In 1957, 6,000 scientists from 66 nations achieved the impossible: they erased political borders for 18 months to unlock Earth’s greatest mysteries—and changed science forever.

The International Geophysical Year (IGY) of 1957 marked humanity’s first unified effort to understand our planet, launching the space race, discovering the Van Allen radiation belts, and producing groundbreaking climate research that shapes our world today. Through exclusive interviews with modern climate leaders—including the late marine biologist and climate researcher Dr. Wallace J. Nichols, science diplomat and Senior Fellow at United Nations Institute for Training and Research Paul Arthur Berkman, Frank Niepold at the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), science historian Rebecca Charbonneau, and many more—author Mark O’Connell reveals how this historic collaboration offers a blueprint for tackling today’s environmental challenges.

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