Mark Maslin

A brief and helpful introduction to climate change.

It is weak on suggested solutions. In part this is because the author fails to recognize the complexity of finding equitable and agreed upon solutions. Those who debate the solutions presented by the author are labeled climate change deniers. It’s seems to me very few people deny climate change today, but rather they differ on the way to combat it. If we are to make progress, we must avoid demonizing other viewpoints, listen to each other and work towards a consensus solution. So many strategies to combat climate change have failed because political parties have failed to listen to each other’s concerns work together to address the issue.… (more)

The book amounts to a series of bullet points, backed up by further references, these further references took up over 40% of the book according to the information on my kindle. Bullet points perhaps for an audience with a short attention span, some of the points are recycled as one page only images, so as to further grab the attention of the reader. In his preface Mark Maslin says he wanted to write a book that makes people feel smarter, more knowledgable and empowered to act: this is a book you can quote in the pub or at a dinner party or even in parliament.

There is nothing radically wrong with a book like this although it does feel more like a pamphlet. It was just not the right book for me. There was nothing here that I did not already know and I found the one sentence bullet point annoying me fairly quickly. If you are the sort of person who like to quote newspaper headlines in an argument then this is the book for you. It provides links in its reference section for those people who wish to explore further: I was intrigued to follow the link to the company website for BP which has an aim of attaining net zero carbon emissions by 2050. All quite laudable but probably too little far too late. I could not help noticing the language and the bullet point feel of their website to be very similar to Mark Maslin's book.

As a quick reference guide I think the book works well enough. Don't expect any radical solutions here, or much of a call to arms, but as a middle of the road compendium of where we are and what needs to be done it serves its purpose and so 3.5 stars.… (more)

The Human Planet: How We Created the Anthropocene by Simon L. Lewis and Mark A. Maslin is a detailed study of the history of the planet. Simon L. Lewis is Professor of Global Change Science at University College London and University of Leeds. An award-winning scientist, he has been described as having “one of the world's most influential scientific minds”. He has written for the Guardian and Foreign Policy magazine. Mark A. Maslin is Professor of Earth System Science at University College London and a Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Scholar. He is the author of eight books and has written for The Times and New Scientist.

The Human Planet is a book which works to pinpoint the new, or rather current, geologic epoch, the Anthropocene -- the human epoch. With attention to the evolution of life and how life on earth. Different events have changed the earth. The Carboniferous period is named for the carbon sinking plant life expanded across the planet. Ice ages had their effects on life. The rise and fall of flora and fauna are used as markers in the history of the earth.

Following the section on historical geology, the authors concentrate on the rise of man from his beginning to his spread across the world. Man would have continued as hunter-gatherers without much effect on the planet. Man, however, did things to change his environment. Agriculture created societies and, in that, it also selectively bred plants and animals to meet his needs. A long string of events came from settling and developing agriculture. A community developed, a government formed, labor was divided. Efficiency in growing food exceeded hunting and gathering. This allowed new activities to begin -- primitive manufacturing, cultivating the land, and growth in population.

Technology helped man spread his influence on the planet. Something as harmless as the printing press was responsible for expanding information to a greater number of people and preserved knowledge. That information led to education and development of new technology or applications of technology. The power of steam was known to the ancient Greeks, but it wasn't until the 18th century when the steam engine was developed. The coal-fired steam engine replaced water mills to power industry. Coal was also used to heat houses and for cooking. London air was described as a sea of coal dust. From there a domino effect of new technology, population growth, deforesting, and removal of animal species continued. Man started changing the environment to suit his needs.

Since the steam engine, man has accelerated his impact on the planet. It is not only fossil fuels but also agriculture to support a growing population. Human population was one billion in 1804. It took until 1927 to reach two billion. 1960 marked three billion. It took only 13 years, on average, to add a billion more people to get to the six billion in 1999. Higher crop yields, better sanitation, better health care led to a population explosion. While longer and better life is a good thing, there will be a point that a great population will become unsupportable.

Technology is something unique to mankind. We use it to make our lives better. The changes are recognizable -- huge monoculture crops, sprawling cities, domestication of animals, removal of wild animals, not to mention man-made climate change. The Anthropocene is here. When did it start is the question that this book builds up to. A well-written history of the planet and mankind and the effects of man on the planet.… (more)