Description
Book SynopsisGreenhouse Planet reveals the stakes of increased carbon dioxide for plants, people, and ecosystems—from crop yields to seasonal allergies and from wildfires to biodiversity. The veteran plant biologist Lewis H. Ziska confronts the claim that “CO2 is plant food,” showing why it is deeply misleading.
Trade ReviewGreenhouse Planet is not just another book about climate change. Ziska unpacks the science and politics of the climate-denying mantra that carbon dioxide feeds plants and greens the planet. More poisonous poison ivy, creeping kudzu, super weeds, and protein-deprived bees are some of the nuances that shatter the simplistic talking point. Fun to read and completely accessible, this book will help both scientists and nonscientists deepen their knowledge about the far-ranging effects of our changing atmosphere on the plants that underpin our very survival. -- Ruth DeFries, cofounding dean, Columbia Climate School, and author of
What Would Nature Do? A Guide for Our Uncertain TimesThe idea that more carbon dioxide will "green the world" has been endlessly promoted by the fossil fuel industry and its friends. But as Ziska demonstrates in a straightforward and understandable fashion, this is by no means a slam-dunk good thing; in fact, the implications may turn out to be almost as devastating as the rise in temperatures that come with CO2. Oh, and he also provides a fascinating reflection on the stupefying politicization of modern science. On every count this is a crucial little book. -- Bill McKibben, author of
The Flag, the Cross, and the Station WagonAnyone interested in how the plants we depend on for life are changing must read
Greenhouse Planet. A witty yet deeply concerning story about how increasing carbon dioxide is altering our food, drugs, and ecosystems, yet we are failing to investigate what this all means to the basis of life and our future. -- Michael P. Hoffmann, professor emeritus, Cornell University, and author of
Our Changing Menu: Climate Change and the Foods We Love and NeedZiska draws attention to an often overlooked world-threatening problem—that carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels are changing a fundamental parameter of global plant growth. A fascinating and important book. -- Barbara Freese, author of
Industrial-Strength Denial: Eight Stories of Corporations Defending the Indefensible, from the Slave Trade to Climate ChangeBiologist Ziska separates fact from fiction in this impassioned take on carbon dioxide’s ‘fundamental importance and existential consequences’ for plantlife. Climate activists will savor this rebuttal to bunk science. * Publishers Weekly *
Impressively well written, organized and presented for readers with an interest in the effects of Climate Change on horticulture and botony. Detail[s] essential environmental and horticultural science with wit and clarity. * Midwest Book Review *
Greenhouse Planet is an indispensable book for all readers interested in the ripple effects of increasing CO2. * Yale Climate Connections *
This is an exceptionally important and readable book. Ziska’s writing is clear, personal, and expressive. Read his book. * New York Journal of Books *
Table of ContentsPreface
Part I. A Green Blindness1. Plants Are Important: The Part About Food
2. Plants Are Important: The Part About Drugs
3. Plants Are Important: The Part About Religion
4. Plants Are Important: The Part About Weeds
5. Plants Are Important: The Part About Art—and Allergies
Part II. Plants and Magic6. Science Is Fundamental
7. CO2 Is Plant Food: The Good
8. CO2 Is Plant Food: The Bad
9. The OMG
Part III. CO2 Is Plant Food. Now What?10. More Questions Than Answers
11. The Ten-Ton T. Rex in the Hall Closet
12. Wait, What?
Part IV. Politics and Pleas13. Cracks in the System
14. Science Says
15. CO2 Is Plant Food: The Last Bit
16. A Personal Note
Afterword and Thanks
Notes
Index
