INDICE: Chapter 1: Introduction. Chapter 2: Taking the Earth's temperature. Stability over time ? what is 'normal'. Variations in the solar orbit. Statistical variation ? identifying trends. Pre-historic carbon dioxide variation. Ice core data ? oxygen isotopes. Nature's CO2 'pawprint'. When did global warming start?. Chapter 3: The physics of heating the Earth. The Earth's thermostat. Radiation ? reflection and absorption. The 'glass' of the Earth's greenhouse. Nature's greenhouse ? water vapor. The impact of human activity. Carbon andnitrogen dioxide, methane. Heat capacity of the oceans and air. Distribution of heat on the Earth. Volcanoes. Solar flares, El Nino, the Earth's core. Chapter 4: The chemistry of burning fuel. Hydrocarbons. Coal. Ethanol. Hydrogen. Energy payback ? the hydrogen plant. How much CO2 to make one solar cell. Chapter 5: Sources of greenhouse gases. The natural carbon cycle. Human-added greenhouse gases. Auto emissions. Deforestation. Electrical power generation. Agriculture. Industry. Chapter 6: Evidence for global warming. Direct and indirect evidence. Atmospheric measurements. Ocean measurements. Carbon dioxide measurements. The correlation: carbon dioxide and temperature. Snow cap and glacier loss. What we know for certain. What most scientists believe to be true. Chapter 7: Consequences of global warming. Archimedes' principle and floating ice. Coastlines moving inland. Wacky weather ? drought and flooding. Ecological changes. Proliferation of disease. Regional climate changes. Global inertia: greenhouse emissions. Chapter 8: Solutions. Demand reduction. Fuels that produce less carbon dioxide. Use of non-polluting forms of energy. Sequestering greenhouse gas emissions. Sinks foratmospheric greenhouse gases. Alternatives to burning forests. Why we think oil is cheaper than solar. Band-Aids: new levees. Relocating populations. Economic trade-off:action and in-action. Turing your money 'green'. The ozone problem?hopeless. Chapter 9: Global response. The lesson of space flight. A small step for mankind. State and city initiatives. Industry taking the lead. Current U.S. and world programs.
- ISBN: 978-0-07-150240-5
- Editorial: McGraw-Hill
- Encuadernacion: Rústica
- Páginas: 289
- Fecha Publicación: 01/03/2008
- Nº Volúmenes: 1
- Idioma: Inglés