8 results for "Environment"

Field notes from a catastrophe

Kolbert, Elizabeth
In writing that is both clear and unbiased, Kolbert - an acclaimed New Yorker journalist - approaches global warming from every angle. She travels to the Arctic, the North of England, Holland and Puerto Rico, interviews researchers and environmentalists, explains the science and the studies, draws frightening parallels to lost ancient civilizations, unpacks the politics, and presents the personal tales of those who are being affected most- the people who make their homes near the poles and, in an eerie foreshadowing, are watching their worlds disappear. Scientists have been warning the world since the late 1970s that the build-up of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere threatens to melt the polar ice sheets and irreversibly change our climate. With little done since then to alter this dangerous course, now is the moment for all the countries in the world, but perhaps especially the USA, to face up to the realities of global warming and to secure our future. By the end of the century, the world will probably be hotter than it's been in the last two million years, and the sweeping consequences of this change will determine the future of life on earth for generations to come. Field Notes from a Catastrophe brings the environment into the consciousness of the reader and asks what, if anything, can be done, and how we can change our planet.
Bloomsbury 2006 210 pages

Hot, flat and crowded

Friedman, Thomas L.
Thomas L Friedman's The World is Flat was one of the biggest global bestsellers of any kind in 2005 and 2006. With his unique combination of analysis, reportage and call to action, Friedman now addresses the biggest crisis in the world - climate change - and argues that we haven't even begun to acknowledge and react to the true scale of the problem yet. At the moment, he says, we aren't having a pro-green revolution, we're having a green party - a lot of good feelings, some nice bits of green branding, and a lot of hot air. If we're going to have the real green revolution we need, we must acknowledge that unless we change, we die. Friedman will show that 'green is better' - and that America and the world need to 'think green' as they thought 'red white and blue' after the 9/11 attacks- he will redefine green as geopolitical, strategic, and patriotic. Then he will show that if we're going to make a real difference, we need a disruptive green revolution- Friedman describes what 'the four disruptions' should be, and provides concrete examples of 'better, smarter, healthier, greener'. He shows that we need to change our leaders, not just our light bulbs, and that if we are going to get this right, we need to change ourselves from the 'me-generation' into the 'regeneration'. This is sure to be one of the most talked about and best-selling nonfiction books in the world in 2008.
Allen Lane 2008 438 pages

Climate of hope: how cities, businesses, and citizens can save the planet

Bloomberg, Michael,Pope, Carl
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER From Mayor Michael Bloomberg and former head of the Sierra Club Carl Pope comes a manifesto on how the benefits of taking action on climate change are concrete, immediate, and immense. They explore climate change solutions that will make the world healthier and more prosperous, aiming to begin a new type of conversation on the issue that will spur bolder action by cities, businesses, and citizens—and even, someday, by Washington. " Climate of Hope is an inspiring must read." — Former Vice President Al Gore , Chairman of The Climate Reality Project “Climate change threatens to reshape the future of our world's population centers. Bloomberg and Pope have been leaders on fortifying our cities against this threat, and their book proves that victory is possible—and imperative.” — Leonardo DiCaprio "If Trump is looking for a blueprint, he could not do better than to read a smart new book, Climate of Hope ." — Thomas Friedman in The New York Times ~ The 2016 election left many people who are concerned about the environment fearful that progress on climate change would come screeching to a halt. But not Michael Bloomberg and Carl Pope. Bloomberg, an entrepreneur and former mayor of New York City, and Pope, a lifelong environmental leader, approach climate change from different perspectives, yet they arrive at similar conclusions. Without agreeing on every point, they share a belief that cities, businesses, and citizens can lead—and win—the battle against climate change, no matter which way the political winds in Washington may shift. In Climate of Hope , Bloomberg and Pope offer an optimistic look at the challenge of climate change, the solutions they believe hold the greatest promise, and the practical steps that are necessary to achieve them. Writing from their own experiences, and sharing their own stories from government, business, and advocacy, Bloomberg and Pope provide a road map for tackling the most complicated challenge the world has ever faced. Along the way, they turn the usual way of thinking about climate change on its head: from top down to bottom up, from partisan to pragmatic, from costs to benefits, from tomorrow to today, and from fear to hope.
St. Martin's Griffin 2018-04-03 272 pages

Warming the world: economic models of global warming

Nordhaus, William D.
This book presents in detail a pair of models of the economics of climate change. The models, called RICE-99 (for the Regional Dynamic Integrated model of Climate and the Economy) and DICE-99 (for the Dynamic Integrated Model of Climate and the Economy) build on the authors' earlier work, particularly their RICE and DICE models of the early 1990s. Humanity is risking the health of the natural environment through a myriad of interventions, including the atmospheric emission of trace gases such as carbon dioxide, the use of ozone-depleting chemicals, the engineering of massive land-use changes, and the destruction of the habitats of many species. It is imperative that we learn to protect our common geophysical and biological resources. Although scientists have studied greenhouse warming for decades, it is only recently that society has begun to consider the economic, political, and institutional aspects of environmental intervention. To do so raises formidable challenges of data modeling, uncertainty, international coordination, and institutional design. Attempts to deal with complex scientific and economic issues have increasingly involved the use of models to help analysts and decision makers understand likely future outcomes as well as the implications of alternative policies. This book presents in detail a pair of models of the economics of climate change. The models, called RICE-99 (for the Regional Dynamic Integrated model of Climate and the Economy) and DICE-99 (for the Dynamic Integrated Model of Climate and the Economy) build on the authors' earlier work, particularly their RICE and DICE models of the early 1990s. They can help policy makers design better economic and environmental policies.
MIT Press 2000 232 pages

A blueprint for a safer planet: how we can help save our world and create prosperity

Stern, N. H.
"Lord Stern, author of the Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change and former Chief Economist at the World Bank, is the world's leading authority on what we can do in the face of such unprecedented threat. Action on climate change will require the greatest possible international collaboration, but if successful will ensure not just our future, but our future prosperity. Focusing on the economic management of investment and growth from the perspective of both adaptation and mitigation, Stern confronts the most urgent questions facing us now: what is the problem; what are the dangers; what can be done to reduce emissions, at what cost; how can the world adapt; and, what does all this mean for corporations, governments and individuals. A Blueprint for a Safer Planet provides authoritative, inspirational, and hopeful, answers."--Jacket.
Vintage 2010 246 pages