The Story of CO2 Is the Story of Everything: How Carbon Dioxide Made Our World

4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars | 39 ratings

Price: 17.99

Last update: 03-02-2026



Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎B0BXLM5617
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎Ecco
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎August 26, 2025
  • Language ‏ : ‎English
  • File size ‏ : ‎17.0 MB
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎508 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎9780063037007
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎978-0063037007
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎Enabled
  • Best Sellers Rank:#216 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
    • Environmentalism
    • Science History & Philosophy
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.14.1 out of 5 stars(39)

Top reviews from the United States

  • Read this book!!
    This book should be required reading for anyone who thinks they know how this planet works. You are unlikely to come away from this read without saying how much you learned. If you are looking for easy solutions for climate change, this is not the book for you. If you are curious about how this planet evolved over the eons, it is the book for you. Brannen has a bit to say about CO2 as well! I enjoyed the, at times almost poetic, prose. And was most impressed by the breadth of research this book contains.
  • Important science in engrossing, digestible form
    The author's story-telling style makes this important popular-level science book nearly a page-turner. I am fairly well-read in the science domain yet I learned an awful lot. The essential point of the book (given in the title) is way-underappreciated. The book is here to remedy that situation.

    True to format, there are no equations and the only graph is a reproduction in the color plates insert (where ALL the illustrations for the book also reside).
  • Alarmist
    This book explores the crucial role of carbon dioxide in Earth’s history, from its contribution to life’s evolution to its current threat to the climate. By understanding the carbon cycle, we can better address the global climate crisis.

    The comprehensive book is full of useful information but written in a purely fact-based style that does nothing to take the reader’s well-being into account. The tone is alarmist. A few pages of the introduction are enough to inspire existential terror. The audiobook narration is soothing and well-done. If you’re interested enough in the subject to find the book valuable, take whatever steps you need to in order to protect your mental health.

    Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.
  • Everybody should read this
    Everyone should read this! A geo- chemo - bio - enviro - socio history of the world in accessible form.
  • He needs an editor!
    This writer needs an editor. I very seldom stop reading a book once begun. However after about a third of the way through, I realized that I was absorbing only about a tenth of the wonderfully researched material that Mr. Brannen had collected.
    Why? Because he is unable to write a clear and concise sentence. His lines are way too long and convoluted. By the time I finished one of his ninety word sentences, I had long forgotten the thought that began it. He should get a copy of the classic book by Rudolph Flesch, The Art Of Readable Writing, and apply the Flesch-Kincaid formula to his work.
  • Excellent Book
    Excellent book. It prompts me to also buy the audio book for my hikes.
  • Wikipedia is better
    The author spends so much time curating his prose and imagery that the actual science gets lost in the weeds, some key pieces even being relegated to footnotes.
  • Informative
    Informative, but sometimes hard to follow.

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