Two Words, One Answer.
pollution
 Environmental and Pollution Science, Second Edition $103.00 This unique book integrates a large number of subjects in environmental studies and provides a realistic and objective evaluation of pollution as a price we pay for a modern economy. It focuses on the scientific assessment of environmental quality by developing a framework of principles that can be applied to any environmental problem. It addresses tactical issues for managers and government workers such as remediation, environmental monitoring, risk assessment, and management. It can be used by professionals as well as undergraduate students. * Emphasizes conceptual understanding of environmental impact, integrating the disciplines of biology, chemistry, and mathematics * Topics cover the fate and transport of contaminants; monitoring and remediation of pollution; sources and characteristics of pollution; and risk assessment and management * Includes color photos and diagrams, chapter questions and problems, and highlighted key words  Pollution: Problems & Solutions $12.95 Even though the Naturescope series is recommended for grade K-8 I feel as a high school science teacher that all the lessons in this book are adaptable for the older grades. The information and activities in this book are excellent. Any teacher in or out of science could use this book in their classroom. The lessons are very descriptive and well planned, as well as encourage the students with higher order questions and activities. I have and will continue to use this book in my classroom.  National Geographic: Six Degrees Could Change the World $19.98 This DVD and the book it was based on by Mark Lynas are the only attempt I know of to put together much of what scientists are predicting for the effects of global warming. They answer a question I have had since learning about the problem: what will happen if we let temperatures rise a certain amount? The answers are organized into one degree steps. The book and DVD overlap but each covers quite a bit that they other doesn't, so it is well worth getting both. Some people will give one star to anything that conveys what climate scientists are saying about global warming. If you have already made up your mind despite the overwhelming evidence, don't bother watching this DVD or reading the book. They make no attempt to prove anything, they simply lay out what scientists are predicting. But if you can at least tentatively accept that what the vast majority of experts are saying might indeed be true, then you will want to know what they are predicting for our future. Of course you can't expect everything scientists are predicting to be 100% accurate. But I have been following the science for several years, and I can tell you without a doubt that in the vast majority of cases where the scientists were off, they were too optimistic, often by a large amount. Global warming deniers criticize the computer climate model predictions, but in the wrong way. As a whole, they are much more optimistic than they should be, and the reason is that they don't know how to include the various positive feedbacks in their equations. The simplest proof of this is that when they run the models for years in the past for which we have paleoclimatology data, they consistently predict the changes will be slower and less drastic than what actually happened. If they do this for past changes, they will probably do so for future changes too. This DVD has predictions based on these models and on the paleoclimatic data. The scariest predictions come from paleoclimatology, and unfortunately those are probably more accurate. So keep that in mind as you watch it. The data that has come out since the DVD was made already indicate that some things will be happening sooner than was thought then. For example, arctic sea ice is melting much faster than predicted, and coral reefs are dying off faster than anyone thought possible. Here is another thing to keep in mind. Because of thermal inertia, the albedo feedback that is already in full force, and global dimming effects, temperatures are already guaranteed to rise at least one more degree and probably two. And two to three derees more warming are when other feedbacks are predicted to take over. So please realize that we have very little time left to prevent the worst things shown in this DVD. Do whatever you can to convince Congress and the President to treat this threat as more serious and urgent than a world war. If we don't make at least the same quality of effort as we did when fighting past world wars, we will not win this battle, and the consequences will be far worse than if we had lost those wars. We all have a patriotic and moral obligation to do our part, and the most effective thing you can do now is make our leaders do their duty to protect our future. |
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