Examines the scientific facts behind claims about the safety or dangers of organic and commercial foods, natural herbs, modern medicine, and the environment.
Written with the aim of breaking down barriers between disparate disciplines in order to create more responsive and effective strategies, Natural Security provides a new lens through which to explore the ancient and ever present problem of how to maintain security in an unpredictable, complex, and dangerous world."--BOOK JACKET.
The Earth is a beautiful and wondrous planet, but also frustratingly complex and, at times, violent: much of what has made it livable can also cause catastrophe. Volcanic eruptions create land and produce fertile, nutrient-rich soil, but they can also bury forests, fields, and entire towns under ash, mud, lava, and debris. The very forces that create and recycle Earth’s crust also spawn destructive earthquakes and tsunamis. Water and wind bring and spread life, but in hurricanes they can leave devastation in their wake. And while it is the planet’s warmth that enables life to thrive, rapidly increasing temperatures are causing sea levels to rise and weather events to become more extreme. Today, we know more than ever before about the powerful forces that can cause catastrophe, but significant questions remain. Why can’t we better predict some natural disasters? What do scientists know about them already? What do they wish they knew? In Dangerous Earth, marine scientist and science communicator Ellen Prager explores the science of investigating volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, landslides, rip currents, and—maybe the most perilous hazard of all—climate change. Each chapter considers a specific hazard, begins with a game-changing historical event (like the 1980 eruption of Mt. St. Helens or the landfall and impacts of Hurricane Harvey), and highlights what remains unknown about these dynamic phenomena. Along the way, we hear from scientists trying to read Earth’s warning signs, pass its messages along to the rest of us, and prevent catastrophic loss. A sweeping tour of some of the most awesome forces on our planet—many tragic, yet nonetheless awe-inspiring—Dangerous Earth is an illuminating journey through the undiscovered, unresolved, and in some cases unimagined mysteries that continue to frustrate and fascinate the world’s leading scientists: the “wish-we-knews” that ignite both our curiosity and global change.
A New York Times Notable Book A Miami Herald Best Book of the Year In this deeply personal book, the celebrated Haitian-American writer Edwidge Danticat reflects on art and exile. Inspired by Albert Camus and adapted from her own lectures for Princeton University’s Toni Morrison Lecture Series, here Danticat tells stories of artists who create despite (or because of) the horrors that drove them from their homelands. Combining memoir and essay, these moving and eloquent pieces examine what it means to be an artist from a country in crisis.
Did a meteorite wipe out the dinosaurs and allow for human evolution? Did an earthquake usher in the rise of Greek civilization? Did a snowstorm help create the New York subway? The answer to all these questions is a resounding yes! Over and over again, natural disasters have influenced the course of human history in ways great and small. From the Great Fire of London to the Great Kanto Quake, Bryn Barnard describes ten key moments when natural disasters have played a significant role in shaping our history. Highlighted with vivid and meticulously researched illustrations, Dangerous Planet demonstrates the mighty force of planet Earth–and the role humanity must play in its survival
In a book that is both groundbreaking and accessible, Daniel C. Dennett, whom Chet Raymo of The Boston Globe calls "one of the most provocative thinkers on the planet," focuses his unerringly logical mind on the theory of natural selection, showing how Darwin's great idea transforms and illuminates our traditional view of humanity's place in the universe. Dennett vividly describes the theory itself and then extends Darwin's vision with impeccable arguments to their often surprising conclusions, challenging the views of some of the most famous scientists of our day.
Recipient of the 2015 PEN New England Award for Nonfiction “The arrival of a significant young nonfiction writer . . . A measured yet bravura performance.” —Dwight Garner, The New York Times James Joyce’s big blue book, Ulysses, ushered in the modernist era and changed the novel for all time. But the genius of Ulysses was also its danger: it omitted absolutely nothing. Joyce, along with some of the most important publishers and writers of his era, had to fight for years to win the freedom to publish it. The Most Dangerous Book tells the remarkable story surrounding Ulysses, from the first stirrings of Joyce’s inspiration in 1904 to the book’s landmark federal obscenity trial in 1933. Written for ardent Joyceans as well as novices who want to get to the heart of the greatest novel of the twentieth century, The Most Dangerous Book is a gripping examination of how the world came to say Yes to Ulysses.
The term 'natural disaster' is often used to refer to natural events such as earthquakes, hurricanes or floods. However, the phrase 'natural disaster' suggests an uncritical acceptance of a deeply engrained ideological and cultural myth. At Risk questions this myth and argues that extreme natural events are not disasters until a vulnerable group of people is exposed. The updated new edition confronts a further ten years of ever more expensive and deadly disasters and discusses disaster not as an aberration, but as a signal failure of mainstream 'development'. Two analytical models are provided as tools for understanding vulnerability. One links remote and distant 'root causes' to 'unsafe conditions' in a 'progression of vulnerability'. The other uses the concepts of 'access' and 'livelihood' to understand why some households are more vulnerable than others. Examining key natural events and incorporating strategies to create a safer world, this revised edition is an important resource for those involved in the fields of environment and development studies.
This book comprises the selected proceedings of the 3rd International Workshop on Natural Hazards (NATHAZ’22), Angra do Heroísmo, Terceira Island, Azores, 2022. The book interests all researchers and practitioners in Earth Sciences, Volcanic Risks, Natural Hazards, Geoethics, Environmental Sciences and Engineering. Terceira is a volcanic island with volcanic systems with caldera (Cinco Picos, Guilherme Moniz, Santa Bárbara and Pico Alto central volcanoes) and an active fissural zone defined by various alignments of small volcanic cones, lava domes and fault zones. The agricultural landscape, the natural and forest reserve, as well as the natural pools make the island a unique place to visit. The historic downtown of Angra do Heroísmo is a UNESCO world heritage, and several iconic buildings witness the island’s geodynamic history. Natural hazards result from a threat of a naturally occurring event that will have a negative effect on humans. That damaging effect is often called natural disasters. Among the natural hazards and potential disasters to be considered are: earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides, subsidence, floods, droughts and coastal erosion. In addition, anthropogenic hazards occur as a result of human interaction with the environment. They comprise technological risks due to exposure to hazardous substances in the environment. Natural systems in different frameworks require a comprehensive understanding of climatology, geology, hydrology and volcanic data, processes and dynamics. Thus, it is important to perform hazard and risk assessment studies to accomplish hazard mitigation. In addition, it highlighted the role of variability and climate change in Earth systems. Furthermore, an accurate understanding of the natural systems and interactions with engineering, geodiversity and natural resources is vital to the entire socioeconomic sector. This book is expected to offer an overview of natural hazards in model regions in Europe, America, Asia and the Atlantic islands. It gives new insights into the characterization, assessment, protection, and modelling of geological hazards, volcanic systems, urban areas, coastal zones and engineering approaches by international researchers and professionals. The scientific committee comprises lead geoscientists, natural hazards related practitioners, and academics worldwide. The main topics include: 1. Multi-hazards and risks: sustainable society, disasters and geoethics 2. Natural hazards and assessment: rock falls, landslides, urban planning and management 3. Sustainable Earth systems: hazards and climate change 4. Terceira Island geology and geodiversity: meeting volcanological hazards in the Azores