The Environmental Studies Shelf

Climate and Energy Decoded
Tushar Choudhary, Ph.D.
HopeSpring Press
9798986435800, $15.99 Paper/$8.99 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Climate-Energy-Decoded-Low-Carbon-Transition/dp/B0B9= 2L1MKV

Climate and Energy Decoded: A Realistic Overview of Climate Change, Renewab=
le Energy & Low-Carbon Transition offers a realistic assessment of climate = change and the discussions surrounding it and human energy use, and is reco= mmended reading for libraries looking for reasoned debates that blend scien= tific with political analysis.

From the foundations of climate change science and the history of climate c= hange to a survey of power and energy usage and reviews of advantages and c= hallenges in each method (from nuclear to geothermal and hydropower), this = book considers low-carbon alternatives, but incorporates some of the key de= bates surrounding renewable power issues and why and how various options ei= ther work or fail.

Of particular note here, which sets this book apart from similar-sounding d= iscussions, is an attention to not only footnoted supportive references, bu=
t insights into why scholarly analysis often falls short in addressing thes=
e issues. The result is more than just a rehashing of familiar-sounding iss= ues, but offers many new insights into the process of solid research and sc= holarship itself, shedding light on why so many inconsistencies are reporte=
d (and come to be seen) as true.

Decoding climate and energy problems thus faces the added burden of tacklin=
g the methods of investigation, analysis, reporting, and conclusions that l= ead to falsehoods that further muddy the waters of climate change issues.

While Climate and Energy Decoded lives up to its promise of providing more = enlightening contrasts between different options, its added value lies in i=
ts meticulous pinpointing of how research, study, and reporting methods fai=
l, and how readers can conduct better research more thoroughly grounded in =
a vetted approach to critical thinking.

Libraries strong in climate issues and research papers will find Climate an=
d Energy Decoded an excellent acquisition. Ideally, it will be chosen for c= lassroom and reading group discussions about not just climate change, but t=
he methods used to represent its science.

Greenhouse Planet
Lewis H. Ziska
Columbia University Press
61 West 62nd Street, New York, NY 10023-7015
http://cup.columbia.edu
9780231206709, $25.00, HC, 240pp

https://www.amazon.com/Greenhouse-Planet-Rising-Changes-Plants/dp/023120670=
4

Synopsis: The carbon dioxide that industrial civilization spews into the at= mosphere has dramatic consequences for life on Earth that extend beyond cli= mate change. CO2 levels directly affect plant growth, in turn affecting any=
kind of life that depends on plants -- in other words, everything and ever= yone.

With the publication of "Greenhouse Planet: How Rising CO2 Changes Plants a=
nd Life as We Know It", Professor Lewis H. Ziska reveals the stakes of incr= eased CO2 for plants, people, and ecosystems -- from crop yields to seasona=
l allergies and from wildfires to biodiversity.

A veteran plant biologist Professor Ziska describes the importance of plant=
s for food, medicine, and culture and explores the complex ways higher CO2 = concentrations alter the systems on which humanity relies. He explains the = science of how increased CO2 affects various plant species and addresses th=
e politicization and disinformation surrounding these facts.

Professor Ziska also confronts the claim that "CO2 is plant food", a longti=
me conservative talking point. While not exactly false, it is deeply mislea= ding. CO2 doesn't just make "good" plants grow; it makes all plants grow. I=
t makes poison ivy more poisonous, kudzu more prolific, cheatgrass more fla= mmable. CO2 stimulates some species more than others: weeds fare particular=
ly well and become harder to control. Many crops grow more abundantly but a= lso become less nutritious. And the further effects of climate change will =
be formidable.

Critique: Impressively well written, organized and presented for readers wi=
th an interest in the effects of Climate Change on horticulture and botony,=
and detailing essential environmental and horticultural science with wit a=
nd clarity, "Greenhouse Planet: How Rising CO2 Changes Plants and Life as W=
e Know It" must be considered as an indispensable book for all readers inte= rested in the ripple effects of increasing CO2. While unreservedly recommen= ded for personal, professional, community, and academic library Climatology=
collections, it should be noted for students, academia, governmental and i= ndustrial policy makers, as well as non-specialist general readers with an = interest in the subject that "Greenhouse Planet: How Rising CO2 Changes Pla= nts and Life as We Know It" is also available in a digital book format (Kin= dle, $11.99).

Editorial Note: Lewis H. Ziska (https://research.com/u/lewis-h-ziska) is As= sociate Professor of Environmental Health Sciences at Columbia University's=
Mailman School of Public Health. He served for nearly twenty-five years as=
a scientist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, resigning in 2019 to pr= otest interference by the Trump administration with his research into the e= ffects of rising carbon dioxide on rice cultivation. His books include Agri= culture, Climate Change, and Food Security in the Twenty-First Century: Our=
Daily Bread (2017).

Ripple Effects: How We're Loving Our Lakes to Death
Ted J. Rulseh
University of Wisconsin Press
728 State Street, Suite 443, Madison, WI 53706-1418
www.uwpress.wisc.edu
9780299339609, $26.95, HC, 288pp

https://www.amazon.com/Ripple-Effects-Loving-Lakes-Death/dp/0299339602

Synopsis: Lakes are among the Upper Midwest's greatest treasures and most v= aluable natural resources. The Great Lakes define the region, and thousands=
of smaller lakes offer peace, joy, and recreation to millions. And yet, in=
large part because of the numbers of people who enjoy the local waterways,=
the lakes of Wisconsin, Michigan, and Minnesota face numerous challenges. = Invasive species, pollution, defective septic systems, inadequate shoreland=
zoning laws, and climate change are present and increasingly existential t= hreats. We are, quite possibly, loving our lakes to death.

With the publication of "Ripple Effects: How We're Loving Our Lakes to Deat= h", and in his engaging and conversational style, Ted Rulseh details each o=
f these challenges and proposes achievable solutions. He draws on personal = experience, interviews, academic research, and government reports to descri=
be the state of the lakes, the stresses they are under, and avenues to succ= essful lakeside living for a sustainable future.

"Ripple Effects" will be a go-to source for all who love lakes and who advo= cate for their protection; its driving question is summed up by one of Ruls= eh's interviewees: "We love this lake. What can we do to keep it healthy?"

Critique: Informatively enhanced for the reader with the inclusion of an Ep= ilogue (Toward a Land and Water Ethic), sixteen pages of Notes, a six page = List of Interviews, and a fourteen page Index, "Ripple Effects: How We're L= oving Our Lakes to Death" is a clarion call and much needed warning of how =
we are environmentally damaging our lakes and rivers throughout the Great L= akes states of Wisconsin, Michigan, and Minnesota. Exceptionally well writt= en, organized and presented, "Ripple Effects: How We're Loving Our Lakes to=
Death" is an unreservedly recommended addition to personal reading lists o=
f environmental activists, lake and river enthusiasts, and a critically imp= ortant and urgent contribution to community and academic library Environmen= tal Studies collections and supplemental curriculum studies syllabus.

Editorial Note: Ted J. Rulseh (https://www.thelakeguy.net/about) lives in t=
he lake-rich region of north central Wisconsin and writes the newspaper col= umn "The Lake Where You Live". He is active in lake-advocacy organizations,=
including the Wisconsin Citizen Lake Monitoring Network. The editor and pu= blisher of several books on the Great Lakes region, he is also the author o=
f "A Lakeside Companion".

EDITOR'S NOTE:

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James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review
278 Orchard Drive
Oregon, WI 53575-1129

To submit reviews of any fiction or non-fiction books, email them to Frugal= muse (at) aol (dot) com (Be sure to include the book title, author, publish= er, publisher address, publisher website/phone number, 13-digit ISBN number=
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James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review

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