MuleSkinner Book Recommendations #17

The Weather Makers: The History and Future Impact of Climate Change

(By Tim Flannery)

2005. [Allen Lane], 341 pages.

[Recommendation 7/2009]

Nowadays, when the Global Warming in discussions equals the more usual societal problems like unemployment, poverty, etc, it is also acknowledged as threat for various aspects in human life(a matter of concern not just on environmental but on economical level too). The Weather Makers, our next recommendation, may have appeared in quite appropriate timing to fill some gaps in the overall conversation from that. We're not to say that exactly this book would be best or most recommendable account from the subject, since we haven't browsed any studies of quite similar to present as comparison. But it has much to say in one concise volume.

On the basis of current headliners and news it feels presumable that new research may have made some further studies and calculations that wasn't available couple years back. As well, any effort on this field cannot possibly these days take in account all the important aspects that would/will have effect and some of the things are not yet very sufficiently known. According to our own surveys slightly touching the subject, we also notice that the scope of climate science seems overwhelming. In spite of these reservations, the book still makes very thorough effort to explain the backgrounds and consequences of the Climate Change.

Gaia. From the books main content we'll just say that reader may find from it, not embellished, fx the scope of problem (increase of GHS-gases/the greenhouse effect) and developments leading for the situation. Included are such many various fields and related studies that we don't go to those more specially. In addition to discussing various negative consequences from long gone human use of fossil fuels, there's a view-points on Earths climatic history from longer time all the way to prehistoric pasts. The latter mentioned – known things from the ice-ages and inter-glacial periods climates – are probably only information that can give some clues from the expected climatic development. Much of that is of course based on scientific research and studies, so the book is rather heavy account on it and not just brief introduction to the topic. But its explained in pretty logical way mostly, so the reader need not to be any climatologic expert to get the picture(though, occasionally I noticed parts containing so much stuff that the first reading didn't quite give most complete understanding from the things said).

As Flannery is an environmentalist/palaoontologist, he also often presents interesting examples from fx what has already been found happening for the nature. Fx, there's very nicely presented brief journeys to some of those most fragile environments threatened by warming – like mountain heights and coral reefs - whose rich and exceptional plant and animal varieties have preserved in little altered state for millions of years. He describes fx the Atherton highlands in Queensland(Australia) that hold number of mammal, amphibian, reptile, and plant/tree-species that are not found anywhere else in the world. Many of them, as much other fauna and flora in the mountain heights count among first that will face the environmental damage as direct result of expected warming, possible to disappear in the close future.

The risky business. Also, there's one whole chapter from preceding past decades past development. Its as well justifiedly there, as the mains story tells from how slow was the 'awakening', political/economical will practically remaining in the Status Quo – nothing done for it (Greenhouse Effect) until recent times. And after all that the reader confronts the remainder from that earlier problem too(the ozone loss, 'danger zone' hopefully passed by and consequently almost forgotten now, so we're giving it here a lot more space and emphasis than some other issues in the book). The ozone depletion as known was happening in the Stratosphere as result from use of man-made chemical compounds, the Chlorofluorocarbons released for atmosphere. But, only because CFC-compounds were cheaper alternative to bromine the latter didn't enter in mass production and manufacture of refrigerators and other house-hold devices (developed since late 1920s, ie decades before the ozone holes over arctic/antarctic got noticed in 1970s). When the effect on Stratospheres ozone layer was discovered; “This was bad enough, but it is a matter of dumb luck that our world did not enter a far more severe environmental crisis – perhaps one leading to the collapse of societies – some thirty years ago. This could have occurred if industrial chemists had used bromine instead of chlorine.”, [Because:] “...bromine is forty-five times more effective in destroying ozone than chlorine, and so swiftly would it have torn asunder those precious ten parts per million of ozone, that Earths's sunscreen would have been destroyed even before Sherwood Rowland made his Nobel-winning discovery. Just how close the world came to such a fate can be seen in the uses to which industrial chemists had already put bromine.”(The Weather Makers, p. 217). That being so, one is left with a little uncomfortable feeling but at least has hope that an intelligent species wouldn't (by ignorance) play such risky for the second time...

It's also equally valuable in this book that it presents plain view that the 'climatic battle' is only in its early steps so far. The most effects from GHS-gases currently released will still remain in the atmosphere (and Oceans) until around 2050s. Nowadays, as there's ways to get by without causing more, better start in time. The book also takes closer look to some of the most alarming scenarios concerning the warming. There's still various likely scenarios and these also might change in time, but the problem basically isn't likely to go away. Flannery also presents (in my opinion) seemingly reasonable estimated view when mentioning that current level of warming is in best circumstances possibly stabilized around 2150s (the use of fossil fuels radically reduced, overall temperature having raised some degrees and further warming then halted). From the optimistic views, industries and production usually are found able a lot faster developing less pollutive production chains and factories when forced to do/economic factors give reason for that.

The solution(s). In addition to main discussion, in the end of the book there's variety of solutions. Of course they are not anything too complicated or new, basically one can summarizes this as the renewable cocktail instead of the more hazardous fossilous one. The main part (of the book) explains why there's haste in the transition to use less pollutive energies, but on the basis of current knowledge seems also likely that in the future much of those would be 'extracted' from more various sources than today (depending on the most suitable for different countries/regions). For one's own energy usage there's as well plenty of 'recipes'; fx change for hybrid cars; use of renewable electricity - if not available change the company/provider, etc. Equally reasonable is of course the notion that more the usage of green electricity, solar panels, etc, the cheaper these will in time be in time. As well it's of course easy to find similarly recommendable practices/changes in one's own behaviour, fx. biking makes a good alternative to walking (and so on).

Since the climatic science (there's also included most useful list from sources of falsified information, incl. fx the foregone Global Climate Coalition) is generally rather recently born field of research, the book basically gives lot information from topics that are not too commonly mentioned in other contexts. Some of it may feel a bit heavy in places, but nevertheless even without much earlier understanding beforehand the reader can find the main points presented clearly enough. Of course, we've here but briefly refered to some of the things discussed. Possibly much of that may have already been reshaped / slightly renewed with more recent research since books publication, but basically the book tells the simple fact that nature never reacts quite the way humans easily would hope it to. Flannery may have been most concerned on the effects for his own home country (Australia), but the things are presented on global level, mainly.



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