Our dying planet
Subtitle: an ecologist's view of the crisis we face
By: Peter F. Sale
Publisher: University of California Press
Published: 2011
Place of publication: Berkeley
Language: eng
Number of pages: 339
ISBN-13: 9780520267565
Subjects: Nature; Environmental responsibility; Ecology; Effect of human beings on
Description: Weaving into the narrative his own firsthand field experiences around the world, the author, an ecologist brings ecology alive while giving a solid understanding of the science at work behind today's pressing environmental issues. He delves into topics including deforestation, biodiversity loss, over fishing, population growth, use of fossil fuel and climate change while discussing the real consequences of out growing ecological footprint. Coral reefs are on track to become the first ecosystem actually eliminated from the planet. So says the author in this crash course on the state of the planet. He draws from his own extensive work on coral reefs, and from recent research by other ecologists, to explore the many ways we are changing the Earth and to explain why it matters. Most important, this book emphasizes that a gloom-and-doom scenario is not inevitable, and as the author explores alternative paths, he considers the ways in which science can help us realize a better future.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 305-322) and index.
Table of contents: title: Information: what we are doing to our world; title: Overfishing; title: Removing forests; title: Disrupting the ocean-atmosphere engine; title: The perilous future for coral reefs; title: Understanding: why we don't comprehend the scale of our problem; title: The problem of shifting baselines; title: Our unrealistic belief in the balance of nature; title: Moving forward: why it matters and what we need to do; title: What loss of ecological complexity means for the world; title: Reducing our use of fossil fuels; title: Slowing growth of the hum.