The Rescue Effect

The Key to Saving Life on Earth

By: Michael Mehta Webster

Narrated by: Dan Bittner

In the face of climate change and other environmental threats, this testament to Earth's resilience “makes a convincing case the natural world still has a lot worth fighting for” (New York Times bestselling author Paul Greenberg).

As climate change continues to intensify, the outlook for life on Earth often seems bleak. Yet hope for the future can be found in the “rescue effect,” which is nature’s innate ability to help organisms persist during hard times. Like a thermostat starting the air conditioning when a room gets too warm, the rescue effect automatically kicks in when organisms are stressed or declining.

In The Rescue Effect, Michael Mehta Webster reveals the science behind nature’s inherent resilience, through compelling stories of species that are adapting to the changing world—including tigers in the jungles of India, cichlid fish in the great lakes of Africa, and corals in the Caribbean. In some cases, like the mountain pygmy-possum in the snowy mountains of southeast Australia, we risk losing species without intensive help from people. As observers to—and the cause of—species declines, we must choose whether and how to help, while navigating challenging questions about emerging technologies and the ethics of conservation actions.

Ultimately, Webster argues that there are good reasons to expect a bright future, because everywhere we look, we can see evidence that nature can rescue many species from extinction; and when nature alone is not up to the task, we can help. Combining rigorous research with gripping storytelling, The Rescue Effect provides the cautious optimism we need to help save life on Earth.

©2022 Michael Mehta Webster (P)2022 Timber Press

Critic reviews

“We are often told that nature is a fragile thing, being snuffed out by humans. Get real. Destructive as humans are, nature is smarter, more resilient, ever able to adapt and evolve. Michael Mehta Webster’s masterful The Rescue Effect shows how.”—Fred Pearce, author of The New Wild

“In the face of continuing biological change, what should we do? In The Rescue Effect, Webster argues that we should help nature to help itself. This realistic, positive, and optimistic approach embraces biological change and appreciates biological novelty, rather than dwelling forever in imaginations of a rose-tinted past—sign me up for a more positive future!”—Professor Chris D. Thomas, author of Inheritors of the Earth