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Tipping Point for Planet Earth: How Close Are We to the Edge?
Four people are born every second of every day. Conservative estimates suggest that there will be 10 billion people on Earth by 2050. That is billions more than the natural resources of our planet can sustain without big changes in how we use and manage them.
So what happens when vast population growth endangers the world’s food supplies? Or our water? Our energy needs, climate, or environment? Or the planet’s biodiversity? What happens if some or all of these become critical at once? Just what is our future?
In Tipping Point for Planet Earth , world-renowned scientists Anthony Barnosky and Elizabeth Hadly explain the growing threats to humanity as the planet edges toward resource wars for remaining space, food, oil, and water. And as they show, these wars are not the nightmares of a dystopian future, but are already happening today. Finally, they at what point will inaction lead to the break-up of the intricate workings of the global society?
The planet is in danger now, but the solutions, as Barnosky and Hadly show, are still available. We still have the chance to avoid the tipping point and to make the future better. But this window of opportunity will shut within ten to twenty years. Tipping Point for Planet Earth is the wake-up call we need.
So what happens when vast population growth endangers the world’s food supplies? Or our water? Our energy needs, climate, or environment? Or the planet’s biodiversity? What happens if some or all of these become critical at once? Just what is our future?
In Tipping Point for Planet Earth , world-renowned scientists Anthony Barnosky and Elizabeth Hadly explain the growing threats to humanity as the planet edges toward resource wars for remaining space, food, oil, and water. And as they show, these wars are not the nightmares of a dystopian future, but are already happening today. Finally, they at what point will inaction lead to the break-up of the intricate workings of the global society?
The planet is in danger now, but the solutions, as Barnosky and Hadly show, are still available. We still have the chance to avoid the tipping point and to make the future better. But this window of opportunity will shut within ten to twenty years. Tipping Point for Planet Earth is the wake-up call we need.
272 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 26, 2016
11 people are currently reading
611 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
July 20, 2016
This is a book about the environmental problems we face. Obviously we face a number of environmental crises, but how serious are they? The authors pretty much presuppose that you know it’s serious. We are pretty “close to the edge” already, and they go over a number of cases in point.
The book is told travelogue-style, so we’re first told a story about their visit somewhere, and then we get the lessons and some scientific analysis on the issue their story illustrates. The authors describe their family visits to Utah, Morocco, South Africa, Yellowstone, Rwanda, Costa Rica, and so forth, and the issues they illustrate include toxins, climate change, overpopulation, too much consumption, not enough water, and too much war.
Others, such as Elizabeth Kolbert in The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History, have used the “travelogue” format to good effect, and it works pretty well here, too, making the book readable and informative at the same time. On the frontispiece, there’s an image of a single individual holding a huge ball, which looks like the planet, as it is about to roll over a cliff, and the back cover pretty much announces the conclusions: we are headed for “a change so fast, dramatic, and unexpected that humanity will reel at the consequences.” I liked the variety of issues they dealt with, and I was glad that the authors tried to say what needed to be done as well as what the problem was — so it wasn’t all gloom and doom.
I’ve read some of Anthony Barnosky’s other stuff, including Dodging Extinction: Power, Food, Money, and the Future of Life on Earth, which was quite good, better than Kolbert’s book IMHO. I like the way he thinks, even though he’s not as radical as I’d like him to be. My next question related to the authors. And I wanted to know — who was this co-author that he had rounded up? It turned out to be his wife. This collaboration seems to work well.
Because I’ve read a lot of books in this general area, it’s sometimes hard for me to try to separate what I personally learned from this, and what someone else might learn who was either less informed than I am (the innocent public) or more informed (scientists). I did read about some things I hadn’t heard before, like some of those nasty diseases and mosquitoes, but the most interesting thing was the stories and the lessons they tried to draw. I pretty much already knew the general direction and seriousness of our environmental problems and did not need convincing on that score, but I like to see how people are trying to wrestle with them, even if their ideas aren't what I’d think of at first.
I was waiting for them to say something about either (a) veganism and (b) degrowth. They never quite get there, so I am left wanting more radical “solutions” than they offer, and looking for ways (evidence, or ways of addressing the issue) that would bring out the need for veganism (not eating or producing animal products) and degrowth (a smaller, simpler lifestyle with fewer people on board the planet), and any ideas as to how we might get there. If we got rid of meat consumption, and our consumerist lifestyle, wouldn’t this do the trick? And if they would, then how do we get there — isn’t this what we need to be talking about and trying to figure out?
So thanks, Anthony and Elizabeth, for writing an interesting book that gives you new perspectives and makes you think. Next time, though, I’d focus on the question, “what makes these problems so difficult,” and I’d look for a more radical approach.
The book is told travelogue-style, so we’re first told a story about their visit somewhere, and then we get the lessons and some scientific analysis on the issue their story illustrates. The authors describe their family visits to Utah, Morocco, South Africa, Yellowstone, Rwanda, Costa Rica, and so forth, and the issues they illustrate include toxins, climate change, overpopulation, too much consumption, not enough water, and too much war.
Others, such as Elizabeth Kolbert in The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History, have used the “travelogue” format to good effect, and it works pretty well here, too, making the book readable and informative at the same time. On the frontispiece, there’s an image of a single individual holding a huge ball, which looks like the planet, as it is about to roll over a cliff, and the back cover pretty much announces the conclusions: we are headed for “a change so fast, dramatic, and unexpected that humanity will reel at the consequences.” I liked the variety of issues they dealt with, and I was glad that the authors tried to say what needed to be done as well as what the problem was — so it wasn’t all gloom and doom.
I’ve read some of Anthony Barnosky’s other stuff, including Dodging Extinction: Power, Food, Money, and the Future of Life on Earth, which was quite good, better than Kolbert’s book IMHO. I like the way he thinks, even though he’s not as radical as I’d like him to be. My next question related to the authors. And I wanted to know — who was this co-author that he had rounded up? It turned out to be his wife. This collaboration seems to work well.
Because I’ve read a lot of books in this general area, it’s sometimes hard for me to try to separate what I personally learned from this, and what someone else might learn who was either less informed than I am (the innocent public) or more informed (scientists). I did read about some things I hadn’t heard before, like some of those nasty diseases and mosquitoes, but the most interesting thing was the stories and the lessons they tried to draw. I pretty much already knew the general direction and seriousness of our environmental problems and did not need convincing on that score, but I like to see how people are trying to wrestle with them, even if their ideas aren't what I’d think of at first.
I was waiting for them to say something about either (a) veganism and (b) degrowth. They never quite get there, so I am left wanting more radical “solutions” than they offer, and looking for ways (evidence, or ways of addressing the issue) that would bring out the need for veganism (not eating or producing animal products) and degrowth (a smaller, simpler lifestyle with fewer people on board the planet), and any ideas as to how we might get there. If we got rid of meat consumption, and our consumerist lifestyle, wouldn’t this do the trick? And if they would, then how do we get there — isn’t this what we need to be talking about and trying to figure out?
So thanks, Anthony and Elizabeth, for writing an interesting book that gives you new perspectives and makes you think. Next time, though, I’d focus on the question, “what makes these problems so difficult,” and I’d look for a more radical approach.
June 7, 2016
This book provides a current overview of the environmental obstacles facing humanity this century. The thesis is that we are at a tipping point for the Earth as the problems we are encountering essentially are part of a positive feedback loop creating a tremendous maelstrom of issues. The authors elegantly blend their own research and traveling experiences as paleoecologists (UC Berkeley and Stanford U) with their roles as parents in a growing family. It is elegantly written with plenty of heart and wisdom within themes such as food, water, energy etc. They always provide suggestions for how we can work towards sustainability while simultaneously urging us as individuals to participate in the solutions. It is a very timely book and its message is clear and simple. I can highly recommended the book as a current status report on environmental issues. Great reading!
October 15, 2016
With books like this I tend to get frustrated. I know that there are so many we should be doing to preserve the Earth but when I read things like this I feel helpless, like there is nothing one person like me can do. I do all the little things and I truly care so I hope that is enough. There was some optimism and solutions but what I feel we need is a book of solutions not just a pointing out the major problems.
September 12, 2021
tw transphobia, classism, racism, bootlicking of billionaires
absolutely one of the worst books i've read. transphobia by pg 30 (its not even relevant to their bad argument either??). no acknowledgement of env. racism at all. falsely blames "People" and "our growing population" for all environmental problems and climate chaos. i dont know what im gonna do with this book, its too harmful to society to even put in a little free library. will probably throw away or burn
absolutely one of the worst books i've read. transphobia by pg 30 (its not even relevant to their bad argument either??). no acknowledgement of env. racism at all. falsely blames "People" and "our growing population" for all environmental problems and climate chaos. i dont know what im gonna do with this book, its too harmful to society to even put in a little free library. will probably throw away or burn
September 25, 2016
Sighting the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
Their hooves can be heard and they can be seen riding abreast in the not so distant mist.
Although professors Barnosky and Hadly wax optimistically as they close this alarming book, I have my doubts. Add several other horsemen to pestilence, war, famine and death, including pollution, global warming, over population, habitat degradation and perhaps worst of all, human nature, and the future looks terrifying. Each one of these is a “threat multiplier” which can be understood as “multiple threats” coming “together to add up to more than the sum of their parts.” (p. 209)
The authors lay the horrors to come out in nearly excruciating detail, chapter by chapter—that is, if we do nothing. This is where human nature comes in. It is our nature to relieve ourselves in the river and the pond; it is our nature to throw the chicken bones over our shoulders; it is our nature to just move on when the stench becomes too much. And when there were only a million or so humans on the planet this was okay. We could besmirch, spoil, pollute to our heart’s content without any significant long term consequence. We would just move on and of course the damage done would not be permanent since left to her own devices Mother Nature would heal herself. Not so anymore since there is really no place for us to move to and the kind of damage we are doing today with noxious and poisonous chemicals, metals, nuclear waste, etc. would take nature on her own many thousands of years to amend.
Barnosky and Hadly are not any sort of stay at home scientists. As a married couple they have been out in the jungles, the tundra, the deserts of the earth and in the muck and stench of poverty-stricken places both rural and urban all over the globe for twenty-five years. Hadly is an environmental biologist at Stanford University and Barnosky is a paleobiologist at the University of California, Berkeley. Their passion to find the truth about what is happening to the planet, and the horror of what they see coming is unmistakably and vividly reported. Each chapter is about one of the threats to the planet presented first as a personal experience during the many years they have been in the field and then as a detailed report on the facts as they know them from extensive research and collaboration.
Yes, this book should be required reading for high school students and by the members of the Congress of the United States. And yes it won’t be--well, some of the high school students will read it… And indeed it may be too late. What the authors see as a tipping point “is a landscape and seascape that has been so changed by humanity that our life-support systems are teetering precariously on the brink of collapse.” (p. 13) A tipping point can be understood as occurring just before a phase transition as in physics. Instead of water going from liquid to steam the planet can be seen as going from livable to hellish.
In a sense it could be said that we are the planet’s cancer, growing wildly amuck without regard for the life-sustaining ecosystems; in fact with wanton disrespect for the balance of flora and fauna which we devour, despoil and pollute like blind bacteria in a petri dish.
I want to point to one of the biggest threats not mentioned much anymore that the authors bring up, and that is too many people on the planet. Ever since Paul and Anne Ehrlich’s dire predictions in their 1968 book, “The Population Bomb” went bust (so to speak) it’s been politically and scientifically incorrect to cite over population as one of humanity’s problems. The conventional wisdom became that the planet’s human population would stabilize as more of the world’s women escaped poverty and became better educated and had easy access to contraception. The birthrates in Europe and Japan were cited as proof. However we already have too many people on the planet as evidenced by the billion or so who go to bed hungry every night. The authors estimate that we are currently using twice the earth’s carrying capacity in terms of resources. They project that as the under developed world gains middle class status they will want all the stuff people in the developed countries have. When that happens we will be exceeding the carrying capacity of the planet four or five times, and the tipping point will resolve into a catastrophe of unimaginable proportions.
--Dennis Littrell, author of “The World Is Not as We Think It Is”
Their hooves can be heard and they can be seen riding abreast in the not so distant mist.
Although professors Barnosky and Hadly wax optimistically as they close this alarming book, I have my doubts. Add several other horsemen to pestilence, war, famine and death, including pollution, global warming, over population, habitat degradation and perhaps worst of all, human nature, and the future looks terrifying. Each one of these is a “threat multiplier” which can be understood as “multiple threats” coming “together to add up to more than the sum of their parts.” (p. 209)
The authors lay the horrors to come out in nearly excruciating detail, chapter by chapter—that is, if we do nothing. This is where human nature comes in. It is our nature to relieve ourselves in the river and the pond; it is our nature to throw the chicken bones over our shoulders; it is our nature to just move on when the stench becomes too much. And when there were only a million or so humans on the planet this was okay. We could besmirch, spoil, pollute to our heart’s content without any significant long term consequence. We would just move on and of course the damage done would not be permanent since left to her own devices Mother Nature would heal herself. Not so anymore since there is really no place for us to move to and the kind of damage we are doing today with noxious and poisonous chemicals, metals, nuclear waste, etc. would take nature on her own many thousands of years to amend.
Barnosky and Hadly are not any sort of stay at home scientists. As a married couple they have been out in the jungles, the tundra, the deserts of the earth and in the muck and stench of poverty-stricken places both rural and urban all over the globe for twenty-five years. Hadly is an environmental biologist at Stanford University and Barnosky is a paleobiologist at the University of California, Berkeley. Their passion to find the truth about what is happening to the planet, and the horror of what they see coming is unmistakably and vividly reported. Each chapter is about one of the threats to the planet presented first as a personal experience during the many years they have been in the field and then as a detailed report on the facts as they know them from extensive research and collaboration.
Yes, this book should be required reading for high school students and by the members of the Congress of the United States. And yes it won’t be--well, some of the high school students will read it… And indeed it may be too late. What the authors see as a tipping point “is a landscape and seascape that has been so changed by humanity that our life-support systems are teetering precariously on the brink of collapse.” (p. 13) A tipping point can be understood as occurring just before a phase transition as in physics. Instead of water going from liquid to steam the planet can be seen as going from livable to hellish.
In a sense it could be said that we are the planet’s cancer, growing wildly amuck without regard for the life-sustaining ecosystems; in fact with wanton disrespect for the balance of flora and fauna which we devour, despoil and pollute like blind bacteria in a petri dish.
I want to point to one of the biggest threats not mentioned much anymore that the authors bring up, and that is too many people on the planet. Ever since Paul and Anne Ehrlich’s dire predictions in their 1968 book, “The Population Bomb” went bust (so to speak) it’s been politically and scientifically incorrect to cite over population as one of humanity’s problems. The conventional wisdom became that the planet’s human population would stabilize as more of the world’s women escaped poverty and became better educated and had easy access to contraception. The birthrates in Europe and Japan were cited as proof. However we already have too many people on the planet as evidenced by the billion or so who go to bed hungry every night. The authors estimate that we are currently using twice the earth’s carrying capacity in terms of resources. They project that as the under developed world gains middle class status they will want all the stuff people in the developed countries have. When that happens we will be exceeding the carrying capacity of the planet four or five times, and the tipping point will resolve into a catastrophe of unimaginable proportions.
--Dennis Littrell, author of “The World Is Not as We Think It Is”
March 1, 2018
TIPPING POINT FOR PLANET EARTH: How close are we to the edge? By Anthony D. Barnosky and Elizabeth A. Hadly, New York, St.Martins Press, 2015.
This is a reminder to read a book that has already had a significant impact. Given recent political distractions, I’m afraid the urgency of this book’s message is getting lost. Time is running out. We need to get busy doing the most difficult work we have ever understood to be essential. Simply put: we need to act now in every way we can imagine to reduce our overuse of resources and the impact of our wastes on planet Earth.
The way forward has been described and developed over the last 50 years by many experts who assure us we can achieve an equitable steady state. Check out Enough Is Enough by Dietz and O'Neill or my fiction. Technology can help, as can the billions its inventors have raked in. Leveling the playing field will help, but we all need to pitch in. Check out the authors’ #We Know Enough To Act.
The proof of the threatened TIPPING POINT for Earth is clearly stated in this book—their personal experience, the statistics, the current news, observations and general interactions and their complex nature seen already in “resource wars for remaining space, food, oil and water.” We have another decade or two to get busy—all of us.
This is a reminder to read a book that has already had a significant impact. Given recent political distractions, I’m afraid the urgency of this book’s message is getting lost. Time is running out. We need to get busy doing the most difficult work we have ever understood to be essential. Simply put: we need to act now in every way we can imagine to reduce our overuse of resources and the impact of our wastes on planet Earth.
The way forward has been described and developed over the last 50 years by many experts who assure us we can achieve an equitable steady state. Check out Enough Is Enough by Dietz and O'Neill or my fiction. Technology can help, as can the billions its inventors have raked in. Leveling the playing field will help, but we all need to pitch in. Check out the authors’ #We Know Enough To Act.
The proof of the threatened TIPPING POINT for Earth is clearly stated in this book—their personal experience, the statistics, the current news, observations and general interactions and their complex nature seen already in “resource wars for remaining space, food, oil and water.” We have another decade or two to get busy—all of us.
August 7, 2021
3.2/5 Stars
First of all, I thank God for letting me finish this book or else, I could never manage to finish it.
I'll keep it shorty short, this book is depressingly good, it makes me feel hopeless towards the Earth which is a good thing as it made me realize that WE should take climate change and Earth's matters very very seriously. My favourite topics are about the toxins and human population.
However, it also has super biased holier-than-thou opinions. I get it, the title says a lot, this is not "An Ultimate Guide to Combat Climate Change" but man the amount of times I cringed reading it- the solutions are catered to cis-white society. Such solutions, like going vegan and consume less meat is non-applicable for those living in developing and third world countries because their main problem before everything else is and will be: poverty.
Other than that, overall the book is just meh. It is really a lot to take in.
First of all, I thank God for letting me finish this book or else, I could never manage to finish it.
I'll keep it shorty short, this book is depressingly good, it makes me feel hopeless towards the Earth which is a good thing as it made me realize that WE should take climate change and Earth's matters very very seriously. My favourite topics are about the toxins and human population.
However, it also has super biased holier-than-thou opinions. I get it, the title says a lot, this is not "An Ultimate Guide to Combat Climate Change" but man the amount of times I cringed reading it- the solutions are catered to cis-white society. Such solutions, like going vegan and consume less meat is non-applicable for those living in developing and third world countries because their main problem before everything else is and will be: poverty.
Other than that, overall the book is just meh. It is really a lot to take in.
January 4, 2023
two minor bureaucrats who are dying to feel important. in their entitled 1%er life nothing happens. the working people are paying their homes, the students are paying their cars and daily spending, the university is paying for the trips abroad in style. there is no hunger, no desire, nothing. so what could they do? oh, the sky is falling! during their useless lives the end is going to happen. and like many prophets, the day will pass, nothing will happen, and the believes will remain in debt, because the two scammers are going to be long dead, nobody to pay back the money they have taken.
February 27, 2018
From information point of view, this book is well researched and very informative, it is impactful and make us aware of the critical situation of planet earth we facing now. However, the information is presented in a wordy way, and very dense it make me nearly suffocated while reading it. And the consistency between chapters is not well managed. I wished the numbers were presented in graphical way instead of translated into word.
August 22, 2018
A book that addresses the impact of population increase, climate change and the domino effect that cause for a mass wake up call for humanity to pull together and start caring about what we want a stable place to live, breathe, eat and drink.
I could not put this book down as my eyes were opened to what could happen in a few short decades to our planet if we do not make drastic changes.
I could not put this book down as my eyes were opened to what could happen in a few short decades to our planet if we do not make drastic changes.
October 18, 2017
Great reading!
November 27, 2018
A must read for everyone
December 9, 2018
Very enlightening; everyone should read this book.
September 21, 2021
A chilling reminder to us that earth can't sustained our outrageous activities for much longer without consequences toward the livelihood of earth itself. We all need to wake up now!!!
May 7, 2016
I won this book as a part of the Goodreads Giveaway and was very excited to receive it. Reading “Tipping Point for Planet Earth” was like watching a lioness take down a gazelle, the miraculous beauty, grace and proficiency of the story stand toe to toe with the calculated, merciless gore and horror of the message and I could not look away.
Anthony Barnosky & Elizabeth Hadly interweave professional acumen and personal experiences to tell a tale that both educates and fascinates. Reminiscent of 19th century adventure novels that packed practical science teaching between the slats of exciting experiences (“20,000 Leagues Beneath the Sea” listed genus and species of hundreds of fish and “Journey to the Center of the Earth” was practically a geology textbook) this book recounts the author's’ adventures and uses them to illustrate their scientific conclusions, but unlike M. Verne’s missives, the adventures were real!
Very much in the vein of Elizabeth Kolberts “The 6th Extinction”, this style adds interest, readability and accessibility to the work, albeit not quite as successfully as Ms Kolbert’s wonderfully compelling book did. Still a relatively low strain read, “Tipping Point” is packed with supporting statistics; there will be no claims of cherry picking data as it was harvested with the breadth of a combine. As a casual reader with a strong interest in the subject matter and science in general, perfection would have been less statistics with more of the anecdotal prose instead. It read more like a scholarly paper, whereas Kolbert’s read like a book.
This book could join “Silent Spring” in importance and be looked back upon by future generations as the clarion call that saved us all, or the harbinger raven on the mantle, whose warnings went unheeded until our downfall. I loved reading “Tipping Point” and will recommend it to all whose hands I can pry from their ears, eyes and mouths…
Chuck Hinton 5/6/16 http://hifi.blogspot.com/
Anthony Barnosky & Elizabeth Hadly interweave professional acumen and personal experiences to tell a tale that both educates and fascinates. Reminiscent of 19th century adventure novels that packed practical science teaching between the slats of exciting experiences (“20,000 Leagues Beneath the Sea” listed genus and species of hundreds of fish and “Journey to the Center of the Earth” was practically a geology textbook) this book recounts the author's’ adventures and uses them to illustrate their scientific conclusions, but unlike M. Verne’s missives, the adventures were real!
Very much in the vein of Elizabeth Kolberts “The 6th Extinction”, this style adds interest, readability and accessibility to the work, albeit not quite as successfully as Ms Kolbert’s wonderfully compelling book did. Still a relatively low strain read, “Tipping Point” is packed with supporting statistics; there will be no claims of cherry picking data as it was harvested with the breadth of a combine. As a casual reader with a strong interest in the subject matter and science in general, perfection would have been less statistics with more of the anecdotal prose instead. It read more like a scholarly paper, whereas Kolbert’s read like a book.
This book could join “Silent Spring” in importance and be looked back upon by future generations as the clarion call that saved us all, or the harbinger raven on the mantle, whose warnings went unheeded until our downfall. I loved reading “Tipping Point” and will recommend it to all whose hands I can pry from their ears, eyes and mouths…
Chuck Hinton 5/6/16 http://hifi.blogspot.com/
May 17, 2016
I won this book as a part of a Goodreads giveaway.
I found it to be a thorough exploration of what we can reasonably expect to occur due to climate change, but it wasn't as depressing as you might expect. Though the best case scenarios presented often seemed quite dire, the authors did a good job of leaving the reader with hope (in realistic doses). I thought the organization of the book into major problematic effects of climate change (food, water, disease, war, etc) was smart and the book flowed pretty smoothly.
A couple qualms:
I've done some basic research regarding tipping points and bifurcation points and although I'm certainly not an expert, I would have thought that a discussion on tipping points wouldn't be complete without a paired explanation of resilience. I think that actually would have fit well in the beginning of the book when the concepts were being introduced.
I get that the authors are trying to make their book casual in tone so that it's relatable, but they could use some lessons about how to construct a grammatically correct sentence. If I were judging this book solely on the quality of the writing, I would have given it a 2 or lower. But I think the message gets across regardless (and it's important enough) that I decided on a 4.
I found it to be a thorough exploration of what we can reasonably expect to occur due to climate change, but it wasn't as depressing as you might expect. Though the best case scenarios presented often seemed quite dire, the authors did a good job of leaving the reader with hope (in realistic doses). I thought the organization of the book into major problematic effects of climate change (food, water, disease, war, etc) was smart and the book flowed pretty smoothly.
A couple qualms:
I've done some basic research regarding tipping points and bifurcation points and although I'm certainly not an expert, I would have thought that a discussion on tipping points wouldn't be complete without a paired explanation of resilience. I think that actually would have fit well in the beginning of the book when the concepts were being introduced.
I get that the authors are trying to make their book casual in tone so that it's relatable, but they could use some lessons about how to construct a grammatically correct sentence. If I were judging this book solely on the quality of the writing, I would have given it a 2 or lower. But I think the message gets across regardless (and it's important enough) that I decided on a 4.
August 29, 2016
A sweeping and devastating synthesis of the chaos likely to overcome human civilization. The book is not heavily footnoted: it's a book by scientists, but not for scientists ... it is not meant to convert the inattentive, but to lay out a synthetic, interwoven overview for those who have examined some trees and seek a view of the forest. The good news: for those who need footnotes, the Nature article cited near the end of the book as the scientific publication that sparked this volume contains all the citations anyone would need (happy link surfing!), and is available to all, free to those who can find it in a library:
Approaching a state shift in Earth's biosphere
.
I didn't agree with the authors about every particular path they proposed toward solving the mess humans have made of our biosphere, but their big-picture view of how every collapse inflames another is essential thinking when grappling with the huge, massively complex systems that are the world we inhabit.
I didn't agree with the authors about every particular path they proposed toward solving the mess humans have made of our biosphere, but their big-picture view of how every collapse inflames another is essential thinking when grappling with the huge, massively complex systems that are the world we inhabit.
October 18, 2016
This is a good book, but pretty bleak. The authors tried to end on a hopeful note, but I'm afraid all the bad news that came before it was a lot more convincing than the attempt to provide an upbeat ending. I try to look for signs of hope, and there are some, in fact, many, if we know where to look. But when you look at the various categories in this book - climate change, food and water shortages, diseases, wars - and how they are all related, it's quite a challenge to imagine a scenario in which things turn out well for the future of humanity (the planet will be fine, as we all know, but we are more fragile than that). The fact that we know what needs to be done but can't decide to do it seems like a bad sign. Maybe Hillary Clinton will save us from ourselves, no telling what she might do with a cooperative house and senate (so be sure to vote!). For that matter, she has a decent record of working with those who were former enemies, so we may all survive yet. But don't read this book, it will only freak you out.
April 2, 2016
As somebody who is worried about our planet and global warming I was interested at this book. It is informative and interesting read that uses simple language to explain tipping points of our planet Earth . For those who wish to educate this will help you understand the problems we are facing and hopefully will open your eyes that global warming is real. If each of us took it seriously and did our deed we could prevent the catastrophe that is heading our way.
" As the world's population and living standards continue to grow, the projected climate impacts on the nexus of water, food, and energy are inextricably linked(...)"
" There is nowhere on Earth you can go now where you don't see evidence of the toxic substances that people produce. Eating too much fish in some places is hazardous because you will get mercury poisoning."
" As the world's population and living standards continue to grow, the projected climate impacts on the nexus of water, food, and energy are inextricably linked(...)"
" There is nowhere on Earth you can go now where you don't see evidence of the toxic substances that people produce. Eating too much fish in some places is hazardous because you will get mercury poisoning."
February 2, 2017
Note: I am reviewing an ARC that didn't have any pictures, which might have affected my reading experience.
Tipping Point for Planet Earth is a book that makes a very strong case for how fragile the system, we have created on Earth and allows us to consume all the goods and services modern civilization provides us with, is, and how dependent we really are on resources such as fossil fuels or water that will not always be as available as they were in the past. The book is a wake up call even to someone like me who is well aware of the dangers our planet (and our way of life) are facing. One of the reasons I am only giving the book 3/5 is because it is uneven (some chapters were not of the same quality as others were). Overall however the book is very good and well-researched and should be read.
Tipping Point for Planet Earth is a book that makes a very strong case for how fragile the system, we have created on Earth and allows us to consume all the goods and services modern civilization provides us with, is, and how dependent we really are on resources such as fossil fuels or water that will not always be as available as they were in the past. The book is a wake up call even to someone like me who is well aware of the dangers our planet (and our way of life) are facing. One of the reasons I am only giving the book 3/5 is because it is uneven (some chapters were not of the same quality as others were). Overall however the book is very good and well-researched and should be read.
May 6, 2016
Tipping Point for Planet Earth: How Close Are We to the Edge by Barnosky and Hadly is the best book on global warming that I have read. Each chapter has a specific focus on problems facing the earth: water, disease and food to name a few, and authors' voice is clear and conversational. Mostly though, instead of preaching the coming Armageddon, the authors provide advice and solutions to prevent the tipping point of humanity. That is an aspect often lost in writings on climate change. This is a wonderful book, well worth the read. I highly recommend it.
*I received this book free through a Goodreads giveaway*
*I received this book free through a Goodreads giveaway*
July 29, 2016
This book explains very well and thoroughly what is to be expected if nothing is done to counter climate change, to protect the natural resources, to control population growth, etc. The authors start each chapter with something they were able to observe during their work, then from a local example they shift to the global scale, saying that other parts of the world are concerned by the very same problem. They show clearly how the different problems we are facing and will be facing in the future are linked together, and concern everyone everywhere.
April 22, 2016
Unlike many books on this topic, Barnosky's not only lays out informed warnings, but informed suggestions. Without losing the necessary edge of the forbidding future, Barnosky allows for a message of hope.
I won this book through Goodreads Giveaways.
I won this book through Goodreads Giveaways.
June 20, 2016
Written in such a way that it is easy to understand the science behind the authors' (a husband and wife pair of scientists) research related to multiple tipping points facing our planet and our civilization. Perhaps the most impactful and important book I have read in my life.
October 29, 2016
Recommended reading for everyone
This book is an interesting look at how many different things interact to form our climate, politics and well-being. As a public health educator, high school science teacher and a mother I hope for the most positive outcomes.
This book is an interesting look at how many different things interact to form our climate, politics and well-being. As a public health educator, high school science teacher and a mother I hope for the most positive outcomes.
May 8, 2016
I won a free copy from the Goodreads First Reads Giveaway Program and think that it interesting. I would recommend it to everyone.
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