Product Description

The possibility of global climactic change as a result of increasing numbers of people requiring higher standards of living has spawned an international controversy over the appropriateness of international controls on deforestation and energy use. In order to address the political debate it is essential to understand the scientific background that underlies the problem. Laboratory Earth takes the listener on a journey from the dawn of earth's climate and biological evolution through the era of the dinosaurs, past the Ice Age and into the shadowy environmental future. Finally, it will be human values more than scientific methods that must be applied to decide how to gamble with the fate of the earth. But the political process suffers from media exaggeration and special interest polemics. Stephen Schneider cuts through the maze and presents the essential issues of the new field of Earth Systems science.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1331734 in Books
• Published on: 2000-06-29
• Formats: Abridged, Audiobook
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 2
• Binding: Audio Cassette

About the Author
Stephen H. Schneider is Professor in the Biological Sciences Department at Stanford University, USA, and former Department Director of Advanced Study Project at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder. He is internationally recognized as one of the world's leading experts in atmospheric research.

Customer Reviews

Noted Climatologist Updates Global Warming Debate
LABORATORY EARTH simply and effectively describes the current status of research on the issue of climate change caused by human activities. The first part of the book summarizes the scientific basis for the conclusion that humans are currently raising the global temperature. The last part of the book discusses political and economic policy implications, as well as refuting arguments made within the last decade by scientists who have spearheaded the backlash against concerns about global warming. Schneider explains the scientific complexities of his specialty clearly. The book is part of the "Science Masters" series, which offers up-to-date understandings of various scientific disciplines by eminent scientists. LABORATORY EARTH will educate and enlighten without the tedium often found in more technical writing. This book should be on the reading list for the current debate about this planet's climate changes. END