St. Martin's Press To Publish New Book By Michael Bloomberg And Carl Pope On Climate Change

NEW YORK, Oct. 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- St. Martin's Press announced today that Michael R. Bloomberg, businessman, philanthropist, UN Special Envoy for Cities and Climate Change and three-term mayor of New York City, has teamed with Carl Pope, former Executive Director and Chairman of the Sierra Club, to write a new book on climate change entitled, OVERHEATED: How Cooler Heads Can Cool the World. World publishing rights were acquired by SMP President and Publisher Sally Richardson and Executive Editor Jennifer Weis. The book will be published on April 18, 2017 and will be available in hardcover, ebook and audio editions. 

Bloomberg and Pope were inspired to write this book to reset the conversation about climate change—to take out the partisan rhetoric and hyperbole on both sides of the issue —and to offer a true understanding of the risks we face along with viable, concrete solutions. Doom-and-gloom warnings from the left are just as counterproductive as those from the right dismissing climate change with a "not to worry" attitude.  The reality, according to Bloomberg and Pope, is that everyone is at risk from the impacts of climate change— but that taking action is also the best way to drive economic growth, save lives, and raise living standards around the world.

"We are writing this book because we believe that it's time for a new type of conversation about climate change," say the authors, "one focused on the immediate economic and health benefits of climate action, which are too often lost in a sea of hyperbole and partisanship. By lowering the temperature of the debate, we can raise the bar for what we can accomplish. Cooler heads can produce a cooler world."

Bloomberg and Pope make plain exactly why climate change matters to everyday people, cities, and businesses. Their approach is to treat the changing climate as a series of discreet, manageable problems that should be attacked from all angles, each with a solution that can make our society healthier and our economy stronger. They explain how and why taking actions on climate change can reduce the number of children who have asthma attacks, save thousands of Americans from dying of respiratory disease, cut energy bills, increase the security of our energy supply, improve transportation, increase the number of jobs in communities—all while increasing the long-term stability of the global climate.

Despite their very different backgrounds and perspectives, Bloomberg and Pope are approaching the challenge of climate change from the same side. "We don't agree on every point," they say. "But we share a strong sense of responsibility for taking on this fight, and a deep sense of optimism that we can win it. This book is our effort to convince more people—of equally diverse backgrounds, and of all political persuasions—to join us."

Michael R. Bloomberg is founder of Bloomberg LP, philanthropist, UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Cities and Climate Change, and three-term mayor of New York City. The technology startup he launched in 1981 to provide real-time data and analysis to the financial services industry has grown into a global company that now employs nearly 20,000 people in 73 countries. He led the company for 20 years before running for office in 2001, and since leaving City Hall in 2014, has resumed leadership of Bloomberg LP.

A passionate supporter of action on climate change, Mike Bloomberg is involved in multiple climate efforts, including partnering with the Sierra Club's Beyond Coal Campaign, which aims to close half of America's coal-powered energy production, and supporting state efforts to transition to renewable energy sources. Bloomberg has been at the forefront of involving the financial community in climate change, serving as Chair of the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board, the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures, and co-founder of the Risky Business Project.

As Mayor of New York, Bloomberg reduced the city's carbon footprint by nearly 20 percent. As a philanthropist, the bulk of Bloomberg's climate change efforts are focused on cities. In 2014, Bloomberg was appointed to be the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Cities and Climate Change, and went on to create the Compact of Mayors (now the Global Covenant of Mayors). The Covenant, as well as the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, of which Bloomberg is president, are both networks of cities committed to meeting ambitious climate-related goals and assessing their progress using common measurements.

A veteran leader in the environmental movement, Carl Pope is the former Executive Director and Chairman of the Sierra Club. He's now the principal advisor at Inside Straight Strategies, looking for the underlying economics that link sustainability and economic development. He serves as a Senior Climate Advisor to former NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg. He was a founder of the Blue-Green Alliance and America Votes. He has served on the Boards of Ceres, the California League of Conservation Voters, As You Sow, the National Clean Air Coalition, and California Common Cause. He is currently a member of the US-India Track II Climate Diplomacy project of the Aspen Institute. He writes regularly for Bloomberg View and Huffington Post. Mr. Pope is also the author or co-author of three books: Sahib, An American Misadventure in India; Hazardous Waste In America and Strategic Ignorance: Why the Bush Administration Is Recklessly Destroying a Century of Environmental Progress, which the New York Review of Books called "a splendidly fierce book."

Macmillan Publishers is a global trade book publishing company with prominent imprints around the world. Macmillan publishes a broad range of award-winning books for children and adults in all categories and formats.

US publishers include Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Flatiron Books, Henry Holt & Company, Macmillan Audio, Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Picador, St. Martin's Press and Tor Books. In the UK, Australia, India and South Africa, Macmillan publishes under the Pan Macmillan name. The German company, Holtzbrinck Deutsche Buchverlage, includes among its imprints, S. Fischer, Kiepenheuer and Witsch, Rowohlt and Droemer Knaur.

Macmillan Publishers is a division of the Holtzbrinck Publishing Group, a large family-owned media company headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany. www.macmillan.com

For More Information Contact:
Tracey Guest, VP Director of Publicity, St. Martin's Press
Tel: 646.307.5314
[email protected]

SOURCE St. Martin's Press