Mark Lynas

---A fifty-fifty book! Fifty per cent (or more) is (very readable) science and policy-based discussion with rational observations made by the author about the potential boundaries or tipping points (covering humankind's impact on the natural world) with each boundary given a separate chapter: the biodiversity boundary; the climate change boundary; the nitrogen boundary; the land use boundary; the freshwater boundary; the toxics boundary; the aerosols boundary; the ocean acidification boundary; and the ozone layer boundary.
---Lynas writes, 'Based on the pioneering work of the 29 scientists making up the planetary boundaries expert group, this book has made the case that the Earth system has inherent ecological limits within it...' (p. 234). This general coverage of the boundaries is very good indeed, concise and touches upon all those themes and issues one hears about in the news but perhaps does not really fully understand. Lynas explains the tipping points expertly and clearly.
---But the other fifty per cent of the book (or less) is argument and recommendations based upon the author's current views of how we might survive best on Earth. Lynas discusses possible solutions to the tipping points noted above. Some are logical and doable, for example, his idea that '...each country adds half a per cent to Value Added Tax (VAT) with the proceeds raised specifically safeguarded for the ecosystem and habitat restoration ("rewilding")' (p. 133). Other recommendations are more challenging, for instance, he supports plant biotechnology: 'Creating new strains of rice, wheat and corn that fix their own nitrogen,' (p. 109); he speaks of urban living for the masses (as this will have less impact on the natural environment) (pp. 134-137); increased use of nuclear energy (as the only serious alternative to fossil fuels) (pp. 167-182).
---Lynas is indeed a plausible and knowledgeable writer, but you need to decide about some of his recommendations. The argument of the book is complex, yet, I feel that Lynas is looking at mainstream society and the dominant neoliberal-capitalist model and trying to accommodate these as best possible with the boundaries of the ecosystem (and vice versa): this is both the strength and the weakness of his book.… (más)

Mark Lynas is a British author who is best known for his Six Degrees: Our Future on a Hotter Planet published in 2007. This is an update 13 years later and it is even more pessimistic given what has happened with no reduction in CO2 emissions. Both books follow a simple, clear and calm format. Chapter 1 is a description of the world at 1 degrees. And so on up to Chapter 6. It is based on the best science available, sourced to academic journals such as Nature and the IPCC. Assuming CO2 levels continue to climb steadily, it's likely we will reach 3 degrees by mid to late century. This is game over because natural tipping points take over and society ceases to function due to widespread drought and killer heat as it reaches 4-6 degrees. It's also possible 2 degrees will cause this, there is no safe level from here out.

Almost every major extinction event in history has been caused by global warming, we live on a perilously balanced planet. There is no historic parallel for the rate and amount of CO2 emissions, it exceeds the worst extinction the Siberian Traps by a factor of 60 in terms of speed of emissions. And while there have been periods when the total ppm exceed our own, things are different now - the sun is brighter causing more warming per molecule then in the past, and again no historic precedent for speed and volume of emissions. Lynas ends this hopeless book with a tone of hope: do not give up. Immediately stop all fossil fuel usage no matter the cost. If enough people take this approach we will see dramatic changes and perhaps in time because there isn't much left.

I'm rating this highly not because of the message, there are already many excellent global warming books. This one stands out by focusing on the big picture without going too far into the weeds and becoming doom scrolling which can leave you exhausted and demoralized. This is a large complex topic and there is a lot to know but this gets all the pieces correct.… (más)

In this book, the author divides the chapters to look at what would happen as the global average temperature rises 1 degree Celsius, 2 degrees, 3, 4, 5, and 6 degrees. More fires and drought in California and Australia. Melting of ice sheets in the Arctic and Antarctic. Melting of glaciers in mountainous regions in Pakistan, Nepal, and China near K2 and Everest, leading to less runoff for places that rely on that water. Water levels rising to wipe out New Orleans, put more of New York and London underwater, hurricanes and flooding in Houston, Gakveston, New York. Sand dunes and no water in Africa. All of these causing humans to starve and die or to move to other places already suffering themselves who won’t want newcomers to take up the precious resources that remain. Oceans and forests will be taking on more carbon than they can handle, often speeding up the warming and other consequences.

The author used scientific models and peer-reviewed articles to research this book.

I really liked the way he organized this book. Unfortunately, in the conclusion, he talked about ideally reducing emissions in the next decade. The book was published in 2008, and as far as I’ve been paying attention, things have (really, to no surprise, sadly) only gotten worse. There is no slow down, let alone reduction in emissions, I don’t believe. I feel like this is something everyone should read to educate themselves.… (más)