Melting Down by environmental consultant Harvey Stone is an environmental thriller based upon well-researched scientific and geo-political real-world scenarios. The novel tracks an international terrorist plot to exploit the changing climate in order to fulfill Russia’s historical destiny: world domination. It includes political intrigue, suspense, and action that span the globe from Hawaii to the Arctic and from Washington to Moscow. In so doing, Melting Downdocuments the science behind the changing climate, as well as its observed and predicted impacts. It also explores a systems-oriented approach for simultaneously solving many of today’s economic, social, and environmental problems. 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 co-conspirators 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.