Description
Book SynopsisWe hear about pieces of ice the size of continents breaking off of Antarctica, rapidly melting glaciers in the Himalayas, and ice sheets in the Arctic crumbling to the sea, but does it really matter? Will melting glaciers change our lives? Absolutely.Glaciers are built and destroyed during ice ages and interglacial periods. These massive ice bodies hold three quarters of our freshwater, yet we don''t have laws to protect them from climate change. When they melt, they increase sea levels, alter the Earth''s reflectivity, wreak havoc for ocean and air currents, destabilize global ecosystems, warm our climate, and bring on floods that swamp millions of acres of coastal land. The critical ecological role they play to keep our global climate stable, and the environmental functions they provide, wither. And, as climate change warms glacier cores, collapsing glacier ice triggers tsunamis that send deadly massive ice blocks, rocks, earth, and billions of liters of water rushing down mountain v
Trade ReviewMelting glaciers are the primary cause of the rising sea level. Few people are as familiar with this topic as Jorge Daniel Taillant. In Meltdown, he brings glaciers to life. Taillant takes us on a very personal discovery of the disappearing world of glaciers, warning the world of the risks and encouraging their protection. He brings an important perspective that should be read and heeded. * John Englander, oceanographer and author of Moving to Higher Ground: Rising Sea Level and the Path Forward *
This book is well written, enjoyable, and creative. Jorge Daniel Taillant brings a more light-hearted view to glaciers while recognizing and discussing the key issues in an understandable way. * Eugénie S. Euskirchen, Associate Professor, Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks *
Taillant masterfully takes us on a journey through the profound changes our cryosphere is suffering from climate change and how melting glaciers that are vanishing around the world will not only destroy delicate ecosystems, from oceans to coastlines and from urban environments to forests, but how they will radically change how we live on Earth in ways not yet imagined. His unique capacity to bring together media, science, politics, and society in understandable prose offers a powerful wake-up call to our deepening climate crisis. * Durwood Zaelke, President, Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development *
Table of ContentsAcknowledgements Foreword Introduction Chapter 1: And Then There Was Ice Chapter 2: The Rising Seas Chapter 3: Do You Drink Glacier Water? Probably Chapter 4: Glaciers are White, the Ocean is Blue, the Earth is Warming, and So are You! Chapter 5: A Thawing Earth Chapter 6: Run! The Mountain is Coming! Chapter 7: Ocean Currents, Jet Streams, and Polar Bears Chapter 8: Invisible Glaciers... Will They Save Us? Chapter 9: A Race to Save Everything Chapter 10: Why for COVID but Not for Climate? Bibliography About the Author Index
