On a clear winter day the world starts to spin backward. The sun rises over New York City, sputters at its midday height, and then sets eastward over the Atlantic. The trade winds reverse course; the ocean currents turn retrograde. Rain begins to fall in the Sahara and stops over the Amazon. Within a year the rainforest is burning, leaving behind scorched ground that will soon be desert. Pack ice forms along the western coast of France. The king delivers a Christmas message from a London palace blanketed in snow. Russia turns balmy and pleasant. Soon, the first Siberian wines make their way to market. But only the lucky ones can afford them. Most people are on the move, searching for food, water, or home, carried backward together into an uncertain future.

Kate Marvel

Read full article by Kate Marvel in Atmos

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