Beach Reading? Part I

Well, it's high summer, a time when some people actually go on vacation. I know these are probably not the books many folks will tuck in their beach bags, but you can't fault me for trying. Only so much information fits in a blog, and can be absorbed in the brief period of time we have to read it. There are many excellent books on the subject of global warming and climate change - the history and science, the corporate and governmental responsibility, the possible future scenaria.

From the many possibilities, I have chosen a group of seven. I'll post them a couple at a time over the next week. I have read and own most of them, and the others are on my TBR list. All are available at Powell's City of Books if they're not available in your local bookstore, and if they're not available there, you might suggest they order them. And display them prominently.


The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight: Revised and Updated : The Fate of the World and What We Can Do Before It's Too Late , by Thom Hartmann

Sunlight makes life on earth possible. As humankind evolved from hunter-gatherers, we've learned how to use more and more sunlight, which is stored in the form of fossil fuel. Now we're drawing deeply from the last great reserves, while our numbers keep growing. How can we avoid disaster? In this passionate yet clear-eyed call to consciousness which combines spirituality and ecology, Hartmann explores the pervasive cultural insanity that threatens our planet, and suggests ways we as individuals can find the path to survival.

The Discovery of Global Warming, by Spencer R. Weart

In 2001 a panel representing virtually all the world's governments and climate scientists announced that they had reached a consensus: the world was warming at a rate without precedent during at least the last ten millennia, and that warming was caused by the buildup of greenhouse gases from human activity. The consensus itself was at least a century in the making. The story of how scientists reached their conclusion by way of unexpected twists and turns and in the face of formidable intellectual, financial, and political obstacles is told for the first time in The Discovery of Global Warming.

| +Save/Share | |