Solid information superseded by current events.
Climate change is here. What can we humans do?
Asserting that we’re already experiencing climate change—and there will be more to come—this short survey offers an accessible overview of human adaptation to this new state of affairs. In clear exposition studded with examples from near and far and references to expert sources, Nakaya begins by presenting the need for action, noting the marginalized populations who are most vulnerable to climate change–related hazards. Eventually, however, all of humanity will be affected. The author describes helpful actions, such as managing water resources, designing green urban infrastructure, preserving or restoring ecosystems, and developing early warning, monitoring, and evaluation systems for disasters. She notes challenges, too, including cost, government inaction, insufficient data, and a widespread lack of feelings of urgency. She offsets this litany of obstacles with encouraging examples of successes: rainwater harvesting at a school in Tanzania, mitigating sea level rise in Tuvalu, restoring wetlands in Colombia, and more. In the final chapters, readers learn about what needs to be done in the future to reduce emissions, educate people, invest in research, and take proactive steps to prepare for natural disasters. Most pages include either a photo or a text box, breaking up the paragraphs of text. The latest sources listed date to the summer of 2024, which unfortunately makes parts of this work already feel dated given recent U.S. policy changes.
Solid information superseded by current events. (source notes, for further research, index, picture credits) (Nonfiction. 12-16)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2025
ISBN: 9781678210700
Page Count: 64
Publisher: ReferencePoint Press
Review Posted Online: Aug. 2, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
Attractively designed and handsomely illustrated, this informative text introduces teens to many intriguing angles on a...
Will the world end in a bang or a whimper? Unless pre-empted by human-induced disaster or one of many scientifically possible catastrophic scenarios, life on Earth will end a billion years from now in a sizzle.
Predicting the end of the world is an old story, argues the author, presenting evidence in brief surveys of eschatologies from the world's major religions and mythologies of ancient civilizations. Miller also notes how end-of-world scenarios have captured humanity's imagination in their frequent appearances in science-fiction novels and motion pictures. (Disappointingly, the reasons for this ongoing fascination are not explored.) A chapter about imminent predictions for 2012 explains the Mayan prophecy and a theory about a phantom planet called Nibiru crashing into Earth. Another chapter examines pseudoscientific end-of-world theories such as planetary alignment and pole shifts. The primary focus is on scientifically plausible scenarios: self-destruction through nuclear war or continued environmental exploitation; humanity wiped out by a pandemic; an asteroid or comet strike destroying Earth.
Attractively designed and handsomely illustrated, this informative text introduces teens to many intriguing angles on a high-interest topic that should inspire many to further explore the subject. (chronology, glossary, bibliography, further reading, index) (Nonfiction. 12-16)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-7613-7396-4
Page Count: 120
Publisher: Twenty-First Century/Lerner
Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2011
Catnip for scandal junkies, with a bit of historical perspective stirred in.
A gleefully explicit catalogue of the past century’s headline-grabbing bad behavior.
Aimed at readers who don’t need to be told who Brangelina is but may be hazy on “twisted besties” Leopold and Loeb or even Monica Lewinsky, this edutaining survey presents a wide-angle array of murders, sexual follies, controversial trials, race violence, political corruption and general envelope-pushing from the 1906 killing of Stanford White on. Each of the chronologically arranged entries opens with a capsule “Scoop” followed by a slightly fuller account under a “What Went Down” header. Along with a small black-and-white photo and one or two sidebar quotes, the author tacks on subsequent developments, sometimes-perceptive suggestions about “Why We Still Care” and a short roster of similar incidents in recent history. Though she misspells “Symbionese” and repeatedly awards FDR only three Presidential wins, in general Fryd presents reasonably accurate summaries of events and issues while giving all sides of the more muddled conflicts at least a nod. Additional cred is provided by a teen panel of editorial advisors.
Catnip for scandal junkies, with a bit of historical perspective stirred in. (index) (Nonfiction. 12-16)Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-9827322-0-5
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Zest/Orange Avenue
Review Posted Online: Jan. 8, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2012
BOOK REVIEW
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