Until 1997, few people had heard of the seasonal current that
Peruvians nicknamed El Nino. But when meteorologists linked it to
devastating floods in California, severe droughts in Indonesia, and
strange weather everywhere, its name became entrenched in the
common parlance faster than a typhoon making landfall. Bumper
stickers appeared bearing the phrase "Don't blame me; blame El
Nino." Stockbrokers muttered "El Nino" when the market became
erratic.
What's behind this fascinating natural phenomenon, and how did
our perceptions of it change? In this captivating book, renowned
oceanographer George Philander engages readers in lucid and
stimulating discussions of the scientific, political, economic and
cultural developments that shaped our perceptions of this force of
nature.
The book begins by outlining the history of El Nino, an
innocuous current that appears off the coast of Peru around
Christmastime--its name refers to the Child Jesus--and originally
was welcomed as a blessing. It goes on to explore how our
perceptions of El Nino were transformed, not because the phenomenon
changed, but because we did. Philander argues persuasively that
familiarity with the different facets of our affair with El
Nino--our wealth of experience in dealing with natural hazards such
as severe storms and prolonged droughts--can help us cope with an
urgent and controversial environmental problem of our own
making--global warming.
Intellectually invigorating and a joy to read, "Our Affair with
El Nino" is an important contribution to the debate about the
relationship between scientific knowledge and public affairs."
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