The Resilient Earth · Science, Global Warming and the Fate of Humanity by Simmons, Allen -- Read -- Imperial Library of Trantor

Index

Preface

Units and Measurements About The References Acknowledgments

Introduction

Science Obscured Global Warming Confusion The Three Pillars of Science The Path Ahead

Global Warming–The Crisis Defined

The History of Global Warming Is Earth Really Warming? The IPCC Reports The Fourth Assessment Report Predicted Effects of Global Warming The Causes of Global Warming Global Climate Models and CO2 A Summary of the Problem

We are in an Ice Age?

The Iceman Since the Ice Started Melting Historic Climate Changes The Little Ice Age The IPCC Changes Climate History Another Ice Age? What can we expect in the future?

Unprecedented Climate Change?

In The Beginning The Hadean and Archean Eons The Proterozoic Eon The Phanerozoic Eon The Paleozoic Era The Mesozoic Era The Cenozoic Era The Paleogene Period The Neogene Period Ice House World The Holocene Epoch Lessons from the Past

Ice Ages

The Father of Glaciology Ancient Ice Ages Snowball Earth Phanerozoic Ice Ages Our Ice Age, the Pleistocene The Causes of Ice Ages A Species Shaped by the Ice Age

Ancient Extinctions

The Ohio Animal The Tree of Life Major Phanerozoic Extinction Events The Causes of Extinction Invasive Species The Sixth Extinction

Changing Atmospheric Gases

Discovering the Greenhouse Effect The Greenhouse Today Carbon Dioxide The Carbon Cycle The Missing Sink The Bottom Line On CO2

Moving Continents & Ocean Currents

Drifting Continents Continental Movement in the Past Plate Tectonics Earth's Plates Today The Great Ocean Conveyor Belt The Only Constant is Change

Variations In Earth's Orbit

Cycles of Earth The Croll-Milankovitch Cycles Cycles Summarized Limits of Orbital Forcing

Varying Solar Radiation

Stellar Evolution Our Star, the Sun Sunspots and Solar Climate Solar Spectrum and Greenhouse Absorption Other Possible Links to the Sun

Cosmic Rays

Strange Particles from Outer Space Supernovae and Cosmic Rays Earth Showers and Muons Cosmic Rays and Cloud Formation Our Vagabond Sun A Grand Tour of the Galaxy Ice Ages and Spiral Arms Cosmo-Climatology

How Science Works

The Invention of Science The Scientific Method Hypotheses, Theses and Laws The Aha! Moment Accepting New Ideas Why Consensus is Meaningless The First Pillar of Climate Science

Experimental Data and Error

Satellites and Radiosondes Proxies and Paleoclimate Measuring Time Indicators of Climate Ice Cores, Gas Bubbles and Isotopes Living with Error and Uncertainty The Hockey Stick Revisited The Second Pillar of Climate Science

The Limits of Climate Science

Why Models Aren't Reliable Sources of Modeling Error Computational Error Modeling Earth's Climate GISS modelE Modeling Invalidated The IPCC Report Reexamined

Prophets of Doom

The Media Reports on Global Warming Other Voices Al Gore's Convenient Calling Masters of Deception Our Global Civilization

The Worst That Could Happen

A Rising Tide Worsening Weather Mass Extinctions Plague, Pestilence and Famine A Sudden Shock to the System Global Warming Summarized

Mitigation Strategies

The IPCC Suggestions Biofuels Hydroelectric Geothermal Wind Power Solar Power Coal's False Promise Methane Ice Renewable Energy Redux

A Plan for the Future

Getting from Point A to Point B Building for the Long Run The New Nuclear Age A Step Farther Out Plan Summary

The Fate of Planet Earth Afterward References