Earth: The Sequel
Fred Krupp (W.W. Norton // $24.95)
Earth: The Sequel opens at the dawn of a new Industrial Revolution. Doom-and-gloom environmentalism is buried firmly in the past, and burgeoning green technologies promise a clean-energy future. Environmental Defense Fund President Fred Krupp pits the spirit of entrepreneurial capitalism against the crisis of global warming by profiling innovators in the technology sector. Some ideas are familiar, such as harnessing the power of the sun, wind and waves; others, involving yeast, algae and even termites, are more exotic; but all need a powerful economic incentive to get on the market. Krupp argues that a federally mandated carbon cap-and-trade program is the key to leveling the playing field between fossil fuels and renewable energy sources. The United States, which is responsible for the largest portion of man-made greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, has both the obligation and the innovation to develop carbon-free energy technology, says Krupp — it only needs the will.
—Jennifer Winger
Where the Wild Things Were
William Stolzenburg (Bloomsbury // $24.99 )
Where the Wild Things Were, by former Nature Conservancy senior editor William Stolzenburg, may sound like an elegy, but it reads like a mystery. When Stolzenburg investigates the disappearance of some of Earth’s most common carnivores, he discovers habitats in peril for lack of predators. Examples of the ecological wreckage are varied: Kelp forests without otters are razed by sea urchins; deciduous forests without cougars have been denuded by deer; and in the absence of wolves, Yellowstone aspen groves have been overgrazed by elk. Research shows that the loss of top predators is a global problem — pumas in Patagonia, cheetahs in Namibia, jaguars in Mexico are all at risk. While skeptics wonder if we can afford to welcome top predators back into the fold, Stolzenburg asks if we can afford not to.
—J. W.
National Park Service Podcasts
National Park Service (iTunes // Free)
Listen to ice shifting in Kenai Fjords, distinguish a black bear from a grizzly in Yellowstone, or observe tiny tadpole shrimp in the desert potholes of Canyonlands National Park—all from anywhere you please. The National Park Service now publishes podcasts from nearly a dozen of its protected lands. Both audio and video files are available to download to your computer and can be played on many portable media players (search the itunes store for “National Park Service podcasts,” then select “National Park Service” from the “Publishers” menu). These podcasts pack an educational punch: Study the science behind natural phenomena such as Yellowstone’s geysers or the lava tubes of Hawaii’s Volcanoes National Park, discover hiking trails in Glacier, or learn how invasive species and climate change are affecting these national treasures. Pull a park from your pocket and let your curiosity run wild.
—J. W.
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