Future Earths

'Earth's Climate' summarises the major lessons to be learned from 550 million years of climate changes, as a way of evaluating the climatological impact on and by humans in this century. The book also looks ahead to possible effects during the next several centuries of fossil fuel use.

At a time when the evidence is stronger than ever that human activity is the primary cause for global climate change, William Ruddiman's breakthrough text returns in a thoroughly updated new edition. It offers a clear, engaging, objective portrait of the current state of climate science, including compelling recent findings on anthropogenic global warming and important advances in understanding past climates.

Radical ecology typically brings to mind media images of ecological activists standing before loggers' saws, staging anti-nuclear marches, and confronting polluters on the high seas. Yet for more than twenty years, the activities of organizations such as the Greens and Earth First! have been influenced by a diverse, less-publicized group of radical ecological philosophers. It is their work—the philosophical underpinnings of the radical ecological movement—that is the subject of Contesting Earth's Future. The book offers a much-needed, balanced appraisal of radical ecology's principles, goals, and limitations. Michael Zimmerman critically examines the movement's three major branches—deep ecology, social ecology, and ecofeminism. He also situates radical ecology within the complex cultural and political terrain of the late twentieth century, showing its relation to Martin Heidegger's anti-technological thought, 1960s counterculturalism, and contemporary theories of poststructuralism and postmodernity. An early and influential ecological thinker, Zimmerman is uniquely qualified to provide a broad overview of radical environmentalism and delineate its various schools of thought. He clearly describes their defining arguments and internecine disputes, among them the charge that deep ecology is an anti-modern, proto-fascist ideology. Reflecting both the movement's promise and its dangers, this book is essential reading for all those concerned with the worldwide ecological crisis.

A novel, integrated approach to understanding long-term human history, viewing it as the long-term evolution of human information-processing. This title is also available as Open Access.

The title of this book, Traditional Wisdom and Modern Knowledge for the Earth’s Future, is from the theme of the 2013 Kyoto Regional Conference of the International Geographical Union. Over the past few decades, globalization has strengthened connections among countries and regions of the world and has greatly changed existing geographies. However, this trend has also fostered various problems on a regional or global scale, such as economic imbalance, social fragmentation, political conflicts, and environmental crises. While acknowledging the world’s diversity, geography as a discipline must endeavor to resolve these problems by devising plans for cooperation and symbiotic existence of the different peoples of the world. An old Japanese proverb, On-ko chi-shin, taken from a Chinese one, Wengu Zhixin, says that only by exploring the old can one understand the new. People should first understand how traditional ideas, linked to interaction between society/culture and the environment, were formed in different countries and regions. Traditional wisdom, in harmony with the environment, remains prevalent. This book examines how we can mold the earth’s future through such traditional wisdom and modern knowledge from the nine keynote speeches of the Kyoto Regional Conference focusing on three topics: traditional wisdom, the environment, and the Great East Japan Earthquake.

Edgar Cayce, America's best documented psychic, gave upwards of 44 readings that dealt with lost continents, geophysical changes to Earth beginning 1958-1998, and a pole shift due to begin about now. In this book, geologist William Hutton and researcher Jonathan Eagle look for correspondences between results of geophysical research studies and psychic descriptions of prehistoric catastrophes. They also seek scientifically to test readings' predictions of catastrophic Earth changes, all the while investigating the following fascinating subjects: * Development and calibration of a comprehensive pole-shift model * The countries predicted to be most affected by a sudden, 1° pole shift. * The geologic trend for a mineralized gold vein at Bimini, Bahamas. * The authors' discoveries of correlations between: - a 2002 arctic earthquake and the eruption of torrid-area volcanoes, - the dropping of atom bombs in 1945 and a significant increase in sunspots following, and - the peaceable nature of Europe in 1645-1715 and the period's near total lack of sunspots. (Cayce readings implied or predicted all three phenomena.) * The first-ever analysis of the sources of Cayce's channeled readings, including a ranking of the veracity and reliability of the most important Earth changes and pole-shift readings. * Moralistic reasons for future catastrophic geophysical changes to Japan, China, and America. * Locations of post-pole-shift safety lands in Canada and America. * Locations of the records of the Atlantean civilization, to be found when Earth changes begin. * How to awaken to the New Cycle presently opening before humanity. * Evidence for Atlantis in the mid-Atlantic ridge area and for Lemuria (or Mu) in the Pacific. * The consuming religious war in which we find ourselves, and an answer to world conditions today. * Visions of an imminent Age-ending fire, as found in a Cayce reading, in a channeled book by Phylos the Tibetan, and in the 1960s visions of girls at Garabandal, Spain. * Doubtful interpretations of Earth-changes and pole-shift readings advanced by managers and writers of Cayce's legacy organization, the Association for Research and Enlightenment, Inc. From the Foreword by the Editor: "The acid test of pole shift and other Earth change predictions is their scientific credibility. If true, momentous societal and political changes are imminent. The geopolitical map of the world will be redrawn. The authors are exploring the transition from the end of one Age to the beginning of another."

High-technology and environmental applications of the rare-earth elements (REE) have grown dramatically in diversity and importance over the past four decades. This book provides a scientific understanding of rare earth properties and uses, present and future. It also points the way to efficient recycle of the rare earths in end-of-use products and efficient use of rare earths in new products. Scientists and students will appreciate the book's approach to the availability, structure and properties of rare earths and how they have led to myriad critical uses, present and future. Experts should buy this book to get an integrated picture of production and use (present and future) of rare earths and the science behind this picture. This book will prove valuable to.non-scientists as well in order to get an integrated picture of production and use of rare earths in the 21st Century, and the science behind this picture. Defines the chemical, physical and structural properties of rare earths. Gives the reader a basic understanding of what rare earths can do for us. Describes uses of each rare earth with chemical, physics, and structural explanations for the properties that underlie those uses. Allows the reader to understand how rare earths behave and why they are used in present applications and will be used in future applications. Explains to the reader where and how rare earths are found and produced and how they are best recycled to minimize environmental impact and energy and water consumption.

The various types of rocks found in our planet are presented in vibrant illustrations. Rich with information about minerals, gemstones, fossilization, the rock cycle, and more, this book will enthrall future geologists with Earth’s diverse wonders.

A collection of science fiction tales set in a futuristic African continent features the writing of Vernor Vinge, Gregory Benford, Bruce Sterling, Kim Stanley Robinson, Howard Waldrop, and Mike Resnick. Original.