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Subtitled - the coming age of environmental optimism, this book anticipated by nearly a decade the current evidence that in the Western nations, all forms of pollution except greenhouse gases are declining. Hugely controversial when first published, “A Moment on the Earth” has stood the test of time in 750 pages of detail – and books that are denounced when published, then widely respected a decade later, often have most long-term influence.
CRITICS are many and vocal about this book, including Michael Oppenheimer of Earth Defense Fund - be wary of the paucity of citations of primary sources in Gregg Easterbrook's book A Moment on the Earth. Many of the assertions used to support Mr. Easterbrook's broad arguments are wrong. Here are three examples among many we at the Environmental Defense Fund have found in the book's section on global warming:
- Mr. Easterbrook claims that the National Academy of Sciences "has backed away from the high end" of its forecast of future global warming due to doubling of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. A review of the academy's reports on global warming shows that this claim is false.
- Mr. Easterbrook claims that "the highest observed actual sea-level rise in this century is a mere one inch" to support his assertion that global warming is not affecting sea level as anticipated. According to studies by the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, average global sea level has, in fact, risen between four and eight inches over the past century, an amount that is consistent with global warming projections. According to a 1987 report published by the National Academy of Sciences, such a rise is sufficient to erode 40 feet of sand on a typical barrier beach on the east coast of the United States.
- Mr. Easterbrook claims that "global temperatures should have risen about five degrees Fahrenheit by now" if computer models that project global warming are correct. This claim is false, since a warming of that magnitude is not projected to occur until the middle of the next century.
Other chapters are also rife with errors, generally made in support of spurious arguments that diminish the significance of key environmental problems like global warming, ozone depletion and biodiversity. If such errors had been avoided, a more balanced book could have resulted.
CONDITION: Hard Cover with mylar covered DJ, VG/ VG |
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