A World Without Ice

A co-winner of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize offers a clear-eyed explanation of the planet’s imperiled ice. Much has been written about global warming, but the crucial relationship between people and ice has received little focus—until now. As one of the world’s leading experts on climate change, Henry Pollack provides an accessible, comprehensive survey of ice as a force of nature, and the potential consequences as we face the possibility of a world without ice. A World Without Ice traces the effect of mountain glaciers on supplies of drinking water and agricultural irrigation, as well as the current results of melting permafrost and shrinking Arctic sea ice—a situation that has degraded the habitat of numerous animals and sparked an international race for seabed oil and minerals. Catastrophic possibilities loom, including rising sea levels and subsequent flooding of lowlying regions worldwide, and the ultimate displacement of millions of coastal residents. A World Without Ice answers our most urgent questions about this pending crisis, laying out the necessary steps for managing the unavoidable and avoiding the unmanageable. A co-winner of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize offers a clear-eyed explanation of the planet's imperiled ice.Much has been written about global warming, but the crucial relationship between people and ice has received little focus—until now. As one of the world's leading experts on climate change, Henry Pollack provides an accessible, comprehensive survey of ice as a force of nature, and the potential consequences as we face the possibility of a world without ice.A World Withoout Ice traces the effect of mountain glaciers on supplies of drinking water and agricultural irrigation, as well as the current results of melting permafrost and shrinking Arctic sea ice—a situation that has degraded the habitat of numerous animals and sparked an international race for seabed oil and minerals. Catastrophic possibilities loom, including rising sea levels and subsequent flooding of lowlying regions worldwide, and the ultimate displacement of millions of coastal residents. A Wolrd Without Ice answers our most urgent questions about this pending crisis, laying out the necessary steps for managing the unavoidable and avoiding the unmanageable. This Book Examines The Effects Of Global Warming By Looking Carefully At The Potential Consequences Of A World Without Ice. The Author Traces The Effect Of Mountain Glaciers On Supplies Of Drinking Water And Agricultural Irrigation, As Well As The Current Results Of Melting Permafrost And Shrinking Arctic Sea Ice--a Situation That Has Degraded The Habitat Of Numerous Animals And Sparked An International Race For Seabed Oil And Minerals. Catastrophic Possibilities Loom, Including Rising Sea Levels And Subsequent Flooding Of Low-lying Regions Worldwide, And The Ultimate Displacement Of Millions Of Coastal Residents. This Book Answers The Most Urgent Questions About This Pending Crisis, Laying Out The Necessary Steps For Managing The Unavoidable And Avoiding The Unmanageable. Foreword / Al Gore -- Discovering Ice -- Ice And Life: On Earth And Beyond -- When Ice Ruled The World -- Warming Up -- Nature At Work -- Human Footprints -- Melting Ice, Rising Seas -- Choices Amid Change -- Acknowledgments -- Index. Henry Pollack. Foreword By Al Gore. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. "This is a book about ice and people - the impact of ice on Earth, its climate, and its human residents, as well as the reciprocal impact that people are now having on ice and the climate. Geophysicist Henry Pollack paints a portrait of the delicate geological balance between Earth and its ice, and shows why the current rapid loss of ice portends serious consequences in our not-so-distant future."