Overview

The climate crisis has been portrayed as deadly to humans, and it could be. However, serious environmental and resulting public health crises have run rampant for a century or more. This book looks at how several of these crises developed and were miraculously resolved and then compares how the climate crisis is being addressed.

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9781538179673

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Reviews

Before even taking a deep dive into Reclaiming Our Planet, I knew I was going to like it. Finally, a positive approach to trying to rectify a potentially devastating problem. Climate change threatens our world as we know it. In my business, the daily newscasts are filled with stories of adverse changes to the planet's wellbeing, as our society has become more destructive to the Earth's health. Misinformation and denial only add to the problem. Gates takes an approach that is not only helpful, but constructive in getting us to understand that it is a solvable problem. Instead of placing blame, which inevitably results in push back against solutions due to fear of life altering changes and profits, Gates shows that there are practical ways to deal with this, while still being productive and profitable. Cooperation and discussion can lead to constructive steps forward before the Earth is too badly injured. --Craig Allen, chief meteorologist, WCBS-AM/880, CBS2 New York, WPIX, News 12, My 9, and Fox 5 Building off the scientific Law of Uniformitarianism that the Earth's geologic record is an accurate and reliable proxy for current and future Earth processes, including climate change, Alexander Gates presents Reclaiming Our Planet: How Environmental History Can Help Solve the Climate Crisis. Through the review, analysis, and descriptive evaluation of well-understood scientific methods, Gates leads the reader on an enlightening yet objective quest that deciphers key human-induced and naturally occurring processes spanning a range of time that includes geologic periods and man's impacts across the industrial revolution up to present day. While such a treatise would typically overwhelm most readers, Gates cleverly lays out the entire subject matter within a clear and concise sequence of easy-to-understand chapters. Most importantly, this work should provide a legitimate dose of hope for coping with and adapting to a climate change future. A future that promises solutions to a wide range of environmental crises, and that can serve as a powerful proxy for establishing new and improved policies and management plans that provide for an Earth system in equilibrium. --Tom Armstrong, PhD, former executive director, US Global Change Research Program, Office of President Obama Dr. Gates is an extraordinary communicator, able to explain challenging science concepts in clear and succinct language suitable for all. He has written one of the best books about climate change that I've read. He explains what climate change is, what causes it, and the role that humanity plays in it. He is clear-eyed about the challenges the world faces in addressing climate change, uses recent examples of how mankind has repaired the environmental damage it has caused as encouragement for all of us, and uses examples from the geologic past to show what can happen if we don't face the challenge head on. I highly recommend this book for all. --Peter Regan, former president and CEO, Environmental Resources Management LLC

Before even taking a deep dive into Reclaiming Our Planet, I knew I was going to like it. Finally, a positive approach to trying to rectify a potentially devastating problem. Climate change threatens our world as we know it. In my business, the daily newscasts are filled with stories of adverse changes to the planet's wellbeing, as our society has become more destructive to the Earth's health. Misinformation and denial only add to the problem. Gates takes an approach that is not only helpful, but constructive in getting us to understand that it is a solvable problem. Instead of placing blame, which inevitably results in push back against solutions due to fear of life altering changes and profits, Gates shows that there are practical ways to deal with this, while still being productive and profitable. Cooperation and discussion can lead to constructive steps forward before the Earth is too badly injured. --Craig Allen, chief meteorologist, WCBS-AM/880, CBS2 New York, WPIX, News 12, My 9, and Fox 5

Dr. Gates is an extraordinary communicator, able to explain challenging science concepts in clear and succinct language suitable for all. He has written one of the best books about climate change that I've read. He explains what climate change is, what causes it, and the role that humanity plays in it. He is clear-eyed about the challenges the world faces in addressing climate change, uses recent examples of how mankind has repaired the environmental damage it has caused as encouragement for all of us, and uses examples from the geologic past to show what can happen if we don't face the challenge head on. I highly recommend this book for all. --Peter Regan, former president and CEO, Environmental Resources Management LLC Building off the scientific Law of Uniformitarianism that the Earth's geologic record is an accurate and reliable proxy for current and future Earth processes, including climate change, Alexander Gates presents Reclaiming Our Planet: How Environmental History Can Help Solve the Climate Crisis. Through the review, analysis, and descriptive evaluation of well-understood scientific methods, Gates leads the reader on an enlightening yet objective quest that deciphers key human-induced and naturally occurring processes spanning a range of time that includes geologic periods and man's impacts across the industrial revolution up to present day. While such a treatise would typically overwhelm most readers, Gates cleverly lays out the entire subject matter within a clear and concise sequence of easy-to-understand chapters. Most importantly, this work should provide a legitimate dose of hope for coping with and adapting to a climate change future. A future that promises solutions to a wide range of environmental crises, and that can serve as a powerful proxy for establishing new and improved policies and management plans that provide for an Earth system in equilibrium. --Tom Armstrong, PhD, former executive director, US Global Change Research Program, Office of President Obama Before even taking a deep dive into Reclaiming Our Planet, I knew I was going to like it. Finally, a positive approach to trying to rectify a potentially devastating problem. Climate change threatens our world as we know it. In my business, the daily newscasts are filled with stories of adverse changes to the planet's wellbeing, as our society has become more destructive to the Earth's health. Misinformation and denial only add to the problem. Gates takes an approach that is not only helpful, but constructive in getting us to understand that it is a solvable problem. Instead of placing blame, which inevitably results in push back against solutions due to fear of life altering changes and profits, Gates shows that there are practical ways to deal with this, while still being productive and profitable. Cooperation and discussion can lead to constructive steps forward before the Earth is too badly injured. --Craig Allen, chief meteorologist, WCBS-AM/880, CBS2 New York, WPIX, News 12, My 9, and Fox 5

Building off the scientific Law of Uniformitarianism that the Earth's geologic record is an accurate and reliable proxy for current and future Earth processes, including climate change, Alexander Gates presents Reclaiming Our Planet: How Environmental History Can Help Solve the Climate Crisis. Through the review, analysis, and descriptive evaluation of well-understood scientific methods, Gates leads the reader on an enlightening yet objective quest that deciphers key human-induced and naturally occurring processes spanning a range of time that includes geologic periods and man's impacts across the industrial revolution up to present day. While such a treatise would typically overwhelm most readers, Gates cleverly lays out the entire subject matter within a clear and concise sequence of easy-to-understand chapters. Most importantly, this work should provide a legitimate dose of hope for coping with and adapting to a climate change future. A future that promises solutions to a wide range of environmental crises, and that can serve as a powerful proxy for establishing new and improved policies and management plans that provide for an Earth system in equilibrium. --Tom Armstrong, PhD, former executive director, US Global Change Research Program, Office of President Obama Before even taking a deep dive into Reclaiming Our Planet, I knew I was going to like it. Finally, a positive approach to trying to rectify a potentially devastating problem. Climate change threatens our world as we know it. In my business, the daily newscasts are filled with stories of adverse changes to the planet's wellbeing, as our society has become more destructive to the Earth's health. Misinformation and denial only add to the problem. Gates takes an approach that is not only helpful, but constructive in getting us to understand that it is a solvable problem. Instead of placing blame, which inevitably results in push back against solutions due to fear of life altering changes and profits, Gates shows that there are practical ways to deal with this, while still being productive and profitable. Cooperation and discussion can lead to constructive steps forward before the Earth is too badly injured. --Craig Allen, chief meteorologist, WCBS-AM/880, CBS2 New York, WPIX, News 12, My 9, and Fox 5

Author Information

Alexander Gates is a distinguished service professor of earth & environmental sciences at Rutgers University in Newark, NJ. He has published 9 books, 81 professional papers, and edited 11 professional volumes. His work in geology, education, and diversity improvement in STEM has been recognized with 26 professional awards.

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