Melting Down

During a too-close-to-call US Presidential election. President Charley Breen must decide how much to risk in order to stop the international terrorist plot, called Operation Noah . Tex Cassidy is the President’s life-long friend, a Pulitzer-nominated investigative reporter, and a master at uncovering the connections between seemingly unrelated actions. He teams up with Zavia Jansen, a world-class designer of dikes and storm-surge barriers to uncover Operation Noah . Admiral Boris Sukirov and his high-ranking coconspirators view the disappearing Arctic sea ice as Russia’s final opportunity to control the world. Arming mercenaries with suitcase nuclear devices, they hold the world’s glaciers hostage while exploiting the real-world scenarios that readers hear about in today’s media. Melting Down’s real-world scenarios include the disappearing Arctic sea ice, the melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet and global glaciers, the accessibility of the world’s largest untapped oil and gas reserves under the shallow Arctic Ocean, and Russia’s territorial claims as the largest landmass north of the Arctic Circle. As they criss-cross the globe to achieve their goals, Melting Down’s characters represent many scientific, political and moral viewpoints. These viewpoints range from energy stakeholders to scientists calling for immediate action to political climate-deniers. The viewpoints also address questions such as who benefits from the changing climate? and is there a way to mitigate the worst aspects of the changing climate? Collectively, Melting Down provides an action-filled vehicle for exploring many of today’s most complex and pressing issues.