From Library Journal:
This book is one of the recent crop that has rung the alarm about global greenhouse warming. Brief attention is also paid to habitat destruction and the Gaia hypothesis of Earth as a self-adjusting organism. The most striking aspect of this book is the care Weiner takes to outline the inevitable uncertainties in our knowledge about nature, which may undermine needed prevention efforts in the next several decades. The narrative is somewhat choppy, and small errors of fact and emphasis occur, especially on the Gaia hypothesis and the potential for solutions. The latter, despite unavoidable uncertainties, deserves more sustained discussion. But this book's merits far outweigh its flaws; recommended.
-Branden B. Johnson, Columbia
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Publishers Weekly:
Through interviews with earth scientists and ecologists, Weiner ( Planet Earth ) takes readers to the forefront of the rapidly evolving field of global ecology. We see how the greenhouse effect, whereby gases and pollutants trapped in the earth's atmosphere contribute to planetary warming, may be linked to the thinning of the ozone shield protecting us and to the extinction of growing numbers of species. Scientists interviewed address population pressures on fragile ecosystems, effects of radioactive wastes, the Gaia hypothesis of earth as a living organism. Weiner guides us up the slopes of a Hawaiian volcano and inside dwindling Brazilian rain forests. His narrative brings a light, colloquial touch to an ominous subject.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.