Tag: science

Books and Resources

Book Review: Here on Earth

Here on Earth: A Natural History of the Planet is as much a personal letter to humanity as a natural history of the planet. It asks, “Will ours be a Medean or Gaian future?”, referring to diverging hypotheses named for Greek goddesses, one destructive and the other life-giving. Tim Flannery – Australian scientist, Copenhagen Climate Council chairman and author of The Weather Makers, argues that rather than being a foregone conclusion, “what we believe…will determine our fate.” The time to decide what we believe, he says, is upon us. Continue reading Book Review: Here on Earth

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Here on Earth

Here on Earth: A Natural History of the Planet is as much a personal letter to humanity as a natural history of the planet. It asks, “Will ours be a Medean or Gaian future?”, referring to diverging hypotheses named for Greek goddesses, one destructive and the other life-giving. Tim Flannery – Australian scientist, Copenhagen Climate Council chairman and author of The Weather Makers, argues that rather than being a foregone conclusion, “what we believe…will determine our fate.” The time to decide what we believe, he says, is upon us. Click through for our full review… Continue reading Here on Earth

Education and Learning

Requiem for a Species

I have a friend I’ll call Dave. An educated, rational and intelligent man, Dave can be counted on for thoughtful, reasoned arguments, except on one issue: climate change. He has read the overwhelming evidence, but Dave remains certain that climate change is a myth. His proof? He has none that hasn’t been dismissed repeatedly by climate scientists. Still, Dave remains steadfast and I could never understand why. Clive Hamilton may have given me the answer. Continue reading Requiem for a Species

Water

Recovering a Lost River

In Recovering a Lost River: Removing Dams, Rewilding Salmon, Revitalizing Communities, author Steven Hawley leads readers on a meandering journey up the Snake River – dropping in on the communities it threads through – to its wilderness headwaters in Idaho. The largest tributary of the Columbia River, the Snake was once one of the continent’s most productive salmon-bearing rivers, with salmon returns estimated to number in the tens of millions each year. Today its salmon runs are only a shadow of their former abundance and the species has been extirpated from some tributaries altogether.
Click through for our full review… Continue reading Recovering a Lost River

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Evolution: The view from the cottage

Using the natural landscape around his Southern Quebec cottage as the central theme, author Jean-Pierre Rogel explores topics as diverse as genetically modified corn and whale taxonomy. He has much practice in engaging people in nature appreciation: As the host of the Radio-Canada science program Découverte, Rogel has been a public figure in Quebec for years. He has also written about genetics and evolution, although he is not yet well known among Anglophones. This, his fourth book, has been translated effectively to give English-speaking readers a taste of his engaging style. Reading this book immerses the reader in his cottage experiences, fleshed out by strong factual analysis.
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Am I A Monkey?: Six Big Questions about Evolution

“Am I A Monkey? aims to convince creationists that Judeo-Christian religion is compatible with evolutionary theory by explaining the basic tenets and underlying theory of natural selection. After a smattering of recent texts that have done much to polarize the religion-evolution debate, this is a refreshing thesis. However, although Ayala’s heart is in the right place, much of this book does not do his point justice.”
Click through for our full review. Continue reading Am I A Monkey?: Six Big Questions about Evolution

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The Honest Broker: Making Sense of Science in Policy and Politics

The Honest Broker: Making Sense of Science in Policy and Politics
Roger A. Pielke, Jr.
New York, NY: Cambridge University Press, 2007, 188 pages.

A stranger approaches you and asks for a referral to a restaurant in your town. How would you respond?

With this engaging question, Roger Pielke, an environmental studies professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder, opens his book concerning four idealized ways that science and environmental policy interact.

It would probably surprise the stranger if you handed him… [Click here to read more!] Continue reading The Honest Broker: Making Sense of Science in Policy and Politics