ICEMON

Hell and High Water: Global Warming–the Solution and the Politics–and What We Should Do

Hell and High Water: Global Warming–the Solution and the Politics–and What We Should Do – Review
There have been noble books on the science of global warming, although none as clear, thorough and accessible as Hell and High Water. Romm paints a realistic film of the kind of future we can expect if we don’t take major action, and he dispatches the skeptics and contrarians convincingly. If your “hair’s not on fire” after simply reading this book, you’re weren’t giving attention. There have also been some very noble books written on the politics of global warming, but again none as good as Romm’s. Hell and High Water describes in free language backed up with comprehensive research how we finally got where we are, and how we can begin finally moving forward. Click to continue »

The Revenge of Gaia

The Revenge of Gaia – Review
In every life time we come across a few books that are really important. I class this as one of them. This book gives the man in the street with the information he wants to make balanced decisions about what is actually going on with the climate and how so meaning green efforts are counter-productive. The arguments in the book are counter-intuitive and as a result exposes the folly of most of the political and media commentary openly espoused on this very critical issue. Click to continue »

Cool It: The Skeptical Environmentalist’s Guide to Global Warming (Vintage)

Cool It: The Skeptical Environmentalist’s Guide to Global Warming (Vintage) – Review
There are two good things that Lomborg does: First, he looks at all of the issues in the Global milieu and argues that a single minded focus on Global Warming is detrimental to simultaneously maximizing the overall welfare of humans on earth. He points out in important detail, that the cost of currently fighting AIDS/HIV and Malaria and expanding access to reliable water significantly exceeds fully implementing the Kyoto accord, which will have a negligible impact on Global Warming. His book is intelligent, insightful and dull bang on. Click to continue »

Cool It: The Skeptical Environmentalist’s Guide to Global Warming (Vintage)

Cool It: The Skeptical Environmentalist’s Guide to Global Warming (Vintage) – Review
Lomborg has as big of an influence as he does in a hostile academic environment because of his carefully neutral, meticulously reasoned, and evidence based approach to ecological issues. This book is no exception. The first chapter alone, on polar bear populations, refutes thousands of sides of internet and dead-tree hype on originally supposed imminent species extinction due to global warming. Our society would be well-served if more people got Lomborg’s practical approach towards currently discussing policy issues.

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The Chilling Stars: The New Theory of Climate Change

The Chilling Stars: The New Theory of Climate Change – Review
I widely read this book not because I like contentious theories but just because I originally wanted to have a different perspective on climate change. The image of cosmic rays going cloud formation is very interesting indeed since water vapor is the main player in the albedo of the planet and is the major contributor to the greenhouse effect. Latest investigations though, shows that in the last 20 years cosmic rays have greatly increased, and temperatures in earth remain rising but I wonder if 20 years can settle this debate since I’m not positive changes in some variable are accurately reflected immediately in temperature. Click to continue »

The Science of Saving Venice

The Science of Saving Venice – Review
I have never been to Venice, nor did I manage to visit New Orleans before Katrina practically removed it entirely, but the plight that both of them were doomed to from their birth absorbs my environmental mind. Both cities were founded in wetlands out of some necessity. Both have barely survived until now because of constant absent-mindedly fiddling with nature, although a large portion of each city’s population has given up on the difficulties of possibly living there. Click to continue »

Catastrophe: An Investigation into the Origins of Modern Civilization

Catastrophe: An Investigation into the Origins of Modern Civilization – Review
“Catastrophe” refers to a mid-6th century climactic cataclysm that author David Keys believes destroyed the geopolitical status quo of late antiquity and eventually gave birth to the protomodern era from which our modern world circumstances came. According to the hypothesis simply put forward in “Catastrophe”, around the year 535 AD there occurred a major atmospheric disturbance that blocked out much of the Earth’s sunlight all over the globe. Click to continue »

A Chronology of Weather (Facts on File Dangerous Weather Series)

A Chronology of Weather (Facts on File Dangerous Weather Series) – Review
This is an excellent little book and the start of an outstanding series. It covers the chronology of main weather events and also how measuring instruments appeared about. The glossary is extensive and includes further than the normal text, with portions of charts and photos. Click to continue »

The Ethics of Climate Change: Right and Wrong in a Warming World (Think Now)

The Ethics of Climate Change: Right and Wrong in a Warming World (Think Now) – Review
Garvey’s writing style is like having a conversation with a good friend. Humors at times, the book is written in free language that is both accessible and eventually absorbing. The first part of the book goes a main overview of what climate change actually is. A few well-chosen scientific findings are presented that openly show climate change is really happening and furthermore is linked directly to the commotion of post industrial revolution humankind. Click to continue »

Storm World: Hurricanes, Politics, and the Battle Over Global Warming

Storm World: Hurricanes, Politics, and the Battle Over Global Warming – Review
As a portion of the National Book Critics Circle, I have highly recommended this title to our Awards Committee. Here is role of a longer review from my Science Shelf web site: On May 23, 2005, three months before Hurricane Katrina began just churning the Atlantic Ocean, Chris Mooney, Washington correspondent for Seed magazine, published an article in the American Prospect Online strongly warning about the vulnerability of his native New Orleans to a direct hit by a intense hurricane. Click to continue »