Our Changing Planet. An Introduction to Earth System Science and Global Environmental Change

Our Changing Planet: An Introduction to Earth System Science and Global Environmental Change

Presents an interdisciplinary discussion of global environmental change for the non-specialist in science. Provides a balanced, unified examination of the dynamic between natural change and human-induced change in the global environment. Explored first are the natural planetary systems at work (the natural exogenic systems of Earth), providing insightful coverage emphasizing the historical (geological) perspective on change as it discusses processes and change in the lithosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and the biosphere systems. A detailed discussion of how human activities are influence these natural systems and the consequences that may result for ecosystems, humans and human infrastructures are provided. Areas of concern and interest include: deforestation, population and resource consumption, stratospheric ozone depletion, water usage and quality, global climatic change. The text concludes with a thought-provoking, prescriptive epilogue on the need for a new environmentally sustaining societal perspective. The first synthesis of the subject on a general level help it stand out as the new authoritative standard for engaging and accessible coverage.