Earth: The Operators' Manual

Richard B. Alley

Apr 2011 · W. W. Norton & Company

About this eBook

The book—companion to a PBS series—that proves humans are causing global warming and offers a path to the future. Since the discovery of fire, humans have been energy users and always will be. And this is a good thing-our mastery of energy is what separates us from the rest of the animal kingdom and has allowed us to be the dominant species on the planet. However, this mastery comes with a price: we are changing our environment in a profoundly negative way by heating it up.

Using one engaging story after another, coupled with accessible scientific facts, world authority Richard B. Alley explores the fascinating history of energy use by humans over the centuries, gives a doubt-destroying proof that already-high levels of carbon dioxide are causing damaging global warming, and surveys the alternative energy options that are available to exploit right now. These new energy sources might well be the engines for economic growth in the twenty-first century.

Ratings and reviews

One of the most entertaining -- as well as accurate, and surprisingly comprehensive -- treatments to date of the challenge that will define 21st Century life. I work in climate communication, so I've read about 15-20 books on climate change intended for general audiences. This is my favorite. I keep mining it, again and again, for stories and metaphors. Alley is a great storyteller, and world traveler. Lots of anecdotes and metaphors to explain a complex topic. To get the basic ideas, you can just watch the 3-part ETOM PBS series, or watch some short segments on YouTube. But the book is far richer, with more detail. My favorite chapter is on Chamber Posts, Toilets & the London Sewer System, which is perhaps the best extended metaphor I've read for what it takes to muster the political will to tackle a challenge this big.

About the author

Richard B. Alley is a professor of geology at Penn State University and a member of the National Academy of Sciences. He was a member of the UN climate change committee that was awarded the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize. He lives in State College, Pennsylvania.