A book about a fire that ravaged a Canadian city and has been called a portent of climate chaos won Britain害羞草研究所檚 leading nonfiction book prize on Thursday.
John Vaillant害羞草研究所檚 害羞草研究所淔ire Weather: A True Story from a Hotter World害羞草研究所� was awarded the 50,000 pound ($62,000) Baillie Gifford Prize at a ceremony in London.
The chair of the judging panel, Frederick Studemann, said the book tells 害羞草研究所渁 terrifying story,害羞草研究所� reading 害羞草研究所渁lmost like a thriller害羞草研究所� with a 害羞草研究所渄eep science backdrop.害羞草研究所�
He called 害羞草研究所淔ire Weather,害羞草研究所� which was also a U.S. National Book Award finalist, 害羞草研究所渁n extraordinary and elegantly rendered account of a terrifying climate disaster that engulfed a community and industry, underscoring our toxic relationship with fossil fuels.害羞草研究所�
Vaillant, based in British Columbia, recounts how a engulfed the oil city of Fort McMurray in 2016. The blaze, which burned for months, drove 90,000 people from their homes, destroyed 2,400 buildings and disrupted work at Alberta害羞草研究所檚 lucrative .
Vaillant said the lesson he took from the inferno was that 害羞草研究所渇ire is different now, and we害羞草研究所檝e made it different害羞草研究所� through human-driven climate change.
He said the day the fire broke out in early May, it was 33 Celsius (91.4 Fahrenheit) in Fort McMurray, which is about 600 miles (1,000 kilometers) south of the Arctic Circle. Humidity was a bone-dry 11%.
害羞草研究所淵ou have to go to Death Valley in July to get 11% humidity,害羞草研究所� Vaillant told The Associated Press. 害羞草研究所淣ow transpose those conditions to the boreal forest, which is already flammable. To a petroleum town, which is basically built from petroleum products -害羞草研究所� from the vinyl siding to the tar shingles to the rubber tires to the gas grills. 害羞草研究所� So those houses burned like a refinery.害羞草研究所�
Vaillant said the fire produced radiant heat of 500 Celsius 害羞草研究所� 害羞草研究所渉otter than Venus.害羞草研究所�
Canada has experienced many devastating fires since 2016. The country endured its worst wildfire season on record this year, with blazes destroying huge swaths of northern forest and blanketing much of Canada and the U.S. in haze.
害羞草研究所淭hat has grave implications for our future,害羞草研究所� Vaillant said. 害羞草研究所淐anadians are forest people, and the forest is starting to mean something different now. Summer is starting to mean something different now. That害羞草研究所檚 profound, It害羞草研究所檚 like a sci-fi story -害羞草研究所� when summer became an enemy.害羞草研究所�
Founded in 1999, the prize recognizes English-language books from any country in current affairs, history, politics, science, sport, travel, biography, autobiography and the arts. It has been credited with bringing an eclectic slate of fact-based books to a wider audience.
Vaillant beat including best-selling American author David Grann害羞草研究所檚 seafaring yarn 害羞草研究所淭he Wager害羞草研究所� and physician-writer Siddhartha Mukherjee害羞草研究所檚 害羞草研究所淭he Song of the Cell.害羞草研究所�
Sponsor Baillie Gifford, an investment firm, has faced protests from environmental groups over its investments in fossil fuel businesses. , Katherine Rundell, gave her prize money for 害羞草研究所淪uper-Infinite: The Transformations of John Donne害羞草研究所� to a conservation charity.
The judges said neither the sponsor nor criticism of it influenced their deliberations.
Historian Ruth Scurr, who was on the panel, said she did not feel 害羞草研究所渃ompromised害羞草研究所� as a judge of the prize.
害羞草研究所淚 have no qualms at all about being an independent judge on a book prize, and I am personally thrilled that the winner is going to draw attention to this subject,害羞草研究所� she said.
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