Escaping Nature: How to Survive Global Climate Change
Escaping Nature: How to Survive Global Climate Change
by Orrin H. Pilkey, Charles O. Pilkey, Linda P. Pilkey-Jarvis, Norma J. Longo, Keith C. Pilkey, Fred B. Dodson and Hannah L. Hayes
Duke University Press, 2024 Paper: 978-1-4780-2544-3 | eISBN: 978-1-4780-2757-7 | Cloth: 978-1-4780-2066-0 Library of Congress Classification QC903.P557 2023
ABOUT THIS BOOK | AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY | REVIEWS | TOC | REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE
ABOUT THIS BOOK
Industrial and agricultural greenhouse gas emissions are rapidly warming Earth’s climate, unleashing rising seas, ocean acidification, melting permafrost, powerful storms, wildfires, floods, deadly heat waves, droughts, tsunamis, food shortages, and armed conflict over shrinking water supplies while reducing nutritional levels in crops. Billions of people will become climate refugees. Hotter temperatures will allow tropical diseases to spread into temperate regions. Higher levels of CO2, allergens, dust, and other particulate matter will impair our physical and mental health and even reduce our cognitive abilities. Climate change disproportionately affects the world’s poor. It also harms Nature, and could ultimately trigger a sixth mass extinction. In Escaping Nature, Orrin H. Pilkey and his coauthors offer concrete suggestions for how to respond to the threats posed by global climate change. They argue that while we wait for the world’s governments to get serious about mitigating climate change we can adapt to a hotter world through technological innovations, behavioral changes, nature-based solutions, political changes, and education.
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
Orrin H. Pilkey is Emeritus James B. Duke Professor of Earth and Ocean Sciences at Duke University and the author and coauthor of many books.
Charles O. Pilkey is a former geologist turned freelance sculptor, writer, and illustrator.
Linda P. Pilkey-Jarvis is a geologist and coauthor with Orrin H. Pilkey of two books.
Norma J. Longo, a geologist and photographer, is coauthor with Pilkey of several books on coastal issues.
Keith C. Pilkey, an attorney concerned with legal issues of coastal development, is coauthor with Orrin H. Pilkey of two books about sea level rise.
Fred B. Dodson is a real estate developer who manages his organization’s affordable housing development activities.
Hannah L. Hayes is a scholar of climate justice, sustainable development, and disaster capitalism.
REVIEWS
“Escaping Nature provides an excellent overview of climate change consequences and suggestions on how to effectively deal with these challenges. This book is for all those who are seemingly overwhelmed by the complexity and confusion that the climate change news and debate generate. It could catch on like wildfire!”
-- Albert C. Hine, coauthor of Sea Level Rise in Florida: Science, Impacts, and Options
“Presenting a concise overview of the many calamities facing humanity, Escaping Nature offers suggestions to mitigate climate change on the social and personal levels. For the nonspecialist but interested citizen, this book will be their source of content for many discussions over dinner and among friends for years to come.”
-- Joseph T. Kelley, coauthor of The World’s Beaches: A Global Guide to the Science of the Shoreline
"Escaping Nature is an illuminating, practical resource that summarizes the potential threats of climate change and recommends actionable steps to prepare and respond. . . . For an age when many feel overwhelmed by the uncertainties and threats of climate change, Escaping Nature shares a simple, straightforward action plan in a reasonable, encouraging voice."
-- Kristen Rabe Foreword
"On the challenge of wrapping our heads around climate change—and actually doing something about it. . . . An eminently sensible user’s manual for saving the planet."
-- Kirkus
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preface vii Acknowledgments xi Introduction 1 1. Earth 1 The Lessons of Geologic Time 7 The 2021 United Nations Climate Report 13 Famine 19 Permafrost 26 2. Air 35 Hurricanes 37 Tornadoes 50 Heat 56 Bad Air 65 3. Fire 75 Wildfires 77 Urban Firestorms 91 4. Water 95 Sea Level Rise 97 Ocean Acidification 112 Marine Heat Waves 117 Tsunamis 122 Floods 129 Drought 142 Water Supply 153 5. Space 165 Climate Refugees 167 Climate Havens 173 Green Cities 180 Health 191 Nature on the Move 200 The Biosphere 209 The Heart of the Matter 219 New Ideas 225 New Developments 231 Bug-Out Bags: “Preparedness Perfects Response” 233 To Learn More: Resources in Print and on Screen 235 References and Additional Sources 239 About the Authors 287 Index 289
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