Environmental Technologies

Sometimes the bravest thing we can do while facing an existential crisis is imagine life on the other side. This provocative and joyous book maps an inspiring landscape of possible climate futures.

Everyone knew it was crazy to try to extract oil and natural gas buried in shale rock deep below the ground. Everyone, that is, except a few reckless wildcatters - who risked their careers to prove the world wrong. Things looked grim for American energy in 2006. Oil production was in steep decline and natural gas was hard to find. The Iraq War threatened the nation’s already tenuous relations with the Middle East. China was rapidly industrializing and competing for resources.

George Bird Grinnell, the son of a New York merchant, saw a different future for a nation in the thrall of the Industrial Age. With railroads scarring virgin lands and the formerly vast buffalo herds decimated, the country faced a crossroads: Could it pursue Manifest Destiny without destroying its natural bounty and beauty? The alarm that Grinnell sounded would spark America's conservation movement. Yet today his name has been forgotten - an omission that John Taliaferro's commanding biography now sets right with historical care and narrative flair.

For all of neuroscience's advances, we've made little progress on its biggest question: How do simple cells in the brain create intelligence? Jeff Hawkins and his team discovered that the brain uses map-like structures to build a model of the world - not just one model, but hundreds of thousands of models of everything we know. This discovery allows Hawkins to answer important questions about how we perceive the world, why we have a sense of self, and the origin of high-level thought.

The grid is an accident of history and of culture, in no way intrinsic to how we produce, deliver and consume electrical power. Yet this is the system the United States ended up with, a jerry-built structure now so rickety and near collapse that a strong wind or a hot day can bring it to a grinding halt. The grid is now under threat from a new source: renewable and variable energy, which puts stress on its logics as much as its components.

On the morning of April 26, 1986, Europe witnessed the worst nuclear disaster in history: the explosion of a reactor at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Soviet Ukraine. Dozens died of radiation poisoning, fallout contaminated half the continent, and thousands fell ill. In Chernobyl, Serhii Plokhy draws on new sources to tell the dramatic stories of the firefighters, scientists, and soldiers who heroically extinguished the nuclear inferno. He lays bare the flaws of the Soviet nuclear industry....

Prepare to embark on an enlightening journey with "Ecosystems of Tomorrow". This immersive e-book pulls back the curtain on the world of ecosystems and the technology pushing its restoration to unprecedented heights. Chapter One sets the stage, masterfully elucidating the importance and subtleties of ecosystems. By Chapter Two, you’ll find yourself immersed in a captivating history lesson, exploring the degradation of these systems. Your sense of hope is rekindled in Chapter Three with insights into Nature's resilience and capacity for self-healing. The heart of this e-book breathes life ...

Bold is a radical, how-to guide for using exponential technologies, moonshot thinking, and crowd-powered tools to create extraordinary wealth while also positively impacting the lives of billions.

Making earth science accessible and entertaining, The Wondrous Workings of Planet Earth explains how our planet works - and how we can protect it - from its diverse ecosystems and their inhabitants to the levels of ecology, the importance of biodiversity, the cycles of nature, and more. Science- and nature-loving listeners of all ages will delight in this utterly charming guide to our amazing home.

A soaring bridge is an obvious infrastructural feat, but so are the mostly hidden reservoirs, transformers, sewers, cables, and pipes that deliver water, energy, and information to wherever we need it. When these systems work well, they hide in plain sight. Engineer and materials scientist Deb Chachra takes listeners on a fascinating tour of these essential utilities, revealing how they work, what it takes to keep them running, just how much we rely on them—but also whom they work well for, and who pays the costs.

Introducing the groundbreaking new eBook, Sustainable by Design - the ultimate guide for anyone interested in creating a more eco-friendly future through sustainable design. This captivating book dives deep into the world of sustainable design, exploring the complex relationship between design and the environment, and the significant impact that our choices can have on the planet. From the very first chapter, you'll be captivated by the fascinating history of sustainable design and how it has evolved over time. You'll learn about the principles of sustainable design and how they can be ...

Professor of environmental engineering Daniel Cohan argues that escaping the gravest perils of climate change will first require American diplomacy, technological innovation, and policy to catalyze decarbonization globally. Combining his own expertise along with insights from more than a hundred interviews with diplomats, scholars, and clean-technology pioneers, Cohan identifies flaws in previous efforts to combat climate change.

“What’s for dinner"? seemed like a simple question - until journalist and supermarket detective Michael Pollan delved behind the scenes. From fast food and big organic to small farms and old-fashioned hunting and gathering, this young listeners’ adaptation of Pollan’s famous food-chain exploration encourages kids to consider the personal and global health implications of their food choices. The Omnivore’s Dilemma serves up a bold message to the generation that needs it most: It’s time to take charge of our national eating habits - and it starts with you.

The climate is the fundamental issue of our time, and now we face a critical decision. Whether to be optimistic or fatalistic, whether to profess skepticism or to take action. Yet it seems we can barely agree on what is really going on, let alone what needs to be done. We urgently need facts, not opinions. Insights, not statistics. And a shift from thinking about climate change as a “me” problem to a “we” problem. The Carbon Almanac is a once-in-a-lifetime collaboration that focuses on what we know, what has come before, and what might happen next.

Dive into the captivating world of Beyond the Lens - a breathtaking, innovative, and comprehensive guide to the fascinating realm of Infrared Photography. This one-of-a-kind eBook will take you on an extraordinary journey, exploring the science, artistry, and practical applications of this cutting-edge photographic technique. Beyond the Lens features 30 meticulously crafted chapters that delve into every possible aspect of Infrared Photography. You'll start with an introduction to the subject and then immerse yourself in the rich history and science of Infrared Light. Discover the ...

Introducing "Skyward" - a fascinating must-read eBook for aviation enthusiasts, history buffs, and futurists alike! Dive into the unparalleled world of human flight as we take you on a captivating journey across its entire history, from its humble beginnings to the cutting-edge innovations that will shape our skies and beyond. In Skyward's gripping chapters, you'll explore the extraordinary origins of aviation and follow the remarkable achievements of the Wright Brothers. Continue soaring through the early days of powered flights, and witness the breathtaking advances in aeronautical ...

The big media have spoken on the question of global warming, and the debate is officially over. "Be afraid, be very afraid", warns Time magazine. But have Al Gore and his environmentalist allies really proven their case? Not even close, says Christopher C. Horner.

Step into the untold tales and hidden corners of legal history with "Legal Curiosities," a comprehensive exploration of the most intriguing and unexpected facets of law that shape, challenge, and redefine our world. Embrace a unique intellectual adventure that embarks on a journey across ancient legal codes, uncovers laugh-inducing statutes that still hold sway, and descends into the fast-evolving realm where law meets cutting-edge technology. Imagine discovering laws so outlandish they seem fictional, and precedents so impactful they continue to influence modern jurisprudence. "Legal ...

Weisman visits an extraordinary range of the world's cultures, religions, nationalities, tribes, and political systems to learn what in their beliefs, histories, liturgies, or current circumstances might suggest that sometimes it's in their own best interest to limit their growth.

The paper, authored by Mathew J. Lewallen for the SPST504 course at American Military University, discusses the integration of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) with Remote Sensing. It emphasizes how this synergy is essential for analyzing and interpreting the increasingly vast and complex data produced by remote sensing technologies. The paper notes that while remote sensing has been around for decades, its potential is still being realized, particularly when combined with GIS. This integration has become crucial for addressing global challenges such as climate change. The paper ...