The book gives an introduction to the effects of climate change and suggestions on how to save the earth’s environment for future generations.

The book is written by the well-respected scientist and award-winning author John Long and describes the history of Earth’s climate and atmosphere and the effects of global warming on the many environments of our planet, including the great rivers, deserts, Arctic regions, cities, abyssal depths and forests.

The book is divided in three sections and the approach is scientific: 'Earth Past', 'Earth Present' and 'Earth Future'. The author describes how the planet started and how it has changed over time. Various environments or ‘biomes’ are then described, ranging from tropical rainforests to tundra, with a brief explanation of how climate change is impacting on each of them. In the third section, ‘Earth Future’ Long explores two very different scenarios: Earth as it might be if we do nothing about climate change; and as it might be if we do act now (the latter obviously being much more positive in outlook).

This is a title with a very clear environmental theme underlying it, and all the issues are explained and ideas are presented in an appealing way. The plentiful images are colourful, and balanced with an appropriate amount of text with ‘Fact boxes’ used to point up pertinent information.

While much of the text is simple and clear, it does include some challenging words and concepts such as bioluminescence, biodiversity, the carbon cycle, averages and percentages so do be prepared to help younger children understand them appropriately. In short, this book is a fine resource for anyone wishing to explore the Earth and its environment, either at home or in school and the two scenarios given in the last section can be used as a stimulus for further research and discussion.

2009-08-19