The Emerald Planet

The Emerald Planet PDF Author: David Beerling
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0192529781
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 381

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Book Description
Plants have profoundly moulded the Earth's climate and the evolutionary trajectory of life. Far from being 'silent witnesses to the passage of time', plants are dynamic components of our world, shaping the environment throughout history as much as that environment has shaped them. In The Emerald Planet, David Beerling puts plants centre stage, revealing the crucial role they have played in driving global changes in the environment, in recording hidden facets of Earth's history, and in helping us to predict its future. His account draws together evidence from fossil plants, from experiments with their living counterparts, and from computer models of the 'Earth System', to illuminate the history of our planet and its biodiversity. This new approach reveals how plummeting carbon dioxide levels removed a barrier to the evolution of the leaf; how plants played a starring role in pushing oxygen levels upwards, allowing spectacular giant insects to thrive in the Carboniferous; and it strengthens fascinating and contentious fossil evidence for an ancient hole in the ozone layer. Along the way, Beerling introduces a lively cast of pioneering scientists from Victorian times onwards whose discoveries provided the crucial background to these and the other puzzles. This understanding of our planet's past sheds a sobering light on our own climate-changing activities, and offers clues to what our climatic and ecological futures might look like. There could be no more important time to take a close look at plants, and to understand the history of the world through the stories they tell. Oxford Landmark Science books are 'must-read' classics of modern science writing which have crystallized big ideas, and shaped the way we think.

The Emerald Planet

The Emerald Planet PDF Author: David Beerling
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0192529781
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 381

Get Book Here

Book Description
Plants have profoundly moulded the Earth's climate and the evolutionary trajectory of life. Far from being 'silent witnesses to the passage of time', plants are dynamic components of our world, shaping the environment throughout history as much as that environment has shaped them. In The Emerald Planet, David Beerling puts plants centre stage, revealing the crucial role they have played in driving global changes in the environment, in recording hidden facets of Earth's history, and in helping us to predict its future. His account draws together evidence from fossil plants, from experiments with their living counterparts, and from computer models of the 'Earth System', to illuminate the history of our planet and its biodiversity. This new approach reveals how plummeting carbon dioxide levels removed a barrier to the evolution of the leaf; how plants played a starring role in pushing oxygen levels upwards, allowing spectacular giant insects to thrive in the Carboniferous; and it strengthens fascinating and contentious fossil evidence for an ancient hole in the ozone layer. Along the way, Beerling introduces a lively cast of pioneering scientists from Victorian times onwards whose discoveries provided the crucial background to these and the other puzzles. This understanding of our planet's past sheds a sobering light on our own climate-changing activities, and offers clues to what our climatic and ecological futures might look like. There could be no more important time to take a close look at plants, and to understand the history of the world through the stories they tell. Oxford Landmark Science books are 'must-read' classics of modern science writing which have crystallized big ideas, and shaped the way we think.

Making Eden

Making Eden PDF Author: David Beerling
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0192519212
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 280

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Book Description
Over 7 billion people depend on plants for healthy, productive, secure lives, but few of us stop to consider the origin of the plant kingdom that turned the world green and made our lives possible. And as the human population continues to escalate, our survival depends on how we treat the plant kingdom and the soils that sustain it. Understanding the evolutionary history of our land floras, the story of how plant life emerged from water and conquered the continents to dominate the planet, is fundamental to our own existence. In Making Eden David Beerling reveals the hidden history of Earth's sun-shot greenery, and considers its future prospects as we farm the planet to feed the world. Describing the early plant pioneers and their close, symbiotic relationship with fungi, he examines the central role plants play in both ecosystems and the regulation of climate. As threats to plant biodiversity mount today, Beerling discusses the resultant implications for food security and climate change, and how these can be avoided. Drawing on the latest exciting scientific findings, including Beerling's own field work in the UK, North America, and New Zealand, and his experimental research programmes over the past decade, this is an exciting new take on how plants greened the continents.

The Emerald Mile

The Emerald Mile PDF Author: Kevin Fedarko
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1439159866
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 448

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Book Description
The epic story of the fastest boat ride in history, on a hand-built dory named the "Emerald Mile," through the heart of the Grand Canyon on the Colorado river.

Emerald Labyrinth

Emerald Labyrinth PDF Author: Eli Greenbaum
Publisher: Brandeis University Press
ISBN: 1512600970
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 366

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Book Description
The race to explore the Congo's dwindling biodiversity and unlock its ancient secrets

Eating the Sun

Eating the Sun PDF Author: Oliver Morton
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 0007163657
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 74

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Book Description
Wherever there is greenery, photosynthesis is working to make oxygen, release energy, and create living matter from the raw material of sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide. Without photosynthesis, there would be an empty world, an empty sky, and a sun that does nothing more than warm the rocks and reflect off the sea. Eating the Sun is the story of a world in crisis; an appreciation of the importance of plants; a history of the earth and the feuds and fantasies of warring scientists; a celebration of how the smallest things, enzymes and pigments, influence the largest things, the oceans, the rainforests, and the fossil fuel economy. Oliver Morton offers a fascinating, lively, profound look at nature's greatest miracle and sounds a much-needed call to arms—illuminating a potential crisis of climatic chaos and explaining how we can change our situation, for better or for worse.

5 Worlds Book 5: The Emerald Gate

5 Worlds Book 5: The Emerald Gate PDF Author: Mark Siegel
Publisher: Random House Graphic
ISBN: 0593120604
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 273

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Book Description
Oona and her friends face their ultimate challenge in the final installment of the graphic sci-fi fantasy series that's Star Wars meets Avatar: The Last Airbender! In the epic conclusion to the 5 Worlds series, the final battle looms as Oona, Jax, and An Tzu travel to the treacherous world of Grimbo (E)! There, Oona must light the last beacon to save the 5 Worlds, but first she has to find it! When Jax saves an old friend, Oona is given a clue to the green beacon's location. Unfortunately, the journey to lighting it on this strange, watery planet is the most dangerous yet. Meanwhile, Stan Moon has one more trick up his sleeve as his frightening powers and mysterious connection to An Tzu continue to grow. How can Oona ever hope to beat him? Can she count on her friends or will a terrible betrayal mean the 5 Worlds will be lost to evil forever? The 5 Worlds series: #1: The Sand Warrior, #2: The Cobalt Prince, #3: The Red Maze, #4: The Amber Anthem, #5: The Emerald Gate

An Emerald Earth

An Emerald Earth PDF Author: Felicia Norton
Publisher: Lulu.com
ISBN: 0615235468
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 193

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Book Description
An Emerald Earth celebrates a natural spirituality rooted in everyday life. Drawing upon the universal teachings of the Sufi master Hazrat Inayat Khan on the "natural self," this book calls us to clarify the mirror of the heart and to restore our deep connection with all of creation. It likens the unfolding of our being to the process of cultivating a field or garden to bring forth fruitfulness. Incorporating meditation practices, rich teaching stories and poetry from Sufi, Buddhist and other mystic traditions, An Emerald Earth affirms the infinite power of the heart, pointing the way to an uplifted world and a spirituality that is grounded in service to all of life. "An Emerald Earth celebrates Sufi wisdom that, since its very beginning, has held the sacred green earth at its center. Today this wisdom guides us toward restoring ourselves and our relationship with the natural environment." -The Very Reverend James Parks Morton, pioneer in sacred ecology

Meet the Planets

Meet the Planets PDF Author: John McGranaghan
Publisher: Arbordale Publishing
ISBN: 1607188694
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 18

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Book Description
Presents an introduction to the Solar System and the physical features of the eight planets that revolve around the Sun, in a text that includes learning activities.

Burning Planet

Burning Planet PDF Author: Andrew C. Scott
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0198734840
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 266

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Book Description
Andrew Scott, who played a key role in identifying fossilized charcoal, describes the profound impact of fire through Earth history, from its role in mass extinctions and the spread of flowering plants, to early hominid use of fire, and the role of wildfires on landscapes today.

The Power of Sustainable Thinking

The Power of Sustainable Thinking PDF Author: Bob Doppelt
Publisher: Earthscan
ISBN: 1849773238
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 241

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Book Description
The future will be powered by sustainable thinking in business organizations governments and everyday life. This revolutionary book tackles climate change sustainability and life success by starting with your mind. It provides proven 'staged-based' methods for transforming thinking and behaviour beginning first with the reader's own cognitive patterns then moving to how individuals can motivate other people to change and finally to how teams and organizations can be motivated to change.