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Book Nook provides readers with insights into the world of books. Vick Mickunas takes you into the center of the publishing world with the latest book buzz, book reviews, and exclusive chats with authors..Home > Blogs > Book Nook > Archives > 2009 > April > 22 > Entry
Green reads for Earth Day…
Yesterday I got into a conversation with a fellow I encounter on occasion in downtown Yellow Springs. He has always seemed like a decent, intelligent sort of chap. We chat about various and sundry subjects. I don’t even know his name.
So we were talking and somehow the subject wandered into the area of global warming. He insisted that the whole notion of global warming is some liberal fallacy, a canard if you will. In fact, he asserted that the world is actually cooling down and that we are on the brink of another Ice Age.
After I paused to be astonished I had a reasonable discussion with this gentleman. I never realized that he is a few cards short of a full deck. Oh well. Nice guy.
In honor of Earth Day I’m reading a few very different books on topics that all seem to be captivating despite the parasol of apathy scornfully brandished by those few indifferent sorts who would much rather be mowing their lawns.
It’s cold outside but tomorrow it is supposed to warm up. Should I bring my umbrella? Or my sunscreen?
Here’s my list:
The Vanishing Face of Gaia - A Final Warning (Basic Books) by James Lovelock. The creator of Gaia Theory provides a clear and precise scenario of how global warming is accelerating and how projections like those made by my casual acquaintance are absurdly inaccurate.
Tar Sands - Dirty Oil and the Future of the Continent (Greystone Books) by Andrew Nikiforuk. The oil sands of Alberta, Canada are a major source of American oil providing almost 20% of our fuel. It is being processed in the Midwest where it is now causing significant air and water pollution. We are energy junkies employing a technology that is killing our forests. Did you know that?
Plan/bee- Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About the Hardest Working Creatures on the Planet (Perigee) by Susan Brackney. A few years ago I had to cut down a 200-year-old white oak tree in my yard. A hollow limb contained a thriving hive of honeybees. I spent the rest of the summer observing them and it brought back fond memories of my neighbor who kept beehives when I was a child.
We need the bees. On my recent vacation in Hawaii I was thrilled to see lots of honeybees flitting among the tropical blooms. My neighbor keeps bees. My other neighbor needs those bees to pollinate his orchards. They are endangered and we will be in big trouble if the bees vanish.
The Face on Your Plate - the Truth About Food (W.W. Norton) by Jeffery Moussaieff Masson. I enjoy a good slab of steak. Prime beef is one of the pleasures we take for granted, right? A few years ago I interviewed Jeffery Masson on my radio show on WYSO. He is an activist and he made me feel guilty for being a carnivore. He just did it again. Try reading this book. You’ll never look at a piece of meat again without feeling some pangs of guilt.
Happy Earth Day!
Vick Mickunas
Permalink | Comments (11) | Post your comment | Categories: confessions of a galley slave
Comments
By Raoul
April 29, 2009 4:44 PM | Link to this
Downsized, I am always delighted with your way of fantasizing about what I think and why I think it. Suppose I cite irrefutable proof that the temperature on Mars is rising consistent with the planet Earth. Would that make any difference at all in your opinion relative to GW caused by man? Of course not. That is the problem with all the alarmists that have pushed the agenda on the world that whatever the evidence is, we are destroying the planet and we must take extraordinary measures to change the course or we are all going to die. The increase in CO2 emissions is at the heart of the argument. Has it occurred to you that there are more humans alive on the planet now than have lived in all of history up to now, and that every human I know inhales oxygen from the air, and exhales CO2? Should we all surrender? Commit mass suicide to restore the proper levels of CO2 emissions? Maybe the environmentalists should take one for the team and let the rest of us go on driving SUV’s, watching Monster Truck pulls, and shoot moose and such, like all us dumb hicks like to do.By irishguy
April 26, 2009 8:40 AM | Link to this
I noticed the NYT usual “journalism”… “some environmentalists” “have long maintained” no facts to be seen. The enviros also question the science on GW. That which disagrees with them! Vick, what are you going to do when your beloved NYT goes under? That day is fast approaching….By irishguy
April 24, 2009 10:48 AM | Link to this
Vick, as much as it will pain you to hear, alot of folks don’t consider the NYT a relaible source. Didn’t they, along with Time Magazine and your YS buddy, predict the next Ice Age back in the 70’s? Downsized, there are alot of sources , But my favorite is Noel Sheppard at Newsbusters.org,he’s very entertaining. That’s where I learned alot of the weather stations are located in places that would produce false high temp reading since they were situated in the middle of Blacktop roofs and lots. And how last winter in South America was the worst in years and dozens of unfortunates froze to death. Which wasn’t much covered in the US media as it didn’t fit the GW template.By vick
April 24, 2009 10:34 AM | Link to this
“Environmentalists have long maintained that industry knew early on that the scientific evidence supported a human influence on rising temperatures, but that the evidence was ignored for the sake of companies’ fight against curbs on greenhouse gas emissions. Some environmentalists have compared the tactic to that once used by tobacco companies, which for decades insisted that the science linking cigarette smoking to lung cancer was uncertain. By questioning the science on global warming, these environmentalists say, groups like the Global Climate Coalition were able to sow enough doubt to blunt public concern about a consequential issue and delay government action.” (The New York Times-April 24, 2009)By downsized
April 23, 2009 7:59 PM | Link to this
Raoul, you claim that the temperature on Mars is rising. Finding it unlikely you performed the primary research yourself, specifically, which scientist(s) DO you believe on Mars and Earth global warming or any other environmental issues. You and IG seem so certain that “GW”, as he put it, is a hoax, I just want to read your sources.By irishguy
April 23, 2009 11:11 AM | Link to this
Raoul, “the debate is over” is just the dodge Mr. Gore uses to get out of debates he can’t win(which would be any GW debate) I’m long since removed from science glass, but I seem to recall a concensus is reached by politicians and conclusions are reached by scientists.By vick
April 23, 2009 9:39 AM | Link to this
I can imagine that Rush Limbaugh has quite a following on the planet Mars…By Raoul
April 23, 2009 7:55 AM | Link to this
So Vick, the debate is over and man-made global warming is the concensus? Uh, excuse me, but I missed the debate. Anyway, when someone explains to me why the planet Mars is also warming (no doubt due to Martian’s driving SUV’s, I might actually listen).By irishguy
April 23, 2009 7:18 AM | Link to this
I do enjoy the wild cards. Don’t worry most of my bulbs are CFL’s, which someday will fill landfills all over the Earth with Mercury!By vick
April 23, 2009 6:44 AM | Link to this
Actually, Irish you seem to usually play with more than a full deck because when you deal you often include the Joker cards. I like that!By irishguy
April 22, 2009 10:27 PM | Link to this
Well Vick, looks like I’m going to fall in your “short of a full deck” category. You forgot “State of Fear” by Michael Crichton. I know it’s fiction (just like “man made global warming”) BTW, I celebrated E day by buying some incandescent bulbs to replace some CFL’s in my new kitchen fixture. The CFL’s gave the beautiful tea stained glass an awful greenish hue!