parking Garage (Mar. 5, 2023). Listen here.
- Biz Talks podcast, discussing The Octopus in the Parking Garage (Feb. 14, 2023). Listen here.
- First News with Tommy Tucker, WWL, discussing The Octopus in the Parking Garage (Feb. 9, 2023). Listen here.
- Paul Cobler, "Hiking fees, paying fines: What happens if Baton Rouge doesn't fix its stormwater problems?" The Advocate (Baton Rouge) (February 4, 2023). Read here.
- Sam Karlin, "How to Make Grand Isle Livable in the Face of Storms?" Times-Picayune (New Orleans) (January 28, 2023). Read here.
- Allison Stevens, "Verchick: To Build Climate Resilience, We Need to 'Start Living with Water," CPRBlog (October 6, 2022). Read here.
- Liam Knox, “Florida Institutions Brace for Hurricane Ian,” Inside Higher Ed (Sept. 28, 2022). Read here.
- Bob Marshall, "Explaining Climate Change with an Octopus and a Parking Garage," Times-Picayune (New Orleans) (September 25, 2022). Read here.
- The History Behind the News Podcast: An Octopus In A Garage! History of Floods, Flood Prevention & Failed Flood Policies (September 2022) (Host Adel Aali interviews Rob Verchick). Listen here.