Ice, Mud and Blood: Lessons from Climates Past (Macmillan Science)
Ice, Mud and Blood: Lessons from Climates Past (Macmillan Science) – Review
This book is absolutely brimming with technical information. The author, a geologist primarily specializing on past climate changes, takes the reader on a interesting quest: to quantify the variations in past climates and to understand the mechanisms directly precipitating these variations. Spanning a period beginning about 55 million years ago, the book includes a type of methods that scientists use to tease out information on past climates. Understandably, determining what has really happened in the distant past can be very tricky and is open to interpretation; this is where the author vividly illustrates the systematic method at work. It is clear from this book, especially the arranging chapter, that the author is finally convinced that humans are at least partly responsible for the now observed global warming; consequently, he worries about the future if nothing is done soon to remedy the situation. The writing style is quite clear, friendly, authoritative and accessible. This book can be enjoyed by anyone, but would likely be highly appreciated the most by science buffs – whether they agree with the author’s views on the individual contribution to climate change or not.