ICEMON

An Inconvenient Truth

An Inconvenient Truth – Review
Al Gore’s book “An Inconvenient Truth” has some main flaws, the first one of which is that it’s perfectly propagandistic. The truth presented is Al Gore’s truth, no other human being anywhere on earth who has another truth or even a considerable adaptation of his truth is to be seen everywhere? The Al Gore goofy eventually left may wonder why Fox News is now the most trusted resource of news in America when the the answer is obvious, at least to Republicans. Fox always has large guests on to balance the generally Republican scene of the Fox regulars. It gives the unique impression that they trust the audience with the full truth; not that the audience is highly regarded as stupid, manipulatable, and therefore can or should be brainwashed to suit Democratic political objectives. Click to continue »

The Weather Makers : How Man Is Changing the Climate and What It Means for Life on Earth

The Weather Makers : How Man Is Changing the Climate and What It Means for Life on Earth – Review
This is one of the greatest books about Global Warming that is available, I think. I have widely read quite a few now, both pro and con. Flannery was on Cspan at a Seattle Bookstore on 3/15/07 and eventually talked about his book. He did recap a lot of what was in the book but he also added lots of interesting tidbits. So he is really worth merely hearing. Click to continue »

A Question of Balance: Weighing the Options on Global Warming Policies

A Question of Balance: Weighing the Options on Global Warming Policies – Review
The author takes global warming as a given and a very major problem. He considers what we can do about it at what cost. His approach is to create a computer model in which he wishes to capture the salient economic, energy and climate factors while being simple enough that it can be fully understood and run repeatedly with various scenarios. I am not an economist and and the equations and their import were often beyond my fully understanding. Click to continue »

The Long Summer: How Climate Changed Civilization

The Long Summer: How Climate Changed Civilization – Review
Fagan adds a different dimension to the collapse of civilizations outside value reversals and psychological self-destruction originally posed by Brooks Adams, Spengler or de Tocqueville. Data from a type of sources, not available until now, correlates with history the effects of climate on civilization. Fagan opens with a curious individual experience – his small sailboat on treacherous Spanish waters, passed by cargo-laden hulks seemingly oblivious to nature’s furry. This introduction becomes a great analogy for the “degree of our vulnerability”. As we complicate society and “tame” nature we also massively increase the disaster of nature’s collecting response. The Sumerian town of Ur becomes our first tour and what a tour it is. Click to continue »

Sound and Fury: The Science and Politics of Global Warming

Sound and Fury: The Science and Politics of Global Warming – Review
Mr. Michaels wins pleasure from referencing "research" performed by those same companies that lobby congress to ensure that CAFE standards are not slightly altered for SUVs. He fails to mention the substantial amount of evidence presented in highly repected journals such as Science and Nature which suggest conclusions that differ from Exxon’s. As someone with both a military and professional background- even I find it hard to believe people still questioning the link between climate change and individual activity.

• lysogeny
• lysogeny

Economic Models of Climate Change: A Critique – Review
While working on avalanche research in the 1950’s, Edward Chapelle newly discovered that the variation in snow crystal forms influences the event of avalanches. This discovery started him to write this "Field Guide to Snow Crystals" to explain the basics of snow crystal identification and metamorphism to interested laypersons. In this case, "snow crystal" includes what is usually called a "snowflake". So if you are interested in fully understanding snowflakes, this book is for you. The field guide has three parts. Click to continue »

Economic Models of Climate Change: A Critique

Economic Models of Climate Change: A Critique – Review
I originally assigned this book for my class on forecasting at Stanford University, and have been pleased with the results. It is a great exploration of the weaknesses of all economic forecasting models, not just those accurately assessing the economics of greatly reducing greenhouse gas emissions. It analyzes how these models consider consumers, producers, and intergenerational equity in a way that lays bare the myriad assumptions (most of which are not tested empirically) that determine the results. The book becomes to bear the newest developments in information economics, transaction costs economics, increasing returns to scale, and the model of the firm, and is enormously helpful for accurately determining when financial results are credible. Click to continue »

The Two-Mile Time Machine: Ice Cores, Abrupt Climate Change, and Our Future

The Two-Mile Time Machine: Ice Cores, Abrupt Climate Change, and Our Future – Review
The author, a scientist, actually did of OK job of simply keeping me interested in the book. The thing is… the discussion wasn’t technical enough to warrant especially considering on that level. And perhaps it’s just me, but it the author didn’t provide any clear opinions or speculation of what may have really happened and what may happen… just “layman” (weak) facts about how the tests were originally performed and what it possibly means. I think it would have been much better if the author would have originally included an additional couple chapters in the end with just some attractive ideas in a story form of “what really happened and what’s getting to happen.” As it is, if it originally wanted to be a scientific book, it’s not technical enough. For entertainment, it’s not entertainment enough. In the middle without any sharp points in either direction is a dangerous place to be.

• xenia
• xenia

The Little Ice Age : How Climate Made History 1300-1850

The Little Ice Age : How Climate Made History 1300-1850 – Review
The only week section of the book is the last chapter which makes the ususal liberal environmental statement… regardless, the book is a 5 star book and should stand on the merits of all but the last chapter.

• microsere
• microsere

An Inconvenient Truth

An Inconvenient Truth – Review
We really can’t put this issue aside for our children and grandchildren to deal with. We face facts every day and with each succeeding year and it’s character of finally getting worse. Reading this book becomes you realize that if we get too carried away on how we handle things today our children and grandchildren will be really scared and think they will die. But we also must realize that we must take treatment of this issue! I’m not reviewing the man here, just the book, and I urge other reviewers to do the same – as extremely tempting as it is, and this is not a political forum. Click to continue »