The Planet Remade (ebook)

Argumento de The Planet Remade (ebook)

"Oliver Morton produced 2015's most important and insightful book about the environment in The Planet Remade. . . . Several people who should know better argued this year that humanity needs to adopt a more 'religious' view of climate change. It does not. What it needs is books by Oliver Morton."--Richard Benson, The Independent

"[A] thoughtfully written and meticulously reported volume that explores the nascent and controversial field of deliberate technological interventions in the climate--interventions meant to cool the planet."--Pacific Standardz

"Few science books are more important, timely, and beautifully written. . . . [The Planet Remade] is a book that lays out all the facts, with great clarity and at some length, draws a conclusion, but leaves you to make up your mind."--Cory Doctorow, Boing Boing

"[A] dizzying, exhausting, exhilarating read."--New Scientist

"Morton . . . critically evaluates the ethical and scientific pros and cons of using geoengineering to mitigate global climate change. He uses real and theoretical case studies to support his views of past, current, and potential geoengineering options. . . . A valuable resource for environmental science and environmental policy library collections."--Choice

One of The Independent’s 6 Best Books in Nature 2015
One of The Guardian’s Best Books of 2015, selected by Hari Kunzru
One of The Guardian’s Best Science Books of 2015
One of LinkedIn’s Best Business Books of 2015
Longlisted for the 2015 Samuel Johnson Prize for Nonfiction

"Through pages of rigorous scientific groundwork wrapped in elegant prose, Morton provides a guided tour of why we need geoengineering. . . . The Planet Remade is a delightful introduction to the seemingly absurd proposals that could be our fragile world’s final hope."--Science News

"Morton offers a calm, rational discussion of deliberate technological interventions to cool the planet’s climate system. . . . An important account of cutting-edge research that will fascinate serious readers and demand the attention of policymakers."--Kirkus (Starred Review)

"Morton affords us a fascinating look at the perils and promise of geoengineering on a warming planet."--Wan Lixin, Shanghai Daily

"Oliver Morton displays here again the usual virtues of his writing, which include a sparkling clarity maintained even when conveying huge complex masses of information, often about topics new to all of us; and then, even more importantly, good judgment. He makes distinctions when evaluating gnarly problems, and explains the distinctions very persuasively, and with a generous dry wit. All these abilities are now devoted to perhaps the crucial question of our time, the climate, making this simply a Necessary Book, which is also a pleasure to read. Maybe that combination makes it sui generis, but in any case it’s an important addition to current discourse, an excellent way to get oriented to our most pressing environmental problem, and I urge people to read it and ponder its news."--Kim Stanley Robinson, author of Red Mars and Aurora

"This is the first book to properly consider the dimensions of the new world we are living in. Morton’s book is indispensable, highly readable, and incredibly timely."--Mark Lynas, author of The God Species

"A scholar and a fine literary stylist, Oliver Morton sets the geoengineering debate in a fascinating historical and social context. The Planet Remade is much the best book on the subject and deserves a wide readership."--Martin Rees, author of Our Final Century

"One of the most important and provocative books I’ve read in years. The Planet Remade is essential for policymakers, environmentalists, skeptics, and anyone else who prefers their views on climate change to be based on evidence rather than rhetoric."--Hari Kunzru, author of Gods without Men

"Written with the grace and clarity its subject demands, The Planet Remade offers just what the issue of climate change needs: fresh thinking about what can be done, based on deep respect for the planet, the science, and the concerns of people with differing points of view. It’s an enriching addition to the literature of possible worlds."--Marek Kohn, author of A Reason for Everything and Turned Out Nice

"Deeply rooted in history and smartly optimistic about the future, this is--by far--the best book yet on geoengineering."--David Keith, Harvard University and author of A Case for Climate Engineering

"In Morton’s new book, he takes on some of the most challenging issues of our age. It is a readable and thought-provoking look at humanity’s dance with hubristic ideas and deeds regarding the manipulation of the environment on a planetary scale. He is clearly one of the best science writers of our day."--Steven Hamburg, Environmental Defense Fund

"Taking a sensible and low-key approach to a rather provocative subject, Morton shows why geoengineering is something that the mainstream will need to consider--it’s not something just for the fringes."--Ken Caldeira, Carnegie Institution for Science

"Morton accessibly describes the potential and risks of geoengineering and puts them in the context of climate change and other large-scale interventions that humans have had on the earth system or might seek to have in the future."--Tim Kruger, University of Oxford

"Engaging, persuasive, and thought provoking. Morton discusses the potential role and consequences of geoengineering and puts forward his own carefully considered views on the subject. The Planet Remade is a tour de force of wide-ranging scholarship as well as a soundly argued polemic."--John Shepherd, University of Southampton

"[An] ambitious, enthralling, and slightly strange book."--Bryan Appleyard, Sunday Times

"[I]f you are going to read one book on climate engineering, it should be The Planet Remade. . . . [The book] is as much an exploration of science and engineering as it is of people and attitudes."--Jane C.S. Long, Nature

"Morton accomplishes the difficult task of explaining high-level scientific concepts in pragmatic terms, with enough history, first-person reporting, anecdotes, and humor that The Planet Remade is as enjoyable to read as it is informative."--Foreword Reviews0Introduction: Two Questions 1
Climate Risks and Responsibilities 5
The Second Fossil-Fuel Century 8
Altering the Earthsystem 22
Deliberate Planets, Imagined Worlds 26
Part One: Energies
1 The Top of the World 35
Discovering the Stratosphere 38
Fallout 43
The Ozone Layer 47
The Veilmakers 54
2 A Planet Called Weather 57
The Worldfalls 62
The Trenberth Diagram and Climate Science 66
Steam Engines and Spaceship Earth 71
3 Pinatubo 83
Volcanoes and Climate 86
Predictions and Surprises 93
4 Dimming the Noontime Sun 100
Rough Magic 107
Promethean Science 112
5 Coming to Think This Way 124
Martians and Moral Equivalents 129
The Day Before Yesterday 135
The Rise of Carbon Dioxide Politics 139
6 Moving the Goalposts 148
From Plan B to Breathing Space 156
Expanding the Boundaries 165
Part Two: Substances
7 Nitrogen 175
The Making of the Population Bomb 184
Defusing the Population Bomb 189
Far from Fixed 195
How to Spot a Geoengineer 201
8 Carbon Past, Carbon Present 209
The Anthropocene 219
The Greening Planet 229
9 Carbon Present, Carbon Future 243
Ocean Anaemia 251
Cultivating One’s Garden 259
10 Sulphur and Soggy Mirrors 268
Global Cooling 274
Cloudships 283
Bright Patchwork Planet 288
What the Thunder Didn’t Say 298
Part Three: Possibilities
11 The Ends of the World 305
Control and Catastrophe 312
Doom and Denial 317
The Traditions of Titans 323
A Tale of Two Cliques 332
After Such Knowledge 338
12 The Deliberate Planet 344
The Concert 347
Small Effects, and Bad Ones 359
And Straight on ’til Morning 369
Envoi 375
Acknowledgements 379
References, Notes and Further Reading 383
Bibliography 393
Index 415