At a level accessible to the general reader, this balanced and non-polemical book describes the changes human activities have produced in the global environment from 300 years ago to today.
As end-of-the-world scenarios go, an apocalyptic collision with an asteroid or comet is the new kid on the block, gaining respectability only in the last decade of the 20th century with the realisation that the dinosaurs had been wiped out by just such an impact. Now the science community is making up for lost time, with worldwide efforts to track the thousands of potentially hazardous near-Earth objects, and plans for high-tech hardware that could deflect an incoming object from a collision course – a procedure depicted, with little regard for scientific accuracy, in several Hollywood movies. Astrophysicist and science writer Andrew May disentangles fact from fiction in this fast-moving and entertaining account, covering the nature and history of comets and asteroids, the reason why some orbits are more hazardous than others, the devastating local and global effects that an impact event would produce, and – more optimistically – the way future space missions could avert a catastrophe.
What's the likelihood of the impact on earth of debris from outer space? Even near misses can change our climate, while a major impact could be catastrophic, equivalent to that which caused the disappearance of the dinosaurs and the rise of mammalian mastery of the planet. In this fascinating survey of the great collisions and the dangerous close passes of recent and prehistoric times, you'll find detailed chronicles of the effect on our earth of comets, meteors, meteorites, meteor storms, shooting stars, cosmic famous fireballs, UFOs, and other phenomena.
Our Ecological Footprint presents an internationally-acclaimed tool for measuring and visualizing the resources required to sustain our households, communities, regions and nations, converting the seemingly complex concepts of carrying capacity, resource-use, waste-disposal and the like into a graphic form that everyone can grasp and use. An excellent handbook for community activists, planners, teachers, students and policy makers.
This book discusses the big questions about how the discovery of extraterrestrial life, whether intelligent or microbial, would impact society and humankind.
Earth Resources and Environmental Impacts uses everyday examples and current issues to help readers understand how mineral, water and energy resources – and the impacts of their use and extraction – affect their daily lives. A historical perspective makes the material in this text fascinating by showing readers that the earth’s resources have always been fundamental to society, even as far back as the Stone Age. Environmental impacts and sustainable use of energy and mineral resources are emphasized, as well as a section targeted to medical geology. With the increase of public interest surrounding environmental impacts, readers will appreciate the knowledge gained from this text.
Audio and text highlighting make this title accessible for all readers. In this title readers will learn about alternative energy sources such as solar, wind, and geothermal energy, and what they can do to positively affect Earth. Meets Next Generation Science Standards.