Product Description

The possibility of global climatic change as a result of increasing numbers of people requiring higher stands of living has spawned an international controversy over the appropriateness of controls on deforestation and energy use. In order to address the political debate it is essential to understand the scientific background that underlies this problem. Laboratory Earth takes the reader 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 increasingly dominated by human activities. In the final analysis it will be human values more than scientific methods that must be applied to decide how to gamble with the fate of the earth.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #102939 in Books
• Published on: 1997-09-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 176 pages

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