Enriching the Earth

Author: Vaclav Smil
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 9780262693134
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 372

Book Description
Dr. Smil is the world's authority on nitrogenous fertilizer. The industrial synthesis of ammonia from nitrogen and hydrogen has been of greater fundamental importance to the modern world than the invention of the airplane, nuclear energy, space flight, or television. The expansion of the world's population from 1.6 billion people in 1900 to today's six billion would not have been possible without the synthesis of ammonia. In Enriching the Earth, Vaclav Smil begins with a discussion of nitrogen's unique status in the biosphere, its role in crop production, and traditional means of supplying the nutrient. He then looks at various attempts to expand natural nitrogen flows through mineral and synthetic fertilizers. The core of the book is a detailed narrative of the discovery of ammonia synthesis by Fritz Haber—a discovery scientists had sought for over one hundred years—and its commercialization by Carl Bosch and the chemical company BASF. Smil also examines the emergence of the large-scale nitrogen fertilizer industry and analyzes the extent of global dependence on the Haber-Bosch process and its biospheric consequences. Finally, it looks at the role of nitrogen in civilization and, in a sad coda, describes the lives of Fritz Haber and Carl Bosch after the discovery of ammonia synthesis.

The Earth in Her Hands

Author: Jennifer Jewell
Publisher: Timber Press
ISBN: 1604699027
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 325

Book Description
“An empowering and expertly curated look at the horticultural world.” —Gardens Illustrated In this beautiful and empowering book, Jennifer Jewell introduces 75 inspiring women. Working in wide-reaching fields that include botany, floral design, landscape architecture, farming, herbalism, and food justice, these influencers are creating change from the ground up. Profiled women include flower farmer Erin Benzakein; codirector of Soul Fire Farm Leah Penniman; plantswoman Flora Grubb; edible and cultural landscape designer Leslie Bennett; Caribbean-American writer and gardener Jamaica Kincaid; soil scientist Elaine Ingham; landscape designer Ariella Chezar; floral designer Amy Merrick, and many more. Rich with personal stories and insights, Jewell’s portraits reveal a devotion that transcends age, locale, and background, reminding us of the profound role of green growing things in our world—and our lives.

Earth Odyssey

Author: Mark Hertsgaard
Publisher: Crown Publishing Group (NY)
ISBN: 0767900596
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 385

Book Description
Based on his extensive investigation of the global environmental crisis, in which he explored five continents, "Earth Odyssey" recounts Hertsgaard's search for the answer to the essential question of our time: Is the future of the human species at risk?

A Little Piece of Earth

Author: Maria Finn
Publisher: Universe Publishing(NY)
ISBN: 9780789320278
Category : Container gardening
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
Describes more than fifty projects for growing fruits, vegetables, and herbs in small spaces, whether a patio, rooftop, or windowsill; includes recipes and a list of other resources.

First Earth Encyclopedia

Author: DK
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0756673682
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 130

Book Description
Covering the essential curriculum areas of human geography, physical geography, geology, and ecology, DK's First Earth Encyclopedia is a comprehensive introduction to the world around us. Children can learn where and how people live, how to use maps, weather, and world environments. With additional focus on changes to the environment, it will inspire younger readers to think about their own place in the world. With superb artwork and straightforward text, plus all the exciting First Reference features such as buttons and quizzes, the DK First Earth Encyclopedia makes it all simple to understand.

Harvesting the Biosphere

Author: Vaclav Smil
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 026201856X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 317

Book Description
An interdisciplinary and quantitative account of human claims on the biosphere's stores of living matter, from prehistoric hunting to modern energy production. The biosphere—the Earth's thin layer of life—dates from nearly four billion years ago, when the first simple organisms appeared. Many species have exerted enormous influence on the biosphere's character and productivity, but none has transformed the Earth in so many ways and on such a scale as Homo sapiens. In Harvesting the Biosphere, Vaclav Smil offers an interdisciplinary and quantitative account of human claims on the biosphere's stores of living matter, from prehistory to the present day. Smil examines all harvests—from prehistoric man's hunting of megafauna to modern crop production—and all uses of harvested biomass, including energy, food, and raw materials. Without harvesting of the biomass, Smil points out, there would be no story of human evolution and advancing civilization; but at the same time, the increasing extent and intensity of present-day biomass harvests are changing the very foundations of civilization's well-being. In his detailed and comprehensive account, Smil presents the best possible quantifications of past and current global losses in order to assess the evolution and extent of biomass harvests. Drawing on the latest work in disciplines ranging from anthropology to environmental science, Smil offers a valuable long-term, planet-wide perspective on human-caused environmental change.

Energy in Nature and Society

Author: Vaclav Smil
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 0262195658
Category : Bioenergetics
Languages : en
Pages : 495

Book Description
A comprehensive, systematic, analytically unified, and interdisciplinary treatment of energy in nature and society, from solar radiation and photosynthesis to our fossil fueled civilization and its environmental consequences.

The Layers of Earth’s Atmosphere

Author: Elizabeth Borngraber
Publisher: The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc
ISBN: 1508169160
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 26

Book Description
Earth's atmospheric layers include the exosphere, thermosphere, mesosphere, stratosphere, and troposphere. How and why have scientists divided Earth's atmosphere into these layers? What exactly are these layers made up of? What happens in each layer? Readers will learn the answers to these questions and more in this enriching text that supports curricular science studies. Readers will identify the various traits of each of the atmospheric layers, ascertain their functions, and appreciate their significance in regulating conditions on Earth.

The Earth Has a Soul

Author: Carl G. Jung
Publisher: North Atlantic Books
ISBN: 9781556433795
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 252

Book Description
While never losing sight of the rational, cultured mind, Jung speaks for the natural mind, source of the evolutionary experience and accumulated wisdom of our species. Through his own example, Jung shows how healing our own living connection with Nature contributes to the whole.

Fifty Things that Made the Modern Economy

Author: Tim Harford
Publisher: Hachette UK
ISBN: 1408709139
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 264

Book Description
Based on the series produced for the BBC World Service Who thought up paper money? How did the contraceptive pill change the face of the legal profession? Why was the horse collar as important for human progress as the steam engine? How did the humble spreadsheet turn the world of finance upside-down? The world economy defies comprehension. A continuously-changing system of immense complexity, it offers over ten billion distinct products and services, doubles in size every fifteen years, and links almost every one of the planet's seven billion people. It delivers astonishing luxury to hundreds of millions. It also leaves hundreds of millions behind, puts tremendous strains on the ecosystem, and has an alarming habit of stalling. Nobody is in charge of it. Indeed, no individual understands more than a fraction of what's going on. How can we make sense of this bewildering system on which our lives depend? From the tally-stick to Bitcoin, the canal lock to the jumbo jet, each invention in Tim Harford's fascinating new book has its own curious, surprising and memorable story, a vignette against a grand backdrop. Step by step, readers will start to understand where we are, how we got here, and where we might be going next. Hidden connections will be laid bare: how the barcode undermined family corner shops; why the gramophone widened inequality; how barbed wire shaped America. We'll meet the characters who developed some of these inventions, profited from them, or were ruined by them. We'll trace the economic principles that help to explain their transformative effects. And we'll ask what lessons we can learn to make wise use of future inventions, in a world where the pace of innovation will only accelerate.