Clearing the Air by Tim Smedley

Being Friday, there were more climate protests today and new books related to environmental issues continue to appear. One is CLEARING THE AIR by Tim Smedley which was shortlisted for the 2019 Royal Society Science Book Prize. In the prologue, Smedley notes his initial surprise when he started to learn more about “the most immediate environmental issue of all: the air we breathe.” He certainly does cite disturbing statistics: “In late 2016, the World Health Organisation (WHO) announced that outdoor air pollution caused over 3 million deaths worldwide; by 2018, the WHO revised this up to 4.2 million.” Smedley’s work tends to be rather UK-centric, although he adds graphic examples from around the world, like describing half-marathoners running in Delhi, India while wearing face masks or Beijing, China citizens complaining of persistent coughs. Smedley argues that air pollution is gradual, persistent and largely invisible so humans are less inclined to take drastic action. Hoping this will change, he notes that “modern science is starting to reveal what our eyes cannot see: an anonymous killer born from the cars in our driveway and the industrial processes used to make the products in our cupboards."  Offering chapters split between Origins (e.g., The Dash for Diesel) and the Fightback (e.g., Electric Dreams), Smedley concludes with an epilogue containing a Clean Air Blueprint for cities and for his individual readers. CLEARING THE AIR includes an index and provides details for a limited set of references.

Energy by Richard Rhodes

ENERGY: A HUMAN HISTORY by Richard Rhodes is a new work of non-fiction by the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award winning author. We already have several books by Rhodes in our collection and this one explores five centuries of change in energy sources from wood to coal to oil to electricity and renewable energy. The book is divided into three main sections: Power, Light and New Fires, with an extensive bibliography, significant endnotes and index.

Rhodes focuses on the social aspects of these changes - noting both positive and negative impacts for humans and the environment. He profiles a variety of inventors and advocates strongly for current day nuclear power. Our copy will be used by students in a number of classes and disciplines including English, Science, and Social Studies (AP European History, Modern World, American Studies to name a few). ENERGY received starred reviews from Booklist (“a beautifully written, often inspiring saga of ingenuity and progress, ideal for general readers”), Kirkus and Library Journal.

The Big Ones by Lucy Jones

THE BIG ONES by Lucy Jones is subtitled “How Natural Disasters Have Shaped Us” and Jones, a U.S. Geological Survey seismologist for thirty years, discusses eleven natural disasters from volcanoes (Pompeii) to hurricanes (Katrina) to earthquakes and tsunamis (Indian Ocean in 2004 and Fukushima). Having devoted her working life to better preparedness (e.g., running early versions of the Great ShakeOut Drill which in 2016 involved over 53 million people around the world), Jones encourages readers to accept the inevitability of natural events while questioning the role of human response. Her final chapter deals with the likely earthquake event in Southern California (which is an eye-opening and scary read) where she offers several suggestions for local governments and private citizens. THE BIG ONES is an accessible book which will appeal to our students across a range of disciplines such as science, history, architecture and engineering, anthropology, civics, and even politics and journalism.