Very Short Introductions: Brilliant, Sharp, Inspiring In this Very
Short Introduction Bill McGuire takes a fresh look at our sometimes
perilous planet, and evaluates the causes and consequences of what
used to be thought of as 'natural' hazards through the prism of
planetary heating and the continuing destabilising of our climate.
Our world has always been a dangerous and deadly place, and storms,
floods, earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic blasts have taken an
enormous toll on lives and livelihoods throughout recorded history
and before. In the past, such events were regarded first as acts of
God, or gods, and later as simply a consequence of hazardous
natural phenomena that are a normal part of how our planet works.
In recent decades, however, this picture has changed. Relentless
global heating, arising from the 2.4 trillion tonnes of carbon
dioxide pumped into the atmosphere as a result of human activities,
has completely altered the 'natural' hazard landscape. There has
long been a debate about whether - due to the influence of societal
and economic factors - there is such a thing as a truly natural
disaster. Now, the debate has moved on to whether or not the
hazards that cause them can any longer be described as entirely
natural. Our damaged climate has driven an explosion of extreme
weather, which has become ever more apparent in recent years via
the super-charging of storms, floods, heatwaves and wildfires. The
fingerprints of global heating can be detected even in individual
events that would have been extremely unlikely to have happened, or
even been impossible, in its absence. Meanwhile earthquakes,
tsunamis and volcanic eruptions continue to plague communities and
take lives, while even here there are links with a changing climate
that have the potential to magnify their occurrence and impacts.
ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford
University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every
subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get
ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts,
analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make
interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
General
Imprint: |
Oxford UniversityPress
|
Country of origin: |
United Kingdom |
Series: |
Very Short Introductions |
Release date: |
February 2024 |
Authors: |
Bill. McGuire
(Professor Emeritus of Geophysical & Climate Hazards)
|
Dimensions: |
174 x 111mm (L x W) |
Pages: |
160 |
Edition: |
3rd Revised edition |
ISBN-13: |
978-0-19-287453-5 |
Categories: |
Books
|
LSN: |
0-19-287453-5 |
Barcode: |
9780192874535 |
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