More than a warning, Earth under Fire is the most complete illustrated guide to the effects of climate change now available. It offers an upbeat and intelligent account of how we can lessen the effects of our near-total dependence on fossil fuels using technologies and energy sources already available. A thorough revision and a new preface for the paperback edition bring the compelling facts about climate change up to date.
Six years ago, award-winning photojournalist Gary Braasch began an extraordinary journey around the world to observe and document environmental changes resulting from the warming of our climate. In this stunning, eye-opening book, he brings us along to witness firsthand what he saw as he crossed both the Antarctic and Arctic Circles, trekked above 15,000 feet in the Andes, dove on damaged coral reefs, and followed scientists into the field on four continents. In more than one hundred photographs, including dramatic before-and-after comparisons, Braasch records communities, landscapes, and animals at risk because of receding glaciers, eroding coastlines, rising sea levels, and thawing permafrost. In the accompanying text he surveys the science behind climate change and introduces native people, lifelong observers, scientists, and others who are noticing striking changes right now.
Alongside Braasch's compelling words and images, essays by eminent scientists discuss the impacts of climate change on the oceans, biodiversity, fresh water, mountain cultures, plants and animals, and our health. More than a warning, Earth under Fire, the most complete illustrated guide to the effects of climate change now available, offers an upbeat and intelligent account of how we can lessen the effects of our near total dependence on fossil fuel using technologies and energy sources already available.
Contents Foreword{ths}/{ths}Author Name TK Introduction# 1. Fire on the Ice Certainty and Uncertainty in Climate Change{ths}/{ths}Stephen H. Schneider and Janica Lane An Ever-warming Arctic?{ths}/{ths}Jonathan Overpeck 2. Polar Thaw Human Dimensions of Climate Change in the Mountains of Peru{ths}/{ths}Alton C. Byers 3. Breaking the Boundaries of Life Detecting the Force of Climate{ths}/{ths}Camille Parmesan Challenges to Biodiversity in a Changing Climate{ths}/{ths}Thomas E. Lovejoy 4. Tomorrow's Climate Today Changing Climate, Changing Ocean{ths}/{ths}Sylvia A. Earle and Cristina Mittermeier Disease Risks from Climate Change{ths}/{ths}Paul R. Epstein, M.D., M.P.H. Climate Change and Water{ths}/{ths}Peter H. Gleick 5. Neros or Heroes: Choosing a Better, Safer, Cleaner--and Cooler--World Epilogue: Emissions Accomplished--Now the Battle Must Be Fought Afterword{ths}/{ths}Bill McKibben Acknowledgments TK References Index
Gary Braasch is an Ansel Adams Award-winning photojournalist and a fellow of the International League of Conservation Photographers. He contributes to Time, US News and World Report, Smithsonian, Discover, Natural History, LIFE, Scientific American, GEO, American Photo, the BBC News website and other publications. He is the author of Photographing the Patterns of Nature and coauthor of Secrets of the Old-Growth Forest, Entering the Grove, and Northwest.
The power of Gary Braasch's personal witness to the climate crisis makes this essential reading for every citizen.-Al Gore
"This may be the most deeply researched photo book of all time."-Vanity Fair
"Braasch brings together startling and breathtaking imagery with personal accounts and the best available scientific evidence."-Nature
"The pictures are truly eye-opening. . . . We may not truly believe what we've done to the planet until we actually see the results for ourselves."-The Ecologist
"Truly rich and beautiful. . . . An excellent publication!"-R. K. Pachauri, Chairman, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and corecipient of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize