Climate change Books

Book SynopsisVeron presents the geological history of the Great Barrier Reef, the biology of coral reef ecosystems, and a primer on what we know about climate change. He concludes that most coral reefs will be dead from mass bleaching and irreversible acidification within the coming century unless greenhouse gas emissions are curbed.Trade ReviewVeron once thought Australia's Great Barrier Reef would endure forever, but after witnessing the devastation inflicted on corals by elevated sea temperatures, he now knows this is false. In his impassioned book, the former chief scientist with the Australian Institute of Marine Science highlights reefs as indicators of climate change's effects on marine and other ecosystems...Coral health affects all marine life. According to Veron's detailed analysis, corals will be incapable of relying on genetic adaptation to recover because the time frame for such evolutionary changes is too short. Complex scientific material serves Veron's straightforward message: climate change will soon reach the point of no return--possibly within a decade--and cause disaster for not only corals but many, if not all, marine food webs. * Publishers Weekly *Decades of study of coral reefs inform J. E. N. Veron's big-picture account of the reef's past and future. It is an urgent, rigorous yet accessible tour de force of the geology, evolution, biology and chemistry of the reef presented through the prism of climate change...By looking at past "extinction events," like the one that wiped out the dinosaurs, Veron offers an alarming glimpse into a similar future. -- Fiona Capp * The Age *A historical, geological and biological study of the largest coral reef. The chief scientist of the Australian Institute of Marine Science uses the Great Barrier Reef as an alarming case study on the future of coral reefs. Although it is a hypothetical tale, it is a worrying look at how the Earth is in danger of suffering the worst case of mass extinction seen for 65 million years. * Times Higher Education Supplement *Not a chronicle of the life of coral reefs, but an anticipation of their death. It is a work grounded in science, but which departed from the careful jargon of probability and possibility to become an impassioned, anguished eulogy delivered by a dear friend of the imminently deceased...[Veron‘s] book travels back through the fossil record to the remote past, reflecting on the five great extinction events that wiped out much of life on earth and finding a thread of commonality. -- Jo Chandler * The Age *This is not a book for the fainthearted...Indeed, Veron believes we are on the brink of the sixth mass extinction of the planet. He makes his case in this book and paints a vivid picture of what we will be losing if we do not stop spewing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere...The book is easy to read with well-placed illustrations to explain complex concepts. It presents its argument in a logical and increasingly disturbing sequence that reaches a bleak end. It is a plea for urgent action written by a man who is passionate about the Great Barrier Reef. It should be read widely by anyone who cares about our planet. -- Louise Goggin * Australian Marine Science Association Bulletin *Time is running out for the Great Barrier Reef, and no one knows it better than J. E. N. Veron...A Reef in Time is fascinating in that it puts climate change in context of the history of the earth, by concentrating on one element of it. It's bleak—but not as bleak as the outlook for the reef—and is backed up by extensive data and scientific research and analysis. It is the whole, and last, word on the Great Barrier Reef and climate change. -- Jodie Davis and Margaret Ambrose * Habitat Australia *This impressive volume covers a large topic and does so very well. Though it is ostensibly centered on the Great Barrier Reef, the book treats the general nature of and environmental controls on coral reefs, and their history over geologic time since the Silurian Period...The book is highly readable and well produced. -- N. Caine * Choice *[A Reef in Time] provides a compelling and highly readable account of the formation of the reef, as well as a description of its role as a functioning part of the ocean's ecosystem. Despite its grandeur and the appearance of permanence, the Great Barrier Reef has not always existed, nor is its future secure...Veron's account of the threats that face the Great Barrier Reef make bleak reading...Just as the Great Barrier Reef was built through countless millions of small actions by the organisms within it, so it is being threatened by the accumulation of small activities in each of our lives, events that are individually trivial but, added together, impose a huge burden on ecological communities. Veron asks why we should care. His book makes it impossible not to, and reinforces the growing call for a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions. The bigger question--one that is left hanging--is how to bring this about. -- Anne Magurran * Times Literary Supplement *Written by one of the world's foremost experts on coral reefs, this time-traveling book takes readers from the earliest origins of Australia's Great Barrier Reef to its possible future. There's no guarantee of survival for even the best-protected reef on the planet, as this passionate and accessible overview explains. -- Callum Roberts * BBC Wildlife *Table of ContentsPreface 1. The Big Picture 2. The Great Barrier Reef: An Overview 3. Corals and Reefs: Controls and Processes 4. The State of the Great Barrier Reef 5. Mass Extinctions and Reef Gaps 6. Messages from Deep Time 7. The Cenozoic Roller-Coaster 8. Australia Adrift 9. The Ice Ages 10. The Last Glacial Cycle 11. Many Origins 12. Stone Age Utopia 13. An Enhanced Greenhouse World 14. Temperature and Mass Bleaching 15. Ocean Acidity and Coralline Osteoporosis 16. The Ocean's Canary Notes Glossary Acknowledgments Index

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Book SynopsisHow would you survive on a planet that doesn''t spin?An awe-inspiring Planetary Romance from Terry Pratchett''s co-author on the Long Earth BooksThe very far future: The Galaxy is a drifting wreck of black holes, neutron stars, chill white dwarfs. The age of star formation is long past. Yet there is life here, feeding off the energies of the stellar remnants, and there is mind, a tremendous Galaxy-spanning intelligence each of whose thoughts lasts a hundred thousand years. And this mind cradles memories of a long-gone age when a more compact universe was full of light ...The 27th century: Proxima Centauri, an undistinguished red dwarf star, is the nearest star to our sun - and (in this fiction), the nearest to host a world, Proxima IV, habitable by humans. But Proxima IV is unlike Earth in many ways. Huddling close to the warmth, orbiting in weeks, it keeps one face to its parent star at all times. The ''substellar point'', wit

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Book SynopsisRapid economic development has been a boon to human well-being. It has lifted millions out of poverty, raised standards of living, and increased life expectancies. But economic development comes at a significant cost to natural capital--the fertile soils, forests, coastal marshes, farmland--that support all life on earth, including our own. The dilemma of our times is to figure out how to improve the human condition without destroying nature's. If ecosystems collapse, so eventually will human civilization. One answer is inclusive green growth--the efficient use of natural resources. Inclusive green growth minimizes pollution and strengthens communities against natural disasters while reducing poverty through improved access to health, education, and services. Its genius lies in working with nature rather than against it. Green Growth That Works is the first practical guide to bring together pragmatic finance and policy tools that can make investment in natural capital both attractive and commonplace. The authors present six mechanisms that demonstrate a range of approaches used around the globe to conserve and restore earth's myriad ecosystems, including: Government subsidies Regulatory-driven mitigation Voluntary conservation Water funds Market-based transactions Bilateral and multilateral payments Through a series of real-world case studies, the book addresses questions such as: How can we channel economic incentives to make conservation and restoration desirable? What approaches have worked best? How can governments, businesses, NGOs, and individuals work together successfully? Pioneered by leading scholars from the Natural Capital Project, this valuable compendium of proven techniques can guide agencies and organizations eager to make green growth work anywhere in the world.

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Book SynopsisKatie has been writing non-fiction children's books for almost half her life and loves questioning the world from a child's point of view. She's developed some of Usborne's bestselling series, including the See Inside books and Lift-the-flap Questions & Answers. When she's not writing, she likes drinking coffee, walking on the moors and playing competitive board games with her children.Trade ReviewI love the mix of positivity and information, and the myriad ways the children start to make change happen. * Juno Magazine *This book was brilliant in using age-appropriate language to explain climate change and our impact on the earth to younger children. We highly recommended this book! * The Green Parent *

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Book Synopsis________________WINNER OF THE 2015 PULITZER PRIZE FOR GENERAL NON-FICTION________________''An invaluable contribution to our understanding of present circumstances, just as the paradigm shift she calls for is sorely needed'' - Al Gore, New York Times''Compelling ... It is a disquieting tale, related with rigour and restraint by Kolbert'' - Observer''Passionate ... This is the big story of our age'' - Sunday Times________________A major book about the future of the world, blending natural history, field reporting and the history of ideas and into a powerful account of the mass extinction happening todayOver the last half a billion years, there have been five mass extinctions of life on earth.Scientists around the world are currently monitoring the sixth, predicted to be the most devastating extinction event since the asteroid impact that wiped out the dinosaurs.Elizabeth Kolbert combines brilliant field reportiTrade ReviewA distinctive and eloquent voice of conscience ... In her timely, meticulously researched and well-written book, Kolbert combines scientific analysis and personal narratives to explain it to us. The result is a clear and comprehensive history of earth’s previous mass extinctions ... “People change the world,” Kolbert writes, and vividly presents the science and history of the current crisis. Her extensive travels in researching this book, and her insightful treatment of both the history and the science all combine to make The Sixth Extinction an invaluable contribution to our understanding of present circumstances, just as the paradigm shift she calls for is sorely needed * Al Gore, New York Times *I tore through Elizabeth Kolbert's The Sixth Extinction with a mix of awe and terror. Her long view of extinction excited my joy in life's diversity – even as she made me aware how many species are currently at risk * Dava Sobel, author of Longitude and A More Perfect Heaven *Elizabeth Kolbert writes with an aching beauty of the impact of our species on all the other forms of life known in this cold universe. The perspective is at once awe-inspiring, humbling and deeply necessary * T.C. Boyle *Well-composed snapshots of history, theory and observation that will fascinate, enlighten and appal many readers * Guardian *Compelling ... It is a disquieting tale, related with rigour and restraint by Kolbert * Observer *Passionate ... This is the big story of our age. We are living through the historically rare elimination of vast numbers of species. And for the first time, it is our fault ... Uplifting prose about the wonders of nature. But the overwhelming message of this book is as clear as that of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring in 1962. We humans have become a geological force in our own right – and, unless we act, the consequences will be devastating * Sunday Times *It is oddly pleasurable to read Elizabeth’s Kolbert’s new book, which offers a ramble through mass extinctions, present and past ... A wonderful chapter covers the North Atlantic’s once-abundant, flightless great auks ... Wisely, Ms Kolbert refuses to end on an optimistic note * Economist *While plants and animals can evolve to cope with a hotter world, that will take far too long for humans ... That is ultimately what makes this engaging study scary * Scotland on Sunday *The scariest paperback of the year * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisEarth is the only planet known to have fire. The reason is both simple and profound: fire exists because Earth is the only planet to possess life as we know it. Fire is an expression of life on Earth and an index of life s history. Few processes are as integral, unique, or ancient.Trade ReviewThe well-organized and illustrated work can be used as a textbook or a reference source for practitioners. Each chapter has a list of further readings, and each part has its own extensive bibliography. This phenomenal contribution will become a classic reference for five mangers, students of fire ecology and climate, and researchers for years to come. Summing Up: Essential. All levels/libraries." (Choice, 1 October 2014) "Overall, the book provides an excellent, multidisciplinary introduction to fire, authored by leading experts in their fields, written in a very accessible style and supported by superb illustrations and extensive references. Hence, I highly recommend it to potential readers, who may be upper level undergraduate students, graduate students, teaching staff and everyone working, or simply interested, in the area of environmental science." (International Journal of Wildland Fire, 1 August 2014) "Fire and earth scientists, anthropologists, ecol­ogists, resource managers, and especially ad­vanced students in natural sciences will find the text, along with its online resources, a req­uisite addition to their libraries. Not only is it a pleasure to read, simply put, it sparks the imagination." (Fire Ecology, 1 June 2014) "With wildfire recognised in key government contingency documents, not least for climate change, foresters looking for greater understanding of this future challenge over the coming decades, should look no further." (Chartered Forester, 1 May 2014) "This book is a good example of a multidisciplinary investigation. The writers express the wish that it may stimulate further research into fire processes, both 'natural' and induced by humanity. A book worth reading!." (Geological Journal, 29 April 2014) "Each part has an extensive reference list reflecting the worldwide significance of wildfire and varied scientific approaches: tables, diagrams and colour photographs are abundant, and there is a welcome companion website with a host of useful teaching/demonstration material." (The Biologist 2016) "Fire on Earth would serve as an outstanding basis for a graduate course in fire science and management. It is also a valuable reference that has a place on the bookshelf of any instructor, scientist, or land manager whose work involves the role of fire in terrestrial ecosystems and human civilization." (The Quarterly Review of Biology 2016)Table of ContentsPreface xiii Acknowledgements xv About the Authors xvii About the Companion Website xix PART ONE FIRE IN THE EARTH SYSTEM 1 Preface to part one 2 Chapter 1 What is fire? 3 1.1 How fire starts and initially spreads 3 1.2 Lightning and other ignition sources 4 1.3 The charring process 6 1.4 Pyrolysis products 7 1.5 Fire types 10 1.6 Peat fires 14 1.7 Fire effects on soils 15 1.8 Post-fire erosion-deposition 18 1.9 Fire and vegetation 22 1.10 Fire and climate 26 1.11 Fire triangles 30 1.12 Fire return intervals 30 1.13 How we study fire: satellites 31 1.14 Modelling fire occurrence 38 1.15 Climate forcing 42 1.16 Scales of fire occurrence 44 Further reading 45 Chapter 2 Fire in the fossil record: recognition 47 2.1 Fire proxies: fire scars and charcoal 47 2.2 The problem of nomenclature: black carbon, char, charcoal, soot and elemental carbon 49 2.3 How we study charcoal: microscopical and chemical techniques 51 2.4 Charcoal as an information-rich source 56 2.5 Charcoal reflectance and temperature 56 2.6 Uses of charcoal 58 2.7 Fire intensity/severity 59 2.8 Deep time studies 60 2.9 Pre-requisite for fire: fuel – the evolution of plants 61 2.10 Charcoal in sedimentary systems 62 Further reading 63 Chapter 3 Fire in the fossil record: earth system processes 65 3.1 Fire and oxygen 65 3.2 Fire feedbacks 67 3.3 Systems diagrams 67 3.4 Charcoal as proxy for atmospheric oxygen 69 3.5 Burning experiments – fire spread 69 3.6 Fire and the terrestrial system 70 Further reading 72 Chapter 4 The geological history of fire in deep time: 420 million years to 2 million years ago 73 4.1 Periods of high and low fire, and implications 73 4.2 The first fires 73 4.3 The rise of fire 75 4.4 Fire in the high-oxygen Paleozoic world 77 4.5 Collapse of fire systems 80 4.6 Fire at the Triassic-Jurassic boundary 82 4.7 Jurassic variation 82 4.8 Cretaceous fires 84 4.9 Fire at the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-P or K-T) boundary 87 4.10 Paleocene fires 88 4.11 Fires across the Paleocene-Eocene thermal maximum (PETM) 88 4.12 Dampening of fire systems 89 4.13 Rise of the grass-fire cycle 89 Further reading 89 Chapter 5 The geological history of fire – the last two million years 91 5.1 Problems of Quaternary fire history 91 5.2 The Paleofire working group: techniques and analysis 93 5.3 Fire and climate cycles 97 5.4 Fire and humans: the fossil evidence 98 5.5 Fire and the industrial society 101 Further reading 101 References for part one 103 PART TWO BIOLOGY OF FIRE 111 Preface to part two 112 Chapter 6 Pyrogeography – temporal and spatial patterns of fire 113 6.1 Fire and life 113 6.2 Global climate, vegetation patterns and fire 113 6.3 Pyrogeography 116 6.4 Fire and the control of biome boundaries 121 6.5 The fire regime concept 125 6.6 Fire ecology 128 6.7 Conclusion 129 Further reading 129 Chapter 7 Plants and fire 131 7.1 Introduction 131 7.2 Fire and plant traits 131 7.3 Fire regimes and the characteristic suite of fire plant traits 137 7.4 Evolution of fire traits 140 7.5 Summary and implications 145 Further reading 145 General reading 146 Chapter 8 Fire and fauna 147 8.1 Direct effects of fire on fauna 147 8.2 The effect of fire regimes on fauna 148 8.3 The landscape mosaic and pyrodiversity 150 8.4 The effect of fauna on fire regimes 152 8.5 Fire and the evolution of fauna 154 8.6 Summary 155 Further reading 155 Chapter 9 Fire as an ecosystem process 157 9.1 Introduction 157 9.2 Fire and erosion 157 9.3 Fire and nutrient cycling 160 9.4 Fire and pedogenesis 163 9.5 Fire and atmospheric chemistry 164 9.6 Fire and climate 165 9.7 Summary 168 Further reading 169 Chapter 10 Fire and anthropogenic environmental change 171 10.1 Introduction 171 10.2 Prehistoric impacts 171 10.3 Prehistoric fire management 174 10.4 Contemporary fire management 176 10.5 Climate change 177 10.6 Fire and carbon management 180 10.7 Fire regime switches: a major challenge for fire ecology 180 10.8 Invasive plants and altered fire regimes 184 10.9 Conclusion 187 Further reading 187 References for part two 189 PART THREE ANTHROPOGENIC FIRE 193 Preface to part three 194 Chapter 11 Fire creature 195 11.1 Early hominins: spark of creation 195 11.2 Aboriginal fire: control over ignition 198 11.3 Cultivated fire: control over combustibles 206 11.4 Ideas and institutions: lore and ritual 220 11.5 Narrative arcs (and equants) 221 Further reading 229 Chapter 12 A new epoch of fire: the anthropocene 231 12.1 The Great Disruption 231 12.2 The pyric transition 232 12.3 Enlightenment and empire 236 12.4 Scaling the transition 238 12.5 After the revolution 245 Further reading 257 Chapter 13 Fire management 259 13.1 Introducing integrated fire management 259 13.2 Two realms: managing the pyric transition 260 13.3 Strategies 261 13.4 Institutions: ordering fire 272 13.5 Ideas: conceptions of fire 277 13.6 Fire management: selected examples 279 Further reading 289 References and further reading for part three 291 PART FOUR THE SCIENCE AND ART OF WILDLAND FIRE BEHAVIOUR PREDICTION 295 Preface to part four 296 Chapter 14 Fundamentals of wildland fire as a physical process 297 14.1 Introduction 297 14.2 The basics of combustion and heat transfer 298 14.3 The wildland fire environment concept 303 14.4 Characterization of wildland fire behaviour 315 14.5 Extreme wildland fire behaviour phenomena 329 14.6 Field methods of measuring and quantifying wildland fire behaviour 336 14.7 Towards increasing our understanding of wildland fire behaviour 337 Further reading 339 Chapter 15 Estimating free-burning wildland fire behaviour 341 15.1 Introduction 341 15.2 A historical sketch of wildland fire behaviour research 342 15.3 Models, systems and guides for predicting wildland fire behaviour 350 15.4 Limitations on the accuracy of model predictions of wildland fire behaviour 359 15.5 The wildland fire behaviour prediction process 363 15.6 Specialized support in assessing wildland fire behaviour 370 15.7 Looking ahead 371 Further reading 372 Chapter 16 Fire management applications of wildland fire behaviour knowledge 373 16.1 Introduction 373 16.2 Wildfire suppression 376 16.3 Wildland firefighter safety 378 16.4 Community wildland fire protection 382 16.5 Fuels management 383 16.6 Prediction of fire effects 388 16.7 Getting on the road towards self-improvement 389 Further reading 390 References for part four 393 Index 405

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Book SynopsisAn accessible synthesis of the prescient best seller exploring seventeenth-century catastrophe and the impact of climate change

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Book Synopsis''Astonishing ... beautiful, compelling and terrifying'' Observer''Wadhams'' writing sparkles ... a lyrical sense of wonder at the natural world ... essential reading ... may be the best reader-friendly account of the greenhouse effect available to date'' John Burnside, New StatesmanIce is beautiful and complex. It regulates our planet''s temperature. And it is vanishing - fast. Peter Wadhams, the world''s leading expert on sea ice, draws on his lifetime''s research in the Arctic region to illuminate what is happening, what it means for the future, and what can be done.''This most experienced and rational scientist states what so many other researchers privately fear but cannot publicly say'' John Vidal, Guardian''Wadhams brings huge expertise to his subject - and he is an excellent writer'' Martin Rees''Utterly extraordinary'' Jonathon PorrittTrade ReviewWadhams's particular combination - of scientific passion, a lyrical sense of wonder at the natural world, an ability to pluck clear analogies from the air, and outspoken analysis of consumer-capitalist politics - marks out A Farewell to Ice as essential reading. -- John Burnside * New Statesman *A passionate, authoritative overview of the role of ice in our climate system, past, present and, scarily, the future. -- Carl Wunsch, Professor Emeritus of Physical Oceanography, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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Book SynopsisGrossly ambitious and rooted in scientific scholarship, The Other Dark Matter shows how human excrement can be a life-saving, money-making resource—if we make better use of it.Trade Review"A take on waste that's anything but wasteful—it's a fascinating dig into the history and science of handling human excrement. . . . Equally remarkable are Zeldovich's sections on the development and evolution of wastewater treatment plants. . . . Zeldovich is at home with an awkward subject, making for a grossly engrossing and vivid survey. Readers won't take the 'flush and forget' mindset for granted again." * Publishers Weekly *"Zeldovich is an engaging writer. She loves puns and poop jokes. (Who doesn't?) And her travels around the world are, in their own scatological way, inspiring." -- Elizabeth Kolbert * New York Review of Books *"[An] original, necessary book." * Nature *"It would be easy for a book that focuses on obstacles to improving global sanitation, fixing the agricultural waste cycle, reducing pollution, and improving health to resort to paralyzing gloom. The Other Dark Matter does not shy from the enormity of the problems, yet suggests solutions are achievable, at scales from individuals to entire countries. Paced quickly with prose enlivened by the author's on-location reporting and personal experiences, the book is far from a grim slog through the world's sewers—it's more like an exciting tour in a biogas-powered balloon." * Undark *"The Other Dark Matter does not shy from the enormity of the problems, yet suggests solutions are achievable, at scales from individuals to entire countries. Paced quickly with prose enlivened by the author's on-location reporting and personal experiences, the book is far from a grim slog through the world's sewers — it's more like an exciting tour in a biogas-powered balloon." * Salon *"It's unusual to come across a book that makes you say, 'Oh, crap!' in a good way." * American Scientist *“In bright and airy prose, she takes readers on a globe-spanning trip to sites where fecal material is reprocessed and figuratively turned into gold. . . . Readers should leave this book with a renewed interest in sustainable systems to manage what we normally put out of sight and out of mind." * Natural History *“It is unquestionably [a topic] that—given the ever-increasing human population belaboring the planet—merits our attention if we are, ecologically and sustainably speaking, to prevent finding ourselves collectively up a famous creek without a propulsion device. Ms. Zeldovich’s new book looks to be an excellent way to introduce ourselves to it.” * The Well-Read Naturalist *"Given the growing scale of public engagement in sanitation, there is a glut of books on the subject. Not all of them are readable, not all of them are well researched. This one is. It takes the technology questions further. It is an engaging read on a queasy topic" * Shaastra *"In writing a primer on poop and its possibilities, [Zeldovich] performs a much larger function: destigmatizing a vital biological product that has long gotten a bum rap." * Columbia Magazine *"Some of the ideas in [the book] really feel like they could change the world in a major way. . . . It's really excellent." * Across the Margin *"Even readers familiar with the history and ecology of waste management will not be disappointed. . . . As detailed as it is witty. . . . Given the growing scale of public engagement in sanitation, there is a glut of books on the subject. Not all of them are readable, not all of them are well researched. This one is. It takes the technology questions further. It is an engaging read on a queasy topic." * Shaastra *"This is some good shit, people. Not only entertaining, but deeply important. Everyone with a colon should read this book. Centuries back, people knew the value of shit. In countries with poor soil, human waste was like gold: people stole it, paid their rent with it, and gave it as gifts. Today, keeping it out of our waterways is our best hope for defusing what Zeldovich calls the Great Sewage Time Bomb. She is an ideal guide to this ridiculously fascinating world." -- Mary Roach, author of Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers"Zeldovich shows to dazzling effect how a famously difficult subject—the often peculiar scientific history of human waste—can become an engrossing tale. The story is enlightening, surprising, occasionally enraging—and wholly worth your time." -- Deborah Blum, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Poison Squad"Zeldovich shows that excrement can be useful, profitable, and anything but waste, and does this with warmth, curiosity, and humor. This book is a great companion should you wish to journey to the rich and still underexposed world of shit (and you should)." -- Rose George, author of The Big Necessity: The Unmentionable World of Human Waste and Why It Matters"Here is an indispensable book about what we might call the Anthro-poo-cene. Humanity's current collision course with nature has everything to do with energy and how we abuse it—including the human waste products of our metabolic bodies. This lively and entertaining history is also full of innovative ways people are finally dealing with their you-know-what." -- Mary Ellen Hannibal, author of Citizen Scientist: Searching for Heroes and Hope in an Age of Extinction"Who knew our poop could be so fascinating and important? In her brilliantly reported and written new book, Zeldovich shows that now more than ever the health of humanity and the rest of nature depends on how we handle 'the other dark matter.'" -- John Horgan, author of Pay Attention: Sex, Death, and Science"An intriguing, compelling, very human story of how a valuable resource has been used and squandered, thrown away, and rediscovered. It is a story of the people who, against a background of mockery and disbelief, have developed creative, lucrative, and ecologically viable options for reframing what many have seen as a 'problem' of 'waste disposal' into an opportunity for innovative resource use. It will have wide appeal to all intelligent readers, both within and well beyond academia." -- David Waltner-Toews, author of The Origin of Feces: What Excrement Tells Us About Evolution, Ecology, and a Sustainable SocietyTable of ContentsPart 1: The History of Human Waste Chapter 1: How I Learned to Love the Excrement Chapter 2: The Early History of Human Excreta Chapter 3: Treasure Night Soil as if It Were Gold! Chapter 4: The Water Closet Dilemma and the Sewage Farm Paradigm Chapter 5: Germs, Fertilizer, and the Poop Police Part 2: The Present: A Sludge Revolution in Progress Chapter 6: The Great Sewage Time Bomb and the Redistribution of Nutrients on the Planet Chapter 7: Loowatt, a Loo That Turns Waste into Watts Chapter 8: The Crap That Cooks Your Dinner and Container-Based Sanitation Chapter 9: HomeBiogas: Your Personal Digester in a Box Chapter 10: Made in New York Chapter 11: Lystek, the Home of Sewage Smoothies Chapter 12: How DC Water Makes Biosolids BLOOM Chapter 13: From Biosolids to Biofuels Part 3: The Future of Medicine and Other Things Chapter 14: Poop: The Best (and Cheapest) Medicine Chapter 15: Looking where the Sun Doesn’t Shine Chapter 16: From the Kindness of One’s Gut: An Insider Look into Stool Banks Afterword: Breathing Poetry into Poop Notes Index

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Book SynopsisA cutting-edge, solutions-oriented analysis of how we can reimagine cities around the world to build sustainable futures. What would it take to make urban places greener, more affordable, more equitable, and healthier for everyone? In recent years, cities have stepped up efforts to address climate and sustainability crises. But progress has not been fast enough or gone deep enough. If communities are to thrive in the future, we need to quickly imagine and implement an entirely new approach to urban development: one that is centered on equity and rethinks social, political, and economic systems as well as urban designs. With attention to this need for structural change, Reimagining Sustainable Cities advocates for a community-informed model of racially, economically, and socially just cities and regions. The book aims to rethink urban sustainability for a new era. In Reimagining Sustainable Cities, Stephen M. Wheeler and Christina D. Rosan ask big-picture questions of interest to readers worldwide: How do we get to carbon neutrality? How do we adapt to a climate-changed world? How can we create affordable, inclusive, and equitable cities? While many books dwell on the analysis of problems, Reimagining Sustainable Cities prioritizes solutions-oriented thinkingsurveying historical trends, providing examples of constructive action worldwide, and outlining alternative problem-solving strategies. Wheeler and Rosan use a social ecology lens and draw perspectives from multiple disciplines. Positive, readable, and constructive in tone, Reimagining Sustainable Cities identifies actions ranging from urban design to institutional restructuring that can bring about fundamental change and prepare us for the challenges ahead. Trade Review"Half a century on, drastic change is still needed, warn urban ecologists Stephen Wheeler and Christina Rosen in their enlightening survey of today’s cities." * Nature *"This book is an ideal companion to a wide range of readers wishing to think again about sustainable cities and stimulate change across urban areas. The narrative of positivity and optimism laid out in the context of achieving sustainability makes this book a refreshing and welcome addition to a mounting body of literature dedicated to sustainable urban action." * Buildings & Cities *"This book is a compendium of the many changes that will be necessary to make a sustainable and equitable future possible." * Journal of Urban Affairs *"A much needed, holistically integrative, overview of sustainability strategies for designing greener, more just, resilient, adaptable and climate friendly communities." * Urban Studies Online *Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Introduction 1. How Do We Get to Climate Neutrality? 2. How Do We Adapt to the Climate Crisis? 3. How Might We Create More Sustainable Economies? 4. How Can We Make Affordable, Inclusive, and Equitable Cities? 5. How Can We Reduce Spatial Inequality? 6. How Can We Get Where We Need to Go More Sustainably? 7. How Do We Manage Land More Sustainably? 8. How Do We Design Greener Cities? 9. How Do We Reduce Our Ecological Footprints? 10. How Can Cities Better Support Human Development? 11. How Might We Have More Functional Democracy? 12. How Can Each of Us Help Lead the Move toward Sustainable Communities? Conclusion Acknowledgments Notes Index

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Book SynopsisWorld leaders have made a forceful statement that climate change is the greatest challenge facing humanity in the 21st century. However, little progress has been made in implementing policies to address climate change. In Climate Uncertainty and Risk, eminent climate scientist Judith Curry shows how we can break this gridlock. This book helps us rethink the climate change problem, the risks we are facing and how we can respond to these challenges. Understanding the deep uncertainty surrounding the climate change problem helps us to better assess the risks. This book shows how uncertainty and disagreement can be part of the decision-making process. It provides a road map for formulating pragmatic solutions. Climate Uncertainty and Risk is essential reading for those concerned about the environment, professionals dealing with climate change and our national leaders.Trade ReviewClimate Uncertainty and Risk is more than a book. Curry has produced a single-author counter to the IPCC that offers a radical alternative to the UN paradigm of climate change that could well serve as a manual for a future Republican administration.-RealClear Energy "Climate Uncertainty and Risk" provides a balanced, fair assessment of the content and conclusions of the IPCC ARs. It compares and contrasts some ancient but mostly more recent climate conditions and events in making the case for a broader inclusion of past situations to better understand and simulate the climate future. The book includes a thoughtful look at climate change versus COVID-19 risk, especially relative to applying the "precautionary principle." "Climate Uncertainty and Risk" is an essential contribution to understanding and mitigating climate change. Ms. Curry's goal is to better inform the reader "as to the uncertainties and the various values in play" surrounding the judgments as to "whether warming is dangerous or whether urgent action to reduce CO2 emissions is needed."-Anthony J. Sadar, The Washington Times "Climate Uncertainty" is a serious, nonpolitical book, which will help to elevate the level of scientific and political discourse. It should be read by everyone who writes or speaks about climate change, including the political and media class- Richard Rahn, The Washington Times "Judith A. Curry is one of the world's leading scholars of climate change and a deep thinker about how science copes with uncertainty. In this refreshing and comprehensive book, she shows with meticulous care and great clarity that exaggerated claims about climate change made for political purposes are wide of the mark. Instead, she shows the way to a rational and practical discussion of this polarized topic."-Matt Ridley, author of The Rational Optimist and How Innovation Works. "With climate models running too hot by a factor of 2 for 30 years, with everything that used to be called a weather event now a portent of climate change, and with billions being invested against this as opposed to other more pressing world needs, Judith A. Curry provides us with a much-needed and convincing rethink."-Michael Kelly, Emeritus Prince Philip Professor of Technology, University of Cambridge, UK. "Judith A. Curry leverages her background in climate science, weather forecasting, and devising risk management strategies to present the climate policy debate we have never had. Her balanced, evidence-based, and multifaceted discussion leaves the reader 'better informed as to the uncertainties and the various values in play' in designing climate policy."-Peter Hartley, George A. Peterkin Professor of Economics, Rice University, USA; MEECON Co-Director. Judith Curry's book Climate Uncertainty and Risk aims to provide a framework for understanding the climate change 'debate'. She argues that the climate change problem and its solution have been oversimplified; that understanding uncertainty can help in better assessing the risks; and that uncertainty and disagreement can be part of the decision-making process. Curry's book is divided into three parts. The first describes the climate change challenge. The second relates to the uncertainty of 21st century climate change, noting her emphasis on 21st century. The final section covers climate risk and response - Michael Muntisov & Greg Finlayson A new book by a leading climate change scientist gives reason for hope that the light of truth is shedding a few rays into the dark, dystopian, ideologically driven pseudoscience known as global warming- American Thinker The real import of Curry's book is her analysis of the forms of science and economics that are rallied to support extreme policy actions - Terence Corcoran, Financial PostTable of ContentsAuthor's Foreword; I The Climate Change Challenge; Introduction; Consensus, Or Not?; The Climate Change Response Challenge; Mixing Science And Politics; II Uncertainty Of 21st Century Climate Change; The Climate Change "Uncertainty Monster"; Climate Models; Ipcc Scenarios Of 21st Century Climate Change; Alternative Methods For Generating Climate Change Scenarios; What's The Worst Case?; III. Climate Risk And Response; Risk And Its Assessment; Risk Management; Decision Making Under Deep Uncertainty; Adaptation, Resilience, And Development; Mitigation; Climate Risk And The Policy Discourse

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Book SynopsisThe second book by the bestselling author of Extraordinary InsectsTrees clean air and water; hoverflies and bees pollinate our crops; the kingfisher inspired the construction of high-speed trains. In Tapestries of Life, bestselling author Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson explains how closely we are all connected with the natural world, highlighting our indelible link with nature's finely knit system and our everyday lives.In the heart of natural world is a life-support system like no other, a collective term that describes all the goods and services we receive food, fresh water, medicine, pollination, pollution control, carbon sequestration, erosion prevention, recreation, spiritual health and so much more. In this utterly captivating book, Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson sets out to explore these wonderful, supportive elements taking the reader on a journey through the surprising characteristics of the natural world.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Paleoceanography, Rohling’s area of expertise, is the study of ancient oceans and ancient climates as they changed and developed together over geologic time. It involves analyzing data like layers of sediment taken from the seabed. Much alarming information can be learned this way, as Rohling demonstrates, about how today’s oceans are likely to respond to climate change--with greater acidification, sea-level rise, mass extinction and so forth. But because storms leave no geological record, the precise effect of global warming on hurricanes is harder to gauge. Still, Rohling is confident that the combination of rising sea levels and some form of increased storm intensity 'spells doom' for the world’s coastal regions. For surfers, rooting for hurricane swell may be increasingly difficult to rationalize."---James Ryerson, New York Times"Rohling's work is extensive and informative." * Publishers Weekly *"The Oceans is extremely thorough, appropriately so for a topic of such profundity. The book also covers a tremendous amount of ground with dizzying speed." * Foreword Reviews *"If you want to understand the planet and climate change, this book is for you."---John R. Platt, EcoWatch"For science readers looking for something new, [The Oceans] is a treat."---John Farrell, Forbes.com"The density of information and Rohling’s clear, concise explanations make for exhilarating reading, not least because his delight in his subject matter is so palpable. Most importantly though, Rohling’s long view makes clear the vast scope of the transformation of the oceans taking place around us, underlining not just the effect on ecosystems and biodiversity, but also its geological scale."---James Bradley, The Australian"In an incredibly detailed 262-page hardcover volume titled The Oceans: A Deep History, Rohling shakes up every reader who . . . [dives] into the massive amount of worrisome information"---Judy Siegel-Itzkovich, The Jerusalem Post"The Oceans: A Deep History oozes with the enthusiasm and passion that Eelco has for geology and palaeoceanography and the awe that he has for how the Earth came to be what it is today. . . . A brilliantly masterminded book, full of necessary detail that builds a compelling argument from 4.6 billion years of evidence and which culminates in an undeniable conclusion."---Jennifer D. Stanford, The Holocene"This book is not only an invaluable introduction to the cutting-edge science of palaeoceanography but also a crucially important text for students approaching all different fields of marine sciences."---Roberto Danovaro, Current Biology Magazine"Very informative, extensive, and full of necessary detail . . . . this book clearly teaches the many relevant lessons needed to understand the climate change of today and what happens when our atmosphere and oceans change."---Miguel Furtado, Conservation Biology

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Book SynopsisMelting glaciers, suffering polar bears, rising oceans- these are just a few of the climate change crisis myths debunked by noted aerospace expert Larry Bell in this explosive new book. With meticulous research, Bell deflates these and other climate misconceptions with perceptive analysis, humour, and the most recent scientific data. Written for the laymen, yet in-depth enough for the specialist, this book digs deep into the natural and political aspects of the climate change debate, answering fundamental questions that reveal the all-too-human origins of "scientific" inquiry. Why and how are some of the world s most prestigious scientific institutions cashing in on the debate? Who stand to benefit most by promoting public climate change alarmism? What true political and financial purposes are served by the vilification of carbon dioxide? How do climate deceptions promote grossly exaggerated claims for non-fossil alternative energy capacities and advance blatant global wealth redistribution goals? With its devastating portrayal of scientific and government establishments run amok, this book is an invaluable addition to the tremendously popular literature attacking the scientific status quo. This book will bring welcome relief to all those who are fed up with climate crisis insanity.Trade ReviewLarry Bell, author of Climate of Corruption, continues to pen a weekly online column for Forbes. Take a look at a recent column under his byline: The Bell Tells For You.

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Book SynopsisThis book is about how climate science works and why you should absolutely trust some of its conclusions and absolutely distrust others. Climate change raises new, foundational challenges in science. It requires us to question what we know and how we know it. The subject is important for society but the science is young and history tells us that scientists can get things wrong before they get them right. How, then, can we judge what information is reliable and what is open to question? Stainforth goes to the heart of the climate change problem to answer this question. He describes the fundamental characteristics of climate change and shows how they undermine the application of traditional research methods, demanding new approaches to both scientific and societal questions. He argues for a rethinking of how we go about the study of climate change in the physical sciences, the social sciences, economics, and policy. The subject requires nothing less than a restructuring of academic reseaTrade ReviewClimate is, in some respects, highly predictable; yet, in other respects, highly unpredictable. But there is no contradiction. The resolution of this seeming paradox in Predicting Our Climate Future leads in turn to a vision for how humankind must respond to this most important problem of all time. * George Akerlof, Nobel Laureate in Economics, 2001 *A profound yet very accessible guide to climate science, highlighting the significant uncertainties without apology. This book explains clearly why doubt creates a greater and more urgent need to act now to build a better future. * Trevor Maynard, Executive Director of Systemic Risks, Cambridge Centre for Risk Studies *The immense complexity of the climate system raises deep questions about what science can usefully say about the future. David Stainforth navigates philosophical and mathematical questions that could hardly be of greater practical importance. He questions what it is reasonable to ask of climate scientists and his conclusions challenge the way in which science should be conducted in the future. * Jim Hall, Professor of Climate and Environmental Risk, University of Oxford *Is the science settled? Are climate models rubbish? Stainforth's book serves up nuanced answers to big questions in climate science, in an easy conversational style. * Cameron Hepburn, Professor of Environmental Economics, University of Oxford *A thoughtful exploration of the foundations and limitations of climate prediction that explains how its chaotic and probabilistic nature lead to deep uncertainty when assessing climate risk. * Ramalingam Saravanan, Professor of Atmospheric Sciences, Texas A&M University *Predicting Our Climate Future is an erudite and very personal reflection on climate change, the state of climate science, and their implications for the decisions society needs to take. It should be top of the reading list for scientists, practitioners and anyone who wants to truly comprehend the challenge of climate prediction. * Simon Dietz, Professor of Environmental Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science *A provocative contribution to the literature of climate change. * Kirkus *Predicting Our Climate Future is an ambitious exploration of a critical topic. It is a recommended read for climate scientists, especially those trying to model the future, for the researchers-in many disciplines-that are focused on understanding and forecasting the physical and human impacts of the coming climate changes, and for policy makers engaged in climate issues. * Steven Earle, New York Journal of Books *Intelligent, accessible, well reasoned and working very hard to get it's teeth into a complex but vitally important issue. * Irish Tech News *Fascinating...[there is a] a refreshing honesty [in Stainforth's writing] about the limitations we have with certain kinds of prediction. * Brian Clegg, Popular Science *Stainforth is good at explaining the complexities [of climate modelling], leavening the highly technical bits with ... lots of relatable real-world analogies. * Geordie Torr, The Geographical *Table of ContentsSection 1 Chapter 1: The obvious and the obscure Chapter 2: A problem of prediction Chapter 3: Going beyond what we've seen Chapter 4: The one-shot bet. Chapter 5: From chaos to pandemonium Chapter 6: The curse of bigger and better computers Chapter 7: Talking at cross purposes Chapter 8: Not just of academic interest Section 2 Challenge 1: How to balance justified arrogance with essential humility. Chapter 9 - Stepping up to the task of prediction Chapter 10 The Times They Are A Changin' Chapter 11 Starting from scratch Chapter 12 Are scientists being asked to answer impossible questions? Challenge 2: Tying down what we mean by climate and climate change. Chapter 13 The essence of climate Chapter 14 A Walk in Three Dimensions Chapter 15 A walk in three dimensions over a two dimensional sea Challenge 3: When is a study with a climate model a study of climate change? Chapter 16 Climate change in climate models Challenge 4: How can we measure what climate is now and how it has changed? Chapter 17 Measuring climate change Challenge 5: How can we relate what happens in a model to what will happen in reality? Chapter 18 - Can climate models be realistic? Chapter 19 More models, better information? Chapter 20 How bad is too bad? Challenge 6: How can we use today's climate science well? Chapter 21 - What we do with what we've got Challenge 7: Getting a grip on the scale of future changes in climate? Chapter 22 - Stuff of the Genesis myth Chapter 23 Things ... can only get hotter Challenge 8: How can we use the information we have, or could have, to design a future that is better than it would otherwise be? Chapter 24 - Making it personal Chapter 25 - Where physics and economics meet. Challenge 9: How can we build physical and social science that is up to the task of informing society about what matters for society? Chapter 26 - Controlling factors. Chapter 27 - Beyond comprehension? No, just new challenges for human intellect.

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Book SynopsisFrom leading climate scientist Dr. Friederike Otto, this gripping book reveals the revolutionary science that definitively links extreme weather events—including deadly heat waves, forest fires, floods, and hurricanes—to climate change.“Meet the forensic scientists of climate change; if you like CSI, you’ll be equally enthralled with the skill and speed these folks exhibit. But the stakes are infinitely higher!” —Bill McKibben, author of Falter and The End of NatureTied with Hurricane Katrina as the costliest cyclone on record, Hurricane Harvey caused catastrophic flooding and over a hundred deaths in 2017. Angry Weather tells the compelling, day-by-day story of the World Weather Attribution unit—a team of scientists that studies extreme weather events while they’re happening—and their race to track the connection between the hurricane and climate change. As the hurricane unfolds, Otto reveals how attribution science works in real time, and determines that Harvey’s terrifying floods were three times more likely to occur due to human-induced climate change.At the forefront of cutting-edge climate science, Friederike Otto uncovers how the new ability to determine climate change’s role in extreme weather events can dramatically transform how we view the climate crisis: from how it will affect those of us who are most vulnerable, to the corporations and governments that may find themselves held accountable in the courts. The research laid out in Angry Weather will have profound impacts, both today and for the future of humankind.Published in Partnership with the David Suzuki Institute.Trade Review"A good overview of the climate-change issue, the evolution of climate change in the industrial era, the politics over the issue, and the responsibilities of the industrialized world—in particular, corporations and governments—to help repair the damage. The result is a most timely book."—Booklist"For the fact-minded, Otto's arguments are incontrovertible."—Kirkus Reviews"This elegant new branch of climate science [will] have profound implications for public policy and planning, and will lead to even more useful research in the future."—Vancouver Sun"Angry Weather is all about science, but it is not all technical. It is a readable book for those who have limited knowledge of weather and climate systems. Otto provides succinct scientific explanations throughout the book to ensure her main points are supported by science but still understandable and relevant to the main message."—Alternatives Journal"Attribution science—climate forensics, or reverse engineering—is a new discipline explained in this book with passion and verve by one of its creators. Fredi Otto is destined to be one of those rare scientists whose name becomes well known in the wider world."—Mark Denny, author of Making Sense of Weather and Climate: The Science Behind the Forecasts"Angry Weather introduces us to the forensic scientists of climate change; if you like to watch CSI, you'll be equally enthralled with the skill and speed these folks exhibit. But the stakes are infinitely higher!"—Bill McKibben, author of Falter: Has the Human Game Begun to Play Itself Out?"[A] thrilling work of nonfiction... If readers were holding any doubt about climate's effects on weather before picking up this book, that doubt will be eviscerated before the last gripping page."—Literary Hub"This fascinating book takes us on a voyage across the cutting edge of climate science that irrevocably alters our perspective of the world in which we live and the future it holds. I wish I could make this book required reading for the world."—Katharine Hayhoe, UN Champion of the Earth

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Book Synopsis''Hope Jahren asks the central question of our time: how can we learn to live on a finite planet? The Story of More is thoughtful, informative and - above all - essential'' Elizabeth Kolbert, author of The Sixth ExtinctionHope Jahren is an award-winning geobiologist, a brilliant writer, an inspiring teacher, and one of the seven billion people with whom we share this earth. In The Story of More, Jahren illuminates the link between human consumption habits and our imperiled planet. In short, highly readable chapters, she takes us through the science behind the key inventions - from electric power to large-scale farming and automobiles - that, even as they help us, release untenable amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. She explains the current and projected consequences of greenhouse gases - from superstorms to rising sea levels - and the actions that all of us can take to fight back. At once an explainer on the mechanisms of warmiTrade ReviewA superb account of the deadly struggle between humanity and what may prove the only life-bearing planet within ten light years, written in a brilliantly sardonic and conversational style -- E. O. WilsonHope Jahren is an awesome writer and scientist. Her new book, The Story of More, is captivating and compelling. She urges readers to be courageous dealing with global environmental changes and human population growthHope Jahren asks the central question of our time: how can we learn to live on a finite planet? The Story of More is thoughtful, informative and - above all - essentialA concise and personal yet universally applicable examination of a problem that affects everyone on planet Earth . . . [Jahren] doesn't use scare tactics or shrill warnings . . . She clearly shows how the amount of waste created by the privileged could provide plenty for those less privileged * Kirkus Reviews *Hope Jahren's compelling book uses statistics brilliantly to provoke self-examination. In sections on 'Life', 'Food', 'Energy' and 'Earth', it illuminates subjects from population growth to melting glaciers * Nature *

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Book SynopsisMost people would probably agree on what should be done to avert severe climate change: The world must reduce CO2 emissions as much and as quickly as possible. But we must also ask what will be done. Is it realistic to expect worldwide emissions to fall rapidly enough to prevent severe climate change? And if we conclude it is not realistic, and so higher temperatures and rising sea levels are likely, what should we do? What actions should we take now to reduce the likely impact of climate change? Whatever climate policies are adopted, there will be a great deal of uncertainty over what will happen as a result. In Climate Future, Robert Pindyck, an authority on the economics of climate change and global catastrophes, explains what we know and what we don''t know about the extent of climate change and its impact, why there is so much uncertainty, and what it means for climate policy. This book shows that given the economic and political realities, it is simply not realistic to expect emiTrade Reviewthe author concedes the need to address climate change as soon as possible to avert far greater costs of future climate heating. * Mary Ellen Harte, Quarterly Review of Biology *One of the best books ever written about climate change. Pindyck brilliantly lays out how much we don't know, and why we don't know it. He also shows what we need to do, amidst all those question marks. (Hint: Adapt!) Intriguing and wise-and indispensable. * Cass R. Sunstein, Robert Walmsley University Professor, Harvard, and author of Averting Catastrophe *Very different from the many other books that exist on this matter, which are either painting a totally unrealistic happy ecological transition or overly techno-optimistic, Climate Future generates an important new message: Risk management must be a key tool for optimizing our climate policies. * Christian Gollier, Director, Toulouse School of Economics, and co-author of the 4th and 5th Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports *With greatly increasing attention being given to global climate change, there has been an explosion of books and articles, some of which are worthwhile reading. But Robert Pindyck's new book is one that must be read-whether by scholars, policy makers, journalists, or the interested public. It provides a reality check by honestly and methodically assessing what we know and what we don't know about climate change and the possibilities of averting and adapting to it. Pindyck is a world-class economist, at the top of his game, and a leader in the area of energy and environmental economics. His book is solid yet fresh, broad yet deep, and ultimately of tremendous value. * Robert N. Stavins, A. J. Meyer Professor of Energy and Economic Development, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University *Pindyck (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) describes in detail the impact of changing carbon dioxide levels on Earth's temperature and why greenhouse gases have this effect on the environment. The premise of his argument is to examine what policies at the national and international levels could avert the temperature increase and what potential strategies exist for adapting to the changing climate. Pindyck clearly shows that no single policy or strategy will change the climate trajectory and that a comprehensive approach across all sectors of the economy that includes reducing emissions and energy demand, adopting conservation practices that reduce energy demand, and utilizing different forms of energy is required. * Choice *Table of ContentsINTRODUCTION 1.1 Averting and Adapting: The Basic Argument 1.2 What Is Adaptation? 1.2.1 Concerns about Adaptation 1.2.2 Carbon Removal and Sequestration 1.3 What Comes Next 1.4 Further Readings CHAPTER 2: THE FUNDAMENTAL PROBLEM 2.1 A Few Facts and Numbers 2.2 An Optimistic Scenario 2.3 The Bottom Line 2.4 Further Readings CHAPTER 3: WHAT WE KNOWAND DON'T KNOWABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE 3.1 The Social Cost of Carbon 3.2 Climate Change Basics 3.3 What We Know (or Sort of Know) 3.3.1 What Drives CO2 Emissions? 3.3.2 What Drives the Atmospheric CO2 Concentration? 3.4 What We Don't Know 3.4.1 Climate Sensitivity 3.4.2 The Impact of Climate Change 3.4.3 A Catastrophic Outcome 3.5 Further Readings CHAPTER 4: THE ROLE OF UNCERTAINTY IN CLIMATE POLICY 4.1 Implications of Uncertainty 4.1.1 The Treatment of Uncertainty 4.1.2 How Does Uncertainty Affect Climate Policy? 4.1.3 The Value of Climate Insurance 4.1.4 The Effects of Irreversibilities 4.2 Further Readings 4.3 Appendix to Chapter 4: Effects of Irreversibilities CHAPTER 5: CLIMATE POLICY AND CLIMATE CHANGE: WHAT CAN WE EXPECT? 5.1 CO2 Emission Reductions 5.1.1 The United States 5.1.2 The U.K. and Europe 5.1.3 China 5.1.4 The Global Picture 5.2 CO2, Methane, and Temperature Change 5.2.1 The Warming Effect of CO2 Emissions 5.2.2 Methane Emissions 5.2.3 The Warming Effect of Methane Emissions 5.3 Temperature Change Scenarios 5.3.1 Changes in Temperature 5.3.2 Implications of Uncertainty 5.4 Rising Sea Levels 5.5 Summary 5.6 Further Readings 5.7 Appendix to Chapter 5: Temperature Scenarios CHAPTER 6: WHAT TO DO: REDUCING NET EMISSIONS 6.1 How to Reduce Emissions 6.1.1 A Carbon Price 6.1.2 Government Subsidies 6.1.3 Government Mandates 6.1.4 Cap-and-Trade 6.1.5 How Large a Carbon Tax? 6.1.6 An International Agreement 6.1.7 Research & Development 6.2 Nuclear Power 6.3 Removing Carbon 6.3.1 Trees, Forests, and CO2 6.3.2 Carbon Removal and Sequestration 6.3.3 The Bottom Line 6.4 Further Readings CHAPTER 7: WHAT TO DO: ADAPTATION 7.1 Adaptation in Agriculture 7.1.1 What Can the Data Tell Us? 7.1.2 An Historical Experiment 7.1.3 What To Expect? 7.2 Hurricanes, Storms, and Rising Sea Levels 7.2.1 Flooding and Its Impact 7.2.2 Physical Barriers to Flooding 7.2.3 Natural Barriers to Flooding 7.2.4 Private and Public/Private Adaptation 7.2.5 Flood Insurance 7.2.6 Flood Risk in Asia 7.2.7 What to Expect? 7.3 Solar Geoengineering 7.3.1 How It Would Work 7.3.2 How Much Would It Cost? 7.3.3 Problems with Solar Geoengineering 7.3.4 What to Do? 7.4 Can Adaptation Solve Our Climate Problem? 7.5 Climate Future 7.6 Further Readings Bibliography

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Book SynopsisA “smart, honest, and down-to-earth” (Elizabeth Kolbert) citizen’s guide to the seven urgent changes that will really make a difference for our climate. If you think the only thing you can do to combat climate change is to install a smart thermostat or cook plant-based meat, you’re thinking too small. In The Big Fix, energy policy advisor Hal Harvey and longtime New York Times reporter Justin Gillis offer a new, hopeful way to engage with one of the greatest problems of our age. Writing in a lively, accessible style, the pair illuminate how the really big decisions that affect our climate get made—whether by the most obscure public utilities commissions or in the lofty halls of state capitols—and reveal how each of us can influence these decisions to deliver change. The pair focus on the seven areas of our political economy where ambitious but practical changes will have the greatest effect: from what kind of power plants to build to how much insulation new houses require to how efficient cars must be before they’re allowed on the road. Equal parts pragmatic and inspiring—and “full of illustrative stories and compelling evidence” (Al Gore)—The Big Fix provides an action plan for anyone serious about holding our governments accountable and saving our threatened planet.Trade Review“Full of illustrative stories and compelling evidence, The Big Fix outlines an ambitious yet feasible guide for addressing the climate crisis. Business leaders, activists, and policymakers at all levels will find inspiration from the pragmatic approaches outlined in this book.” —Al Gore, chairman of The Climate Reality Project, chairman of Generation Investment Management, and former vice president of the United States “Smart, honest, and down-to-earth, The Big Fix addresses the crucial issue of our time: how citizens can compel action on climate change.” —Elizabeth Kolbert, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Sixth Extinction and Under a White Sky“Nobody grasps climate policy—and what can actually work—better than Hal Harvey. Nobody elucidates climate science better than Justin Gillis. Together, they offer a bold blueprint for saving a habitable Earth.” —John Doerr, chairman of venture capital film Kleiner Perkins and author of Speed & Scale“A truly comprehensive—and entirely comprehensible—guide to the things we can and must do to transform our use of energy. This book will be of great use to anyone who wants to participate in the greatest technological revolution in human history.” —Bill McKibben, a founder of grassroots climate-campaign group 350.org and author of The Flag, the Cross, and the Station Wagon“[Harvey and] Gillis make fighting climate change feel a bit less intimidating in this down-to-earth look at ways the average citizen can make a difference… a useful guide for budding activists.” —Publishers Weekly

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Book SynopsisIntelligent laypersons are bewildered when faced with the complexity of climate change. Economics can give them a powerful tool to think clearly about the problem and to make up their own mind. The new-generation economics models are painting a radically different and exciting picture of the best course of climate action.Table of Contents1. Introduction; 2. The facts on the ground; 3. Deep changes; 4. How economists think about climate change; 5. How economists look at choice; 6. How utility theory works; 7. From choice to utility; 8. What are integrated assessment models?; 9. How much should we care about future generations? 10. Growth; 11. Population; 12. So, what should we do? 13. Taking the dirty stuff out; 14 The role of nuclear energy; 15. Constraints; 16. The plumbing; 17. Unfinished business.

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Book SynopsisA sharp vision of our changing world order as Covid and climate breakdown usher in a new ‘survival of the fittest’. How well have different cultures and societies responded, and could this become a turning point in the flow of history? Before Covid, a new competition was already arising between alternative geopolitical models–but the context of this clash wasn’t yet clear. What if it takes place on neutral ground? In a state of nature, with few or no political rules, amid quickly evolving chaos? When the greatest threat to national security is no longer other states, but the environment itself, which countries might rise to the top? This book explores how Covid-19 has already transformed the global system, and how it serves as a prelude to a planet afflicted by climate change. Bruno Maçães is one of the first to see the pandemic as the dawn of a new strategic era, heralding a profoundly changed world-political landscape. Cover image: Ludwig Meidner, ‘Apocalyptic City’, 1913. © Ludwig Meidner-Archiv, Jüdisches Museum der Stadt Frankfurt am MainTrade Review'Perceptive.' -- The Economist'Refreshing.' -- Simon Jenkins, New Statesman'Provocative and original.' -- Gideon Rachman, Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent, Financial Times'Endlessly inventive, restlessly cosmopolitan, Bruno Macaes has written an essential book with which to think about the Covid crisis and its implications for our future.' -- Professor Adam Tooze, historian and author of 'Crashed: How a Decade of Financial Crises Changed the World''With typical panache, Macaes set out the story of what went wrong when Covid-19 spread around the world--and why. Gripping, terrifying and revealing in equal measures.' -- Professor Peter Frankopan, author of 'The Silk Roads: A New History of the World''2020 was the true start of the twenty-first century, marking the death of an old world, and a recognition that new ideas in culture, politics, science and technology have become possible. Macaes does an excellent job of taking us through some core themes of the world to come.' -- Vitalik Buterin, founder of Ethereum and Bitcoin Magazine'Travelling through Covid exposes the reality of our leaders and lives. Maçães shows us why that matters not just for the pandemic but for life itself. This is a compelling polemic worth reading slowly, during another lockdown, perhaps.' -- Tom Tugendhat, Conservative MP for Tonbridge and Malling'An important book. Bruno Macaes once again asks the crucial questions.' -- Ece Temelkuran, journalist, novelist, political commentator and author of 'How to Lose a Country: The 7 Steps from Democracy to Dictatorship'

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Book SynopsisThis thoroughly revised third edition offers comprehensive coverage of the economics of climate change and climate policy, and is a suitable guide for advanced undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral students. Topics discussed include the costs and benefits of adaptation and mitigation, discounting, uncertainty, equity, policy instruments, the second best, and international agreements.Key features: In-depth treatment of the economics of climate change Careful explanation of concepts and their application to climate policy Customizable integrated assessment model that illustrates all issues discussed Specific usage guidelines for each level of reader Companion website with data, quizzes, videos, and further reading Discussion of the latest developments in theory and policy Greater attention to policy and market imperfections than in the second edition. This book is an essential text for students in economics, climate change, and environmental policy, an excellent resource for researchers and practitioners, and a key text to support professors in their teaching.Trade Review‘Richard Tol is not only a leading researcher but also a gifted educator. His textbook Climate Economics has established itself as the leading textbook for undergraduate and postgraduate students. It provides the reader with a thorough grounding in the economics of climate change written in an accessible style.’ -- David Maddison, University of Birmingham, UK‘This book is both a comprehensive course and a reference to the all-important economics of climate change. It does for climate economics what Julia Child did for French Cooking: make it accessible to the serious student.’ -- Maximilian Auffhammer, University of California, Berkeley, US‘Richard S.J. Tol has written a must-read book for anyone caring about the sustainable development of this planet. This book is a delightful guide full of important information for those of us who want to dedicate ourselves to climate economics, so that human society can develop in an environmentally friendly manner.’ -- Lin Bo Qiang, Xiamen University, China

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Book SynopsisBravely challenging the Establishment consensus forensically argued' - Mail on SundayThe British government has embarked on an ambitious and legally-binding climate change target: reduce the country's greenhouse gas emissions to Net Zero by 2050. The Net Zero policy was subject to almost no parliamentary or public scrutiny, and is universally approved by our political class. But what will its consequences be?Ross Clark argues that it is a terrible mistake, an impractical hostage to fortune which will have massive downsides. Achieving the target is predicated on the rapid development of technologies that are either non-existent, highly speculative or untested. Clark shows that efforts to achieve the target will inevitably result in a huge hit to living standards, which will clobber the poorest hardest, and gift a massive geopolitical advantage to hostile superpowers such as China and Russia. The unrealistic and rigid timetable it imposes could also result in our committing to technologies which turn out to be ineffective, all while distracting ourselves from the far more important objective of adaptation.This hard-hitting polemic provides a timely critique of a potentially devastating political consensus which could hobble Britain's economy, cost billions and not even be effective.

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Book SynopsisA dominant, human-centered worldview has brought us to the brink of social, ecological, and climate collapse. Braiding poetic storytelling, deep cultural and climate justice analyses, and knowledge of Earth-centered cultures, The Story is in Our Bones opens a portal to restoration and justice beyond the end of a world.Trade Review"Highly recommended" —Library Journal "Filled with countless examples of women and Indigenous people reclaiming their power, The Story Is in Our Bones shares a hopeful, creative vision for Earth’s future" —Foreword Reviews "These pages summon from our bones our commitment to defend this living Earth. I bow to Osprey in deepest respect and gratitude for her years of inspired activism and this brilliant book." —Joanna Macy, environmental activist, scholar, Buddhism, general systems theory, and deep ecology, author, Coming Back to Life and Active Hope, and featured, A Wild Love for the World: Joanna Macy and the Work of Our Time "Osprey Orielle Lake has given us a magnificent book loaded with knowledge, wisdom, and fine story-telling. In it she lays out a tapestry of multiple pathways that unite to demand humility in our relationship with Mother Earth. The book exposes colonialism, imperialism, racism, capitalism, and patriarchal systems as the underlying factors that have fostered an extractivist, ecologically degrading mindset that drives the current polycrisis. With lavish examples of traditional ecological knowledge, reciprocal economic and governance frameworks, and new narratives, The Story is in Our Bones does not leave the reader exasperated and helpless—it is an empowering call for action." —Nnimmo Bassey , author, To Cook a Continent: Destructive Extraction and the Climate Crisis in Africa, Right Livelihood Award winner "As a young Indigenous woman, it is important to me that we consider all the complex intersections of colonialism, racism, patriarchy, capitalism, and ecocide while building a better world. This incredibly important and timely book includes the memory and knowledge of how we can live in balance with nature, which still lives on in Indigenous communities and is crucial to solving the multiple crises we are facing!" —Helena Gualinga (Kichwa from Sarayaku), Indigenous youth climate leader, Ecuadorian Amazon "The Story is in Our Bones is a remarkable achievement, a rich read, and one surely not to miss. For anyone who wonders—as I often do—how on Earth we're going to navigate the seemingly intractable confluence of crises, this extraordinary book offers a very potent recipe, spanning culture, global systemic change, sense-making, and remembrance of our Earth legacy. The book resonates from mind to belly to bones." —Nina Simons, co-founder, chief relationship officer, Bioneers "Osprey Orielle Lake guides us on a majestic journey of sense making for the 21st century as we attempt to emerge from emergency. She leads us through the importance of adopting a systems approach that fosters new economic models and the need to value nature and climate justice. The resounding message throughout this book is to act with urgency and purpose in these times of interlocking crises." —Sandrine Dixson-Declève, co-president, The Club of Rome, co-author, Earth for All "In this beautifully written book, The Story is in Our Bones offers a frank acknowledgment of the Anthropocene that serves as a vital, yet sober grounding in what we should already know but many are in denial to fully admit. At the same time, Osprey skillfully weaves history, mythology, anthropology, climate and earth science, sociology, and spirituality to illustrate the central message. Capitalism and colonialism have gotten us on this path of catastrophic climate change, but as she says, they can be transformed. Whether it is learning from ancestors from Ukraine, movements like Via Campesina, or women foresters from the Democratic Republic of Congo, the path to a Just Transition and healthy ways of living like Buen Vivir, are rooted in interconnection and in learning from the story. If we do this, we all thrive, nestled in the bosom of Mother Earth." —Jacqui Patterson, founder, executive director, The Chisholm Legacy Project "This book traces luminous threads of possibility away from extractive collapse, coalescing back into reciprocity with sovereign living processes. Osprey Orielle Lake reminds us of the ancient lineage of regeneration, alive in our cells, awakening now in sacred form and practical action, in just the right places and forms to bring down the planetary fever." —Stuart Cowan, executive director, Buckminster Fuller Institute, co-author, Ecological Design "In this landmark offering, Lake, a tireless campaigner for a just and vibrant world, gives voice to those who have long been marginalized by the dominant culture: Indigenous and Black women from around the world along with the multitudes of our nonhuman relatives. At its core, this marvelous wide-ranging book takes us on a deep dive into root causes of our polycrisis and with flair and scholarship delivers a roadmap toward cultural transformation." —Jeremy Lent, author, The Web of Meaning and The Patterning Instinct "Reading this book in these dark times of increasing ecological destruction, is like being a salmon in the depths who scents the stream of origin that will guide it home. Osprey Orielle Lake speaks with great wisdom and scholarship—interweaving her exquisite sensitivity for the voice of the wild with her vast experience as a movement leader, and the knowledge of the many frontline communities she stands with. Reassuring us that the wisdom of our Earth-loving ancestors is still within us, Osprey shows how people all over the world are rising to defend Earth and bring more just and ecologically benign societies into being." —Cormac Cullinan, author, Wild Law: A Manifesto for Earth Justice, director, Wild Law Institute "Osprey Orielle Lake, in her magnificent The Story is in our Bones, offers us a new cosmology and a new lens with which to see reality. By combining the wisdom in Indigenous origin stories from around the planet with modern ecological knowledge, her work awakens a radical imagination capable of ushering forth a vibrant Earth Community. If you read her book and dwell in its wisdom, you will soon find yourself in the next era of your creative life." —Brian Thomas Swimme, author, Cosmogenesis: An Unveiling of the Expanding Universe, director, Human Energy "This is a very valuable book. It delves deep into what we can and must learn from both Indigenous worldviews and the natural world that has helped inform them, and it does so without sentimentality or rancor; in so doing, it opens a number of paths for everyone trying to think more wisely about how we can inhabit a planet in fundamental crisis. It would best be read not as an intellectual exercise but as a guidebook to real change." —Bill McKibben, author, The End of Nature, founder, Third Act "This is a profound and much-needed book. I am grateful to Osprey Orielle Lake for presenting an in-depth analysis of the root causes of the ecological crises we face and for paths forward to secure the future of humanity in harmony with nature. With gorgeous poetics and precise logic, the chapters show us how to build a thriving future informed by radical imagination, science, Indigenous People's wisdom, and principles of climate justice. Simply stunning. " —Farhana Yamin, lawyer, climate activist, Honorary Fellow, Somerville College, Oxford UniversityTable of ContentsAuthor's Note Foreword By Casey Camp-Horinek, Ponca Nation, Environmental Ambassador and Hereditary Drum Keeper of the Ponca Tribe Part I: Entering the Terrain Chapter 1: Worldviews Are a Portal Chapter 2: The Story Is in Our Bones: Origin Stories to Remake our World Chapter 3: Ancient Trees and Ancestral Warnings Chapter 4: A Visionary Declaration from the Amazon Part II: Dismantling Patriarchy, Racism, and the Myth of Whiteness: Ancient Mother and Women Rising Chapter 5: She Rises Chapter 6: Tracing and Healing the Assault on Women Chapter 7: Listening to Black and Indigenous Women, and Debunking the Myth of Whiteness Chapter 8: Worldviews of Our Ancestral Lineages Part III: Reciprocity: A Thousandfold Act of Responsibility and Love Chapter 9: Offering and Tending to the Land Chapter 10: Composting the Cultural Toxins of Colonization and Capitalism Chapter 11: Reciprocal Relationships with People and Land Part IV: Living in Balance with the Natural Laws of the Earth Chapter 12: Rights of Nature: A Systemic Solution Part V: The Land Is Speaking: Language, Memory, and a Storied Living Landscape Chapter 13: Worldviews Conjured by Words Chapter 14: Songlines Through the Landscape Chapter 15: Building a Relationship with the Storied Land Reader's Guide and Resources Acknowledgments Credits Endnotes Index About the Author About the Publisher

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Book SynopsisThe first major book to deal with the dual crises of democracy and climate change as one interrelated threat to the human future and to identify a path forward.Democracy in a Hotter Time calls for reforming democratic institutions as a prerequisite for avoiding climate chaos and adapting governance to how Earth works as a physical system. To survive in the “long emergency” ahead, we must reform and strengthen democratic institutions, making them assets rather than liabilities. Edited by David W. Orr, this vital collection of essays proposes a new political order that will not only help humanity survive but also enable us to thrive in the transition to a post–fossil fuel world.Orr gathers leading scholars, public intellectuals, and political leaders to address the many problems confronting our current political systems. Few other books have taken a systems view of the effects of a rapidly destabilizing climate on our laws and governance or

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Book SynopsisAn Independent Climate Book of the Year 2023 In this sweeping work of science and history, the renowned climate scientist and author of The New Climate War shows us the conditions on Earth that allowed humans not only to exist but thrive, and how they are imperiled if we veer off course. For the vast majority of its 4.54 billion years, Earth has proven it can manage just fine without human beings. Then came the first proto-humans, who emerged just a little more than 2 million years ago — a fleeting moment in geological time. What is it that made this benevolent moment of ours possible? Ironically, it’s the very same thing that now threatens us — climate change. Climate variability has at times created new niches that humans or their ancestors could potentially exploit, and challenges that at times have spurred innovation. But the conditions that allowed humans to live on this earth are fragile, incredibly so. There’s a relatively narrow envelope of climate variability within which human civilisation remains viable. And our survival depends on conditions remaining within that range. In this book, renowned climate scientist Michael Mann arms readers with the knowledge necessary to appreciate the gravity of the unfolding climate crisis, while emboldening them — and others — to act before it truly does become too late. Trade Review‘This is a gently radical book, which clearly depicts the beauty of the planet we call home.’ -- Megan Kenyon * New Statesman *‘This detailed and yet marvellously readable look at our climatic past offers us the information we need to understand our climatic future — and more importantly, to act to shape that future in the here and now.’ -- Bill McKibben, author of The End of Nature‘Reading Our Fragile Moment is like taking a spectacular hike through billions of years of Earth’s climate history with one of the great scientists of our time. Oh look — there’s the meteor that wiped out the dinosaurs! There’s the great ocean conveyor! There’s the Rossby waves! When you reach the summit of Mann’s wonderful book, you will understand just how rare and beautiful our moment is — and why we need to fight harder to protect it.’ -- Jeff Goodell, author of The Heat Will Kill You First‘Mann has masterfully woven the climate story from our past to the future. Drawing upon a wealth of data, research, and expertise, he slays the persistent zombie theories that climate scientists ignore historical context.’ -- Dr Marshall Shepherd, international expert in weather and climate, and Distinguished Professor of Geography and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Georgia‘A gripping tale of Earth’s climate history, this book is a must-read for every global citizen. It dispels common climate myths with surgical clarity and provides an essential roadmap to understanding our past and choosing our future.’ -- Katharine Hayhoe, climate scientist, Distinguished Professor at Texas Tech University, UN Champion of the Earth, and author of Saving Us‘Mann shows that over the last few hundreds of millions of years, Earth has been snowball cold, tropic hot, rainforest wet, and desert dry. Its atmosphere has been oxygen poor, oxygen rich, or choked with deadly gas. But Earth has never been through anything quite like humankind. Our current comfortable climate is disappearing — because of us. It’s cause for thundering alarm, but is not cause for despair or doomist gloom. It’s time for action. Don’t believe me? Read this book.’ -- Bill Nye, science educator and CEO of The Planetary Society‘Written with clarity, brevity, and wit, Mann presents a riveting and instructive narrative of Earth’s climate changes to help us navigate this new epoch of human-altered climate. This honest, informed look at planetary history serves as both a defence against doomism and a call to action to forge a livable world that is still well within our grasp.’ -- David Grinspoon, astrobiologist and author of Earth in Human Hands‘Deeply-researched, sprawling in scope, and with insights and surprises on every page. This is the sort of historical understanding that leads to wisdom.’ -- Seth Godin, Founding Editor of The Carbon Almanac‘Mann has a tremendous depth of knowledge about the history of our planet’s climate, which is why his words of warning and optimism are so important. This book provides important lessons from humanity’s past to empower readers to help protect our future.’ -- Former US Vice President Al Gore‘In this sober warning, Mann … examines epochal climate events of the past to underscore the current threat posed by global warming … this enlightens even as it unsettles.’ * Publishers Weekly *‘A renowned climatologist and science journalist casts a hard eye on the probability that climate change is irreversible … An evenhanded take on a crucial topic. While our goose may not be cooked, it’s still time to reduce the heat.’ * Kirkus Reviews *‘“Are we doomed?” This is the question Michael Mann explores in his latest book on the climate crisis … Mann cuts through the noise of panic and denial, presenting an argument that errs surprisingly on the side of hope. But the hope that Mann endorses is not the passive kind; rather, it is an urgent motivator for taking accountability. This book is a compelling call to action.’ -- Cheryl Akle * The Weekend Australian *‘Timely.’ -- Jason Steger * The Sydney Morning Herald *‘For history buffs, aspiring paleoclimatologists or anyone interested in our planet’s past, Michael Mann’s book will make a perfect addition to their bookshelf … Instead of just examining the climate crisis as it is now, Mr Mann guides the reader through a history of the global climate and how climate change across the millennia has impacted societies of the past.’ -- Katie Hawkinson * Yahoo News *‘A sweeping work of science and history.’ -- Duncan Ashcroft * Environment Times *Praise for The New Climate War: ‘Mann’s voice is especially powerful on the subject.’ -- David Montgomery * The Washington Post *Praise for The New Climate War: ‘Mann has combined the roles of groundbreaking scientific researcher, compelling popular communicator, and courageous activist in a way few have since Carl Sagan. His latest book, The New Climate War, provides a thoughtful perspective on the forces impeding meaningful climate action.’ -- David Carlin * Forbes *

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Book SynopsisThis book examines the growing role and importance of 'Protection Gap Entities' (PGEs). The authors use practical examples from different countries to explain how PGEs step in to maintain disaster insurance and how their work can, but does not always, improve financial and physical resilience to disaster.Trade ReviewAs the rising frequency, severity and variety of catastrophic loss events challenge the efficacy - and perhaps even the relevance - of the traditional insurance model, the authors identify and analyze a diverse set of promising but ad hoc collaborative programs for managing catastrophe risks. From this survey emerges a practical framework through which governments, the private sector, and impacted communities may constructively engage to develop holistic and sustainable solutions to some of today's most difficult-to-insure risks. * Jason Schupp, Founder & Managing Member, Center for Better Insurance *How can individuals, cities and societies insure against increasingly extreme disasters? Protection Gap Entities, as organizational innovations created between market and state, are an answer. This important and superbly clear book shows how PGEs aim to correct insurance market disequilibrium and to re-imagine insurability in a riskier world. Based on immersion in PGEs across the globe, the authors demonstrate the varied operational challenges they face as they try to save insurance from its own paradoxes. But this is much more than a book about insurance; its subject matter is urgent and existential. For this reason, it should be read widely by social scientists and policymakers * Michael Power, Professor of Accounting, London School of Economics and Political Science *Who pays for our increasing global disasters? This brilliantly researched book highlights how this complex problem depends on a fine-tuned balancing of paradoxical tensions. Anyone that wants to make more transparent the hidden realities of disaster responses, financial markets and the paradoxical tensions that inform them must read this book * Wendy Smith. Dana J. Johnson Professor of Management, University of Delaware *This timely book is essential reading for anybody with a stake in insurability at a time of intensifying natural disasters: from risk specialists to those interested in building resilient systems in the face of climate change, such as governments, development and humanitarian organizations. The way the authors discuss Protection Gap Entities (PGEs) via interlinked paradoxes is illuminating. Readers will learn to appreciate the fine balance on which insurance is built, encompassing questions of knowledge, responsibility, and market structure. I would use the authors' conceptual framework not only to discuss specialist topics around disaster insurability, but also to teach insurance fundamentals to diverse audiences, from technical experts to policymakers. * Andreas Tsanakas, Professor of Risk Management, City, University of London *Many have observed the limitations of private insurance when it comes to financial protection from disasters. When people face disasters without insurance, harm and heartache multiplies. With this book, we finally have the tools to understand why those limitations exist and the critical role played by Protection Gap Entities (PGEs) when those limitations cannot be overcome by the private sector alone. This book is essential reading; not only for what it teaches us about the complex landscape of insurance today, but also for the ways it pushes us to think creatively about how to build more sustainable and humane forms of social protection in the future. A timely, stimulating, major contribution. * Rebecca Elliott, London School of Economics and Political Science *The frequency and intensity of weather extremes is increasing due to climate change. Most affected regions are well advised to establish new and strengthen already existing disaster risk pooling arrangements. The book provides strong evidence for the effectiveness of Protection Gap Entities (PGEs) in helping close the disaster loss gap, not least as they comprehensively convene risk owners and often incentivise prevention and preparedness. A must read for decision makers aiming to strengthen disaster resilience in a comprehensive and sustainable fashion * David N. Bresch, Professor for Weather and Climate Risks, ETH Zurich / MeteoSwiss *This book is essential and riveting reading for policymakers and risk professionals interested in how we build financial and physical resilience to disasters. It provides a ground-breaking exposition of the vital role public-private partnerships (Protection Gap Entities - PGEs) play in covering insurance protection gaps. It provides an insightful tour of developed and developing insurance markets confronting disasters from earthquake, flood, cyclone, and drought to terrorism. Based on an unprecedented multi-stakeholder dataset from 17 PGEs providing disaster insurance in 49 countries, Paula and her co-authors explain why PGEs are established, how they evolve, and imagine what future role they can play in enabling insurability in the face of escalating risk. * Julian Enoizi, Global Head of Public Sector Practice, Guy Carpenter *In face of extreme weather, terrorist attacks, seismological disasters, financial collapse, and other calamities, how can we do disaster insurance well? This timely and deeply researched book, based on hundreds of interviews and hours of fieldwork across multiple countries, provides essential learning lessons for academics and practitioners alike. An outstanding contribution to unveiling the complexities of the disaster insurance system, it also illuminates crucially how cross-sector collaborations can be leveraged to bring about economic stability and greater equity. * Nina Bandelj, Chancellor's Professor, University of California, Irvine *This book reimagines disaster insurance at times where the world is facing compounding crises that can further widen the protection gap. As the climate and disaster risk finance and insurance landscape is quickly evolving, especially in emerging markets and developing economies, this book provides the reader with the right tools to understand how protection gap entities can help governments, firms and households access disaster insurance solutions and reduce the protection gap. * Olivier Mahul, Global Lead and Program Manager, Disaster Risk Financing and Insurance Program, World Bank *Disaster Insurance Reimagined: Protection in a Time of Increasing Risk is a must-read book for all catastrophe insurance professionals and all others interested in the role insurance can play in dealing with the growing loss from both the rise in exposure and climate change. Clever and easy to read, this work provides framework, sets the issues at stake and makes explicit the underlying philosophy by which catastrophe insurance is provided in very different jurisdictions. * Francisco Espejo Gil, Consorcio de Compensacion de Seguros *Table of Contents1: Protection Gap Entities: Saving insurance from itself? 2: Paradoxes of origination: Between too little and too much knowledge 3: Shouldering the burden: Who controls the market and has responsibility for protection? 4: Problem solved? Between static remits and evolving environments 5: Limiting loss: Between financial and physical resilience 6: Reimagining disaster insurance: Towards a new equilibrium Appendix A: The disaster risk transfer process Appendix B: Methodology Glossary

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Book SynopsisBreathing with the Climate Crisis offers a hopeful narrative about the climate crisis, a new, different perspective that could unleash the courage to act. Young people and farmers from the East, South, North and West asked at a world biodynamic conference, How can we find our own breath? Do we need more facts? More head? More heart? Feeling? Poetry?' Theysuggest that you begin with your own inquiry process, ask yourself your burning questions'. Think further. Also, think with your head, heart and hands

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Book SynopsisA BBC Radio 4 Book of the WeekMagnificent' GuardianRemarkable A compact classic!' Bill McKibbenI learned something new and found something amazing on every page' Anthony Doerr, author of All the Light We Cannot SeeFens, bogs, swamps and marine estuaries are the earth's most desirable and dependable resources. Here, Pulitzer Prize winner Annie Proulx brings her witness and research to the vitally important role they play in preserving the environment, and their systemic destruction in the pursuit of profit. Travelling from the fens of sixteenth-century England to America's Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Fen, Bog and Swamp is both a revelatory history and an urgent plea for wetland reclamation, from one of our greatest prose stylists.A rousing call to action' EsquireSparklingly furious it has a profoundly positive message' Richard Mabey, TelegraphThis haunting tribute is a pleasure to read' Financial TimesTrade Review‘Proulx wants us to see the loss of wetlands – and to appreciate the beauty in these swampy and often stinking places. Boy, does she succeed. The prose is just magnificent, bringing to life hitherto overlooked habitats’ Guardian ‘Proulx’s book is truly peat-ish: layered, learned, feisty, wildly discursive, and most certainly “undulating, dreaming [and] philosophising”’ Richard Mabey, Telegraph ‘A haunting tribute to the world’s peatlands … Proulx’s poetic description of these places, and peat itself, is a pleasure to read’ Financial Times ‘This sobering history of our world’s rich wetlands explains the chilling ecological consequences of their destruction’ New York Times Book Review ‘An enchanting work of nature writing’ Esquire ‘Delves into the history of peatland destruction and its role in the climate crisis … Proulx uses nimble prose to knit together scientific facts, personal experiences, and literary references while deciphering the nomenclature of these three subtly diverse wetlands which collectively hold the key to human history’ Vogue ‘A fierce declaration of peat’s importance to climate stability and human survival ’ New York Review of Books ‘[Proulx’s] astute and impassioned examinations of all kinds of wetlands … show a new side of the novelist we thought we knew’ Los Angeles Times ‘So often feared, dredged and drained, swamps, bogs and fens (it turns out) are just as vital to our species’ survival on this planet as healthy forests and oceans – perhaps more so. Proulx has written a moving elegy and cri de coeur for our world’s wetlands’ Anthony Doerr, author of All the Light We Cannot See ‘Annie Proulx is, as ever, remarkable – her mind, her heart and her learning take us on an unforgettable and unflinching tour of past and present’ Bill McKibben

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Book SynopsisDana R. Fisher argues that there is a realistic path forward for climate action—but only through mass mobilization that responds to the growing severity and frequency of disastrous events.Trade ReviewIn a crowded landscape of books about climate change, this one stands out by asking two key questions: Have we made enough progress? And what should we do going forward? The answer to the first question is clearly no. Despite three decades of climate negotiations, both the US and the world are far behind where we need to be on climate action, and going forward, we need to be much more organized. Taking a lesson from the history of the civil rights movement, Fisher suggests that we can create a stronger climate movement by building on existing community structures—such as churches and labor unions—and taking advantage of the climate shocks that are already occurring with increasing frequency to channel moral outrage into meaningful action. An important, original, and thought-provoking book. -- Naomi Oreskes, coauthor of The Big Myth: How American Business Taught Us to Loathe Government and Love the Free MarketFew questions could be more important than how to quickly build an effective resistance to the fossil fuel industry; this volume offers some vital clues and insights, and will be a help to many activists! -- Bill McKibben, author of The End of NatureSaving Ourselves is about the great awakening that is happening right now to the risks we face on a rapidly warming planet. Read it and you will understand the history of the climate fight, the forces that are shaping it today, and the challenges the movement will confront as it grows in size and urgency. Saving Ourselves will inspire you take to the streets and fight for a better world. -- Jeff Goodell, author of The Heat Will Kill You First: Life and Death on a Scorched PlanetThere's a growing number of books addressing the climate crisis and we now have a good technical understanding of what we have to do, as a society, to avoid the worst impacts. But there has been much less focus on the—more urgent—question of how to make the required changes happen. Fisher's illuminating and insightful book helps fill this critical gap in our knowledge, and is a must-read for anyone with an interest in a safe future. -- Charlie Gardner, Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, University of KentAt this dangerous climate emergency time, this book gives a path forward showing how necessary good quality social science is and how it can lead the climate activists and movements through the needed tricky and even thorny collective decision making. While living with heavy fossil fuel denial, scientists have stepped up to back up climate activists. Unfortunately, this book shows the complete failure of our institutions to also perform our democratically bestowed duty. For those of us living with the privilege of free press, (also established by civil disobedience), we have a moral responsibility to first listen to the science, acknowledge our public power and act! -- Janine O'Keeffe, Fridays for FutureDr. Fisher has written an informative and thought-provoking work based on her research on climate activism, politics, geopolitics, and the climate crisis. The work is written in a style that is appropriate for scholarly and general readers. A description is provided on the vested interest activities of the fossil fuel industry and the poor reactions to the climate crisis of corporations and politicians. I especially enjoyed the detailed analysis of climate activism and the different types. The work is inspiring to take action, especially climate activism. As her work concludes: “As unfair as it might seem, the future is up to us.” -- Gerald Kutney, Canada's National Observer... Useful insights into the increasingly disruptive climate campaigns spreading around the world. * Financial Times *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments1. No One Else Is Going to Save Us: Understanding the Social Side of the Climate Crisis2. Saving Ourselves Is a Long Game: Why Our Institutions Keep Failing to Act on Climate3. Saving Ourselves Involves Taking Power Back for the People4. Saving Ourselves Won’t Be Popular and Will Be Disruptive5. Saving Ourselves Will Take a Disaster (or Many)Methodological AppendixNotesIndex

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Book SynopsisA Guide on Climate Optimism and Environmental Sustainability Zahra Biabani, a climate activist focused on hope and action, wrote this book to help readers learn why we need to and how we can stay optimistic in the face of the climate crisis. People are doing good things for our planet all over the world…. it's time we highlight it!Change the way you think about the future. The fate of humanity can be daunting, but we don’t need to live in that space. First, we need to change our attitude in order to implement nature based solutions that help mitigate climate change. Good news: there are numerous encouraging environmental trends that will change the way you think about how we can protect the planet. Get to know Zahra Biabani, a climate activist, influencer, CEO, and writer. Zahra’s content focuses on climate hope, optimism, humor, and doing good things. After unexpectedly establishing a career as an online sustainability educator and influencer her junior year at Vanderbilt University, Zahra decided to jump head first into the waters of entrepreneurship and authorship. Climate Optimism is her way to spread hope in the world.Inside, you’ll find: A comprehensive review of the most promising climate solutions Practical advice to change the way you think and feel about climate change Two years worth of good news from the “Weekly Earth Wins” series Interviews with activists in the Global South working on projects that further environmental sustainability If you're looking for a sustainable living book or books for activists centered on environmentalism like A Field Guide to Climate Anxiety, The Intersectional Environmentalist, or Sustainable Badass, you’ll love Climate Optimism.Trade Review“Climate Optimism is an essential read with a beautiful reminder that hope is a much more sustainable motivator than doom and gloom ever could be. Zahra effectively explores the nuances and psychology of optimism, while grounding readers in an understanding of real, impactful, on-the-ground climate action that they can be a part of.” —Leah Thomas, founder of Intersectional Environmentalist“I don't know if we're going to be able to overcome the climate crisis—but I know that if we succumb to nihilism we have no chance. There's a good kick in the pants in these pages!” —Bill McKibben, author The Flag, the Cross and the Station Wagon“There are no rose-colored glasses here. Zahra does not ignore that climate change will cause great suffering. But rather than flounder in fear, she shares a guiding light. There can be abundance, circularity, and sustainability. The world can work better than it ever has with humans present. This book is filled with a fantastic balance of history, culture, hope, and tactical advice for what to do. If you want to be part of the solution, this book is for you.” —Kip Pastor, founder and CEO of Pique Action“What’s the point of pessimism? In this intensely researched and fascinating book, Zahra proves that optimism is the attitude that changes the world. The stories in Climate Optimism lifted my heart, and the insights I will use for years to come. For decades I’ve been a proud climate optimist myself—it’s the foundation of my work and genuinely saved my own life. Read this book for the (renewable) fuel for our work ahead.” —Solitaire Townsend, cofounder of global change agency Futerra and author of The Solutionists: How Business Can Fix The FutureTable of ContentsContents Introduction Chapter 1: Why Optimism and Why Now? Chapter 2: Reasons to be Hopeful…. The Last Decade in Review Chapter 3: Reflections from Around the World Chapter 4: The Way Forward Chapter 5: Community First Chapter 6: A Future Built for All Chapter 7: What You Can Do Acknowledgments About the Author

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Book SynopsisNATIONAL BESTSELLER? The Pulitzer Prize?winning author of The Sixth Extinction returns to humanity?s transformative impact on the environment, now asking: After doing so much damage, can we change nature, this time to save it?RECOMMENDED BY PRESIDENT OBAMA AND BILL GATES ? SHORTLISTED FOR THE WAINWRIGHT PRIZE FOR WRITING ? ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The Washington Post ? ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: Time, Esquire, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews ? ?Beautifully and insistently, Kolbert shows us that it is time to think radically about the ways we manage the environment.??Helen Macdonald, The New York Times With a new afterword by the authorThat man should have dominion ?over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth? is a prophecy that has hardened into fact. So pervasive are human impacts on the planet that it?s said we live in a new geological epoch: the Anthropocene. In Under a White Sky, Elizabeth Kolbert takes a hard look at the new world we are creating.Along the way, she meets biologists who are trying to preserve the world?s rarest fish, which lives in a single tiny pool in the middle of the Mojave; engineers who are turning carbon emissions to stone in Iceland; Australian researchers who are trying to develop a ?super coral? that can survive on a hotter globe; and physicists who are contemplating shooting tiny diamonds into the stratosphere to cool the earth.One way to look at human civilization, says Kolbert, is as a ten-thousand-year exercise in defying nature. In The Sixth Extinction, she explored the ways in which our capacity for destruction has reshaped the natural world. Now she examines how the very sorts of interventions that have imperiled our planet are increasingly seen as the only hope for its salvation. By turns inspiring, terrifying, and darkly comic, Under a White Sky is an utterly original examination of the challenges we face.

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Book SynopsisThis book offers a concise overview of climate adaptation governance. In clear, accessible language, Lisa Dale presents the theory and practice that underlie climate adaptation efforts at local and global scales, providing illuminating case studies that foreground the problems facing developing countries.Trade ReviewThis book is an excellent introduction to the increasingly relevant challenge of climate adaptation. It addresses the main strands of this knowledge and policy domain in a highly structured way, referring to both knowledge and emerging governance practices. A strength is that it manages to explain the complexity of the adaptation challenge in a very clear and accessible way. Another strength of the volume is that it refers to challenges in wealthier, industrialized countries, as well as the specifics of developing countries, based on the authors experience in both contexts. Because of its clarity in writing, its governance focus and its comprehensive, yet introductory character, it is certainly a book that can guide researchers, policy makers and civil society actors, based on a solid basic understanding, towards further exploring the topic in an ever expanding knowledge field. -- Hans Bruyninckx, Executive Director of the European Environment AgencyIn the world of today, there are few competencies as important as the ability to manage the risks, impacts and uncertainties of a changing climate. No economy, no policy sector, and no institution is immune – yet many decision-makers find the essential concepts of climate change adaptation buried under a blanket of buzzwords, fuzzwords and murky relationships with other policy debates. In this primer, Lisa Dale charts a clear and accessible pathway through the most pertinent questions of climate change adaptation and provides a comprehensive overview of the strategies and solutions that are available to deal with the impacts of a heating planet in key policy sectors. Essential reading for times of growing uncertainty in our natural as well as institutional environments. -- Gernot Laganda, Chief of Climate and Disaster Risk Reduction Programmes, UN World Food ProgrammeLisa Dale has written a comprehensive and accessible guide to current thinking and approaches related to climate adaptation. As a fellow traveler in the field of climate adaptation who recognizes the importance of the social sciences to helping humanity navigate increasingly severe climate impacts, I am impressed by Lisa's ability to summarize a complex field so clearly. This book presents a systematic account of the strengths and limitations of various adaptation strategies - from disaster risk reduction and large-scale infrastructure to "climate smart" agriculture. She also addresses human mobility as an adaptation strategy, and the vital importance of addressing equity and justice in a world where those least responsible for past emissions often bear the brunt of our collective failure in climate mitigation. -- Alex de Sherbinin, Associate Director and Senior Research Scientist, Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN), The Earth InstituteA wonderful outline of contemporary problems and practices that have grown out of DRR [Disaster Risk Reduction]. Effective at connecting readers with lived experience and at grounding what can otherwise be an overwhelmingly complex subject. * The Quarterly Review of Biology *In clear, accessible language that draws on her expertise in sustainable development, Lisa Dale describes key strategies that governments, communities, and the private sector are deploying in order to govern climate adaptation. Provid[es] illuminating case studies that foreground the problems facing developing countries. An invaluable introduction for all readers interested in how societies can meet the challenges of an altered climate. * Yale Climate Connections *Table of ContentsList of AcronymsIntroduction 1. Foundations: Science, Policy, and Institutions2. Disaster Risk Management: Early Warning, Early Action3. The Built Environment: Infrastructure and Nature-Based Solutions4. Urban Planning for Climate Adaptation5. Agriculture, Land Use, and Food Security6. Insurance as Risk Transfer7. Migration and Managed Retreat8. Inequality and Justice9. Synergies and Best PracticesGlossaryNotesBibliographyIndex

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Book Synopsis‘Powerful, purposeful and persuasive … This book is transformative. We must read, mark and learn, fast’ Michael Morpurgo ‘A call to action – to change our world from the ground up. A vitally necessary book’ Isabella Tree ‘Philip Lymbery pulls no punches in cataloguing the calamitous mistakes we’ve made in our food system, but he has bold and inspiring solutions to offer, too.’ Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall _______________ Taking its title from a chilling warning made by the United Nations that the world’s soils could be lost within a lifetime, Sixty Harvests Left uncovers how the food industry is threatening the planet. Put simply, without soils there will be no food: game over. And time is running out. From the United Kingdom to Italy, from Brazil to the Gambia to the USA, Philip Lymbery, the internationally acclaimed author of Farmageddon, goes behind the scenes of industrial farming and confronts ‘Big Agriculture’, where mega-farms, chemicals and animal cages are sweeping the countryside and jeopardising the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat and the nature that we treasure. In his investigations, however, he also finds hope in the pioneers who are battling to bring landscapes back to life, who are rethinking farming methods, rediscovering traditional techniques and developing technologies to feed an ever-expanding global population. Impassioned, balanced and persuasive, Sixty Harvests Left not only demonstrates why future harvests matter more than ever, but reveals how we can restore our planet for a nature-friendly future.Trade ReviewPRAISE FOR SIXTY HARVESTS LEFT: Philip Lymbery pulls no punches in cataloguing the calamitous mistakes we’ve made in our food system, but he has bold and inspiring solutions to offer, too. It’s time for Big Food, and governments everywhere, to act on them. -- Hugh Fearnley-WhittingstallBeautifully crafted. A compelling, excoriating account of industrial farming – how it is driving the climate and biodiversity emergencies, while also undermining our health. Full of insights and encounters with pioneers of new ways of farming, Sixty Harvests Left is a call to action – to change our world from the ground up. A vitally necessary book. -- Isabella TreeIn this beautifully written book, Philip Lymbery describes how intensive agriculture harms the environment and inflicts suffering on sentient animals. But after visiting and talking to those on the front line – scientists, farmers and food providers – he is able to show that there are sustainable alternatives. And that they are working. There is indeed hope for the future of our planet, and each one of us can play a part. I urge you to read Sixty Harvests Left. -- Dr Jane Goodall, DBE, Founder of the Jane Goodall Institute & UN Messenger of PeaceThe chilling title is the red flag; the contents, however, lay out all the remedies to save the planet and its species, including ours, and make for absorbing and sometimes terrifying reading. Minutely researched, and written for laymen as well as experts, Sixty Harvests Left deserves to be read world-wide and acted upon immediately. I cannot recommend it highly enough. -- Joanna LumleyPowerful, purposeful and persuasive, read Philip Lymbery’s book and we know what has to be done. It’s simple really, look after the land, farm it sensitively, tread softly on this earth and all can still be well. We need to transform ourselves rapidly. This book is transformative. We must read, mark and learn, fast. -- Michael MorpurgoThe true horror story of our current dependence on factory farming and intensive agriculture gets clearer by the day. Philip Lymbery pulls no punches in painting that grim picture. This dependence will bring down our civilisation as surely as our dependence on fossil fuels. But that is not our destiny, and you need to read Sixty Harvests Left more for its utterly convincing alternative vision of farming and food production available to us in the near future – all based on the three Rs: regenerative farming, reduction of animal protein, and rewilding the soil. I’d be very surprised if you don’t end up appreciating this book as much as I did. -- Jonathon PorrittPhilip Lymbery’s great service, through beautiful prose and deep research, is to amplify the siren call from our planet and the web of life. Through him, change becomes not only necessary and desirable, but irresistible. -- Raj PatelThought-provoking. Told through the seasons and finishing with a new start in Spring, Sixty Harvests Left gives us reason to look forward to a brighter farming future and the possibilities that can be achieved through care of our greatest natural asset, soil. Home to a quarter of the world's biodiversity, soil is life and our life depends on it. Lymbery speaks to practitioners with their feet firmly on the ground and gives hope that new ways in farming will provide for a better future. A fascinating and positive read! -- Jake FiennesThis profoundly important book should be read by all who would like humanity to survive beyond one more human lifetime, and the solutions it proposes should implemented as if our futures depend on it – which they do -- Andrew Knight, Professor of Animal Welfare and Ethics, University of WinchesterAn urgent, evidence-based, visionary approach to the most challenging decisions facing humanity. This is a brave, fascinating, game-changing book. -- Sophia PavelleSixty Harvests Left is not only beautifully written, it is jam-packed with the evidence we need to change our lives in order to save our planet. Philip Lymbery draws us in, in a lyrical and seductive manner, whilst imparting vital, life-changing information. Only we can save our planet and Sixty Harvests Left shows us how. Make sure you read it before it’s too late. You won’t regret it. -- Peter EganSixty Harvests Left is excellent – personal and engaging. Lymbery’s life experiences make it very readable, allowing him to speak with authority and honesty … An important challenge to the vested interests that make our life on earth unsustainable. -- Rebecca Nesbit, author of Tickets for the ArkPhilip Lymbery is one of the few who really understand the connections between farming and nature ... He is the most important thinker writing about these crucial issues – and the way forward -- Carl Safina, author of Becoming Wild and Beyond WordsThis is a clever, insightful and well informed work that’s easy to read. While those who know Philip might expect nothing more, it lays out quite clearly for those who do not know the shocking poverty and decrepitude of our chemically farmed landscapes, the great cruelties in our systems of livestock production, the destruction of biodiversity and the pollution of the Earth's soils and water. Philip's book is an eloquent appeal against this being so. Do buy it and enjoy -- Derek GowPraise for Farmageddon: Lymbery brings to this essential subject the perspective of a seasoned campaigner – he is informed enough to be appalled, and moderate enough to persuade us to take responsibility for the system that feeds us * Guardian, Book of the Week *An engaging read ... Anyone after a realistic account of our global food chain, and the changes necessary for a sustainable future, will find much to get their teeth into here * New Statesman *

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Book SynopsisWhat is driving climate change? What impact does it have on the Earth's ecosystems, our environment, and us? What can I do? This book explains in a clear and understandable way the interrelationships, influencing factors and effects of the greatest challenge facing mankind: climate change.The team of authors presents over 100 aspects in clear language, each on a double-page spread. With impressive sketchnotes, professor and sketchnoter Katharina Theis-Bröhl illustrates and explains the sometimes simple, sometimes complicated issues always understandable. Because: Sketchnotes are not only beautiful to look at – they are also an effective mnemonic, a structural tool and an aid to crystallize the essentials. Comprehensible accompanying texts by Cecilia Scorza and Harald Lesch round off each topic in an informative way. With this book, you can understand the causes of climate change, discover the physical connections, and recognize both local and global impacts. You will learn about the role our location in the solar system plays, the feedback processes involved in global warming, and what it means when the oceans acidify. And ultimately, the question will be asked: How much time do we have left to act? From the contents:How special is the Earth? – Understanding the greenhouse effect – The Earth's climate system – The climate change – Effects of climate change – What can I do? – A look ahead Table of ContentsHow special is the Earth?.- The sun as a source of energy.- Understanding the greenhouse effect.- The Earth's climate system.- Climate change.- Effects of the climate system.- What can I do?.- Future view.

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