Summary

In Schlossberg's introduction, she demystifies common beliefs about climate change and poses her thesis, that each individual's choices are connected to larger environmental shifts. She explains her journalistic work prior to investigating climate change, including her career with the New York Times. By using her gradual self-education as a mode of exploration, she introduces her four areas of focus: the Internet and technology, food, fashion, and fuel.

In "Technology and the Internet," the author establishes the Internet as a physical object, which requires a significant amount of energy to run. While the Internet often seems invisible, it is responsible for using one percent of electricity used worldwide, and contributing 3 percent of carbon dioxide emissions (10). Each individual's personal device is also comprised of toxic chemicals.

In "The Physical Internet," Schlossberg describes a ski trip she took in Colorado, where...