National Writers Series author Egan casts a world out of balance
From staff reports
New York Times best-selling author Dan Egan writes about the source of great bounty—and now great peril—all over the world in his new book The Devil’s Element: Phosphorus and a World Out of Balance. He’ll visit the Traverse City Opera House on Friday, March 10, at 7 pm, for an event co-hosted by the National Writers Series and the International Affairs Forum at Northwestern Michigan College. Patrick Shea, environmental reporter at Interlochen Public Radio, will be the event’s guest host.
Phosphorus has played a critical role in some of the most lethal substances on earth: firebombs, rat poison, nerve gas. But it’s also the key component of one of the most vital: fertilizer, which has sustained life for billions of people. In this major work of environmental journalism, Pulitzer Prize finalist Egan investigates the past, present, and future of what has been called “the oil of our time.” He explores the alarming reality that diminishing access to phosphorus poses a threat to the food system worldwide—which risks rising conflict and even war.
Egan’s book also highlights the dangers phosphorus poses for the Great Lakes. He and his family have vacationed in Leelanau County and are especially fond of the Sleeping Bear Dunes, where he enjoys hiking and the sweeping vistas “like nothing else I’ve seen in world.”
Lake Erie has been famously ravaged by toxic algae for decades, Egan told the Glen Arbor Sun. But the problem also plagues inland lakes and ponds nationwide.
“The phosphorus issue is off our radar screen now, but I don’t how long that will be the case. People are connecting the dots between land use and water quality. Farming and fertilizer are having dramatic and unfortunate effects on fresh water. It is something that people need to be aware of. It’s not just fertilizer on your lawn or golf courses. The big driver of algae blooms is agriculture. Every body of fresh water is jeopardized as the result of decades of over-fertilization of croplands.
“When you tell someone you wrote a book about phosphorus, they look at you blankly or ask ‘why?’. I hope this book answers the question. It’s not a dry subject. It’s fascinating stuff. It’s in every living cell.”
How does Egan translate complex, hard science into vivid narrative storytelling?
“Years and years of practice,” he said. “I worked at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel for 20 years. When you translate science into storytelling, you have to inform but also engage the reader. I keep the reader in my mind with every word I write.
“It doesn’t hurt to not have a technical background. You just take the time to work with subject experts.”
