Sunday, November 22, 2009

modern vs. ancient times

As these examples of how global warming is affecting our world, continue to build I wonder what the point of the book is. I can honestly get the main points of the chapters just by skimming. Although the curse of Akkad was interesting I did not find it pertinent...

Thinking about civilization and how CO2 was at one point higher than it was today is interesting...and gives us an idea as to how life may really change if we do reach those levels from ancient times, when dinosaurs did roam. Maybe one day Plattsburgh will be buried under years of earth, for aliens to find 400,000 years from now.

I don't think floating houses are a genuinely innovative idea in the long-run. I mean how many people can get by in this manner. I think that Kolbert tries to provide interesting examples, but sometimes they are out of sequence. This book is also, not very pro-active. At least at this point. I mean she gives us an abundance of situations but tells nothing of how to cure these problems, when it will be too late to turn it all around and what is the single best solution, or some of the options both technologically and politically that could change her observations.

As a new-comer to the lingo and geographically spellbinding world of global warming it is hard to comprehend how everything is connected when Kolbert does nothing to weave a similar strand or go back on previous discussion to show how two events relate.

I think, as well as most students, that the book has an interesting writing style that is not appropriate to science writing. Especially a topic that is so timely, to talk about it in a manner so casual as that of a cafe conversation is not effective, for me (someone trying to grasp the large idea with a look at alternatives, ideals, and a pursuance of action).

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