Disclosure: I received a copy of this book free of charge for review purposes only. Receipt of a book does not guarantee a review or endorsement. My reviews are my honest opinion and are not biased for the purpose of personal gain.
In 1771 a man called Richard Arkwright sparked the start of the Industrial Revolution, changing the lives of humans and our relationship with the world. Since that time, our industry has filled the atmosphere with an additional 2.4 trillion tonnes of carbon dioxide. This book explores the history of our planetβs climate and the impact of our warming planet on life on Earth.
When we keep hearing about 1.5Β° Celsius in regards to the climate crisis, it doesnβt sound all that much, but in Hothouse Earth, Bill McGuire does a great job laying out the impacts of just that, as well as the larger rises weβll end up with if countries carry on as they are. That 1.5Β° is a global average, so doesnβt take into account the disastrous warming of the poles, causing ice sheets to melt. And if you live at low altitude, such as a coastal town or river side, a single metre rise in sea levels could leave you homeless.
I think weβve all noticed the weather getting more extreme, more floods, hotter, drier summers and the devastating wild fires across the world. Even if you believe this is just a natural cycle of the Earthβs climate, itβs not good news for human civilisation. The book describes a lot of the Earthβs past and its different cycles of extreme weather, and they were all times when humans werenβt around to feel the effects.
After reading the science laid out, itβs hard to deny that humans have, at the very least, accelerated this change. Itβs a short read, so focuses more on the data and science than specific events, though many recent disasters are referenced. Itβs an alarming read, the modelling showing how todayβs children will be living in a much changed world towards the end of the century.
Climate change isn’t some vague distant threat any more. The things needs to be done to drastically slow climate collapse just arenβt being done, so itβs time to arm yourself with the facts and prepare for the worst, hope for the best.
Hothouse Earth is part of Icon Booksβ Hot Science series covering cutting edge science and technology and will be available in paperback and ebook editions from 28th July 2022. Thanks go to the publisher for providing a copy for review.
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Even if StoryGraph has gotten better I still haven't forgiven it for importing all the wrong editions of my books. It was also a bit lonely.
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This sounds really interesting. Thanks for your review. π