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About This Book
ISBN13: 9780871139351 |
Powells.com Staff Pick
Not only is paleontologist Flannery's urgent call to arms about global
climate change fascinating and terrifying, it is also the most accessible
book on the topic around. Flannery writes beautifully, clearly examining
every angle of the debate surrounding our environment. Moreover, his words
should empower and energize the debate against fossil fuels — the debate we must win soon.
Recommended by Georgie, Powells.com
Review-a-Day (What is Review-a-Day?)
"As a paleontologist and mammalogist, Flannery wanders into and out of his home disciplines in The Weather Makers but manages the material with force, clarity and authority throughout....Flannery is fast emerging as one of our best popularizers of science — a term vaguely insulting in many academic circles for those who somehow manage to convey not just the why of things but the why-we-should-care. The secret in Flannery's case...seems to be confident knowledge joined to a storyteller's gifts and a writer's determination to get it just right — a rare combination, and a powerful one when brought to bear on such a monumental topic." Thomas Hayden, The Washington Post Book World (read the entire Washington Post Book World review)
Synopses & Reviews
Publisher Comments:
Pulling on his expertise as a scientist to discuss climate change from a historical perspective, Flannery also explains how climate change is interconnected across the planet. Along with a riveting history of how climate change has shaped our planet's evolution, Flannery offers specific suggestions for action for both lawmakers and individuals, from investing in renewable power sources like wind, solar, and geothermal energy, to offering an action plan with steps each and every one of us can take right now to reduce deadly CO2 emissions by as much as 70 percent. Nothing in predictive climate science is morecertain than the destruction of many of the world's mountain-dwelling species. We can even foretell which will become extinct first. This high degree of scientific certainty comes from three factors. First, the effect of rising temperatures on mountain habitats is easily calculated, and past changes to warming are documented; second, the conditions that many mountain-dwelling species can tolerate are known; and third, as the climate warms, mountain species have nowhere to go but upward, and the height of mountain peaks worldwide has been precisely ascertained. Given the rate of warming, we can calculate the time to extinction of most mountain-dwelling species. Every high tropical mountain on Earth has an equivalent alpine habitat that is rich in biodiversity, and below them are mountain ranges that are refuges for an astonishing variety of life: from iconic species such as pandas and mountain gorillas to humble lichens and insects. Over the course of the twentieth century, mountain-dwelling species have withdrawn on average twenty feet up the slopes of their mountain homes per decade. The creatures and plants did this because conditions at the lower margins of their distributions became intolerable (either too hot or too dry) or because of newly arrived species they could not outcompete. This may seem a small amount of movement, but we must remember that out planet has not been warmer than it is now for millions of years, a situation that has left many ancient species clinging to the last few thousand feet of mountain peaks around the world. Throughout the world, every continent, as well as many islands, has mountain ranges that are the last refuge of species of astonishing beauty anddiversity. And we stand to lose it all, from gorillas to pandas to New Zealand's vegetable sheep.
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Book News Annotation:
Annotation ©2007 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
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About the Author
His book, The Future Eaters (1994), concerns the evolution of Australasian environments and is the first of its kind. It is a remarkable synthesis of the determinants of life in the southern lands that comprise Australasia. The Times Literary Supplement praised the work's insight and fresh approach to issues of international concern. The book quickly became a best seller in Australia and it has been released in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand. It is currently used as a major university textbook in the Environmental Sciences.
By utilising his original and innovative approach to solutions to environmental problems, Dr. Flannery maintains a high, provocative and vocal profile. This serves to initiate positive, active debate and draws needed attention to vital issues such as the loss of Australian biodiversity, degradation of the land, sustainability and conserving our resources. Dr. Flannery seeks to link the nature of the Australian environment with social and economic problems, and by popularising science provides access to issues of fundamental importance to all Australians.
Dr. Flannery's expertise is sought by national environmental committees and educational bodies. He is a Member of the National Environmental Education Council and a member and voice of many other projects and organisations.
Dr. Flannery is not only an outstanding national figure. His expertise is sought internationally. He recently returned from a year as Professor of Australian Studies at Harvard University, where he drew international attention to Australia and its unique biodiversity, character and history.
Dr. Flannery has also promoted international conservation issues within Papua New Guinea and the surrounding lands, making major inroads into understanding their biodiversity whilst making groundbreaking discoveries (e.g., the tree kangaroos of Irian Jaya). His research clarifies and draws attention to the status of endangered species and publicises past extinctions to prevent future ones. Without Dr. Flannery's conservation work it is likely that species such as Bulmer's Fruit Bat would already be extinct.
Dr. Flannery publishes prolifically, having written 9 books and over 90 refereed papers. His high, often controversial, profile provides an outstanding example for others to follow, both young and old. His documentaries and videos, radio appearances, proposals for conservation programs and teaming also support the nomination of this excellent Australian.
Dr. Flannery is a worthy recipient of the Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement for his deep commitment to secure a future for the Australian environment.
What Our Readers Are Saying
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Average customer rating based on 4 comments:
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flatfour, April 13, 2007 (view all comments by flatfour)
This was written in 2004 before the 'hockey stick' was found to be virtually a fraud. Using old data he misses out on a number of new facts. He also suffers from assuming correlation is causation. I was very disappointed in this book but he knows how to write which is about the only good thing I can say about it.
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ursamajor, May 6, 2006 (view all comments by ursamajor)
Very scary book but extremely informative. If only a quarter of the contents is true, we are in for some serious trouble. This work should be made mandatory reading at the White House.
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lacorota, April 15, 2006 (view all comments by lacorota)
A superbly written book -- sans jargon -- with credible citations and sources. This isn't liberal hype. Most conservatives and neocons will detest such material because it threatens their very sacred gospel of ultra-consumerism flying on the wings of cheap and abundant petroleum. As I concluded this book, I thought "we've been on an all-night party for over a hundred years, and the bill collector is knocking the door down.
Moreover, lets say it's all a liberal hoax created by tree-hugging hippies from Oregon. Anything that promotes a change in our behaviour towards something cleaner is progressive, and ultimately good. Our efforts at resoring wild salmon to the Columbia River failed, however, the water quality is much improved -- an incidental, unplanned benefit!!
View all 4 comments
Product Details
- ISBN:
- 9780871139351
- Subtitle:
- How Man Is Changing the Climate and What It Means for Life on Earth
- Author:
- Author:
- Publisher:
- Libri
- Subject:
- Environmental Conservation & Protection
- Subject:
- Weather
- Subject:
- Nature - Environmental Conservation & Protection
- Subject:
- Global warming
- Subject:
- Climatic changes
- Subject:
- Earth Sciences - Meteorology & Climatology
- Subject:
- Environmental Conservation & Protection - General
- Copyright:
- 2006
- Edition Description:
- American
- Publication Date:
- March 2006
- Binding:
- Hardcover
- Language:
- English
- Illustrations:
- Y
- Pages:
- 357
- Dimensions:
- 9.06x6.42x1.30 in. 1.40 lbs.
