Very Short Introductions: Brilliant, Sharp, Inspiring

In this Very Short Introduction Bill McGuire takes a fresh look at our sometimes perilous planet, and evaluates the causes and consequences of what used to be thought of as 'natural' hazards through the prism of planetary heating and the continuing destabilising of our climate.

Our world has always been a dangerous and deadly place, and storms, floods, earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic blasts have taken an enormous toll on lives and livelihoods throughout recorded history and before. In the past, such events were regarded first as acts of God, or gods, and later as simply a consequence of hazardous natural phenomena that are a normal part of how our planet works. In recent decades, however, this picture has changed. Relentless global heating, arising from the 2.4 trillion tonnes of carbon dioxide pumped into the atmosphere as a result of human activities, has completely altered the 'natural' hazard landscape. There has long been a debate about whether - due to the influence of societal and economic factors - there is such a thing as a truly natural disaster. Now, the debate has moved on to whether or not the hazards that cause them can any longer be described as entirely natural. Our damaged climate has driven an explosion of extreme weather, which has become ever more apparent in recent years via the super-charging of storms, floods, heatwaves and wildfires. The fingerprints of global heating can be detected even in individual events that would have been extremely unlikely to have happened, or even been impossible, in its absence. Meanwhile earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions continue to plague communities and take lives, while even here there are links with a changing climate that have the potential to magnify their occurrence and impacts.

ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

'It's a paradox but this was one of the most chilling books I've read this year. It's the definitive guide to where we're heading' ANTHONY HOROWITZ

'The Earth is already in a dangerous phase of heating. Many scientists admit privately to actually being scared by recent weather extremes. But the public doesn't like pessimism, so we environment journalists hint at future optimism. This book provides a more steely-eyed view on how we can cope with a hothouse world.' - ROGER HARRABIN, former BBC Environment Analyst

'This accessible and authoritative book is a must-read for anyone who still thinks it could be OK to carry on as we are for a little bit longer, or that climate chaos might not affect them or their kids too badly.' MIKE BERNERS-LEE is a professor at Lancaster University, founder of Small World Consultancy and author of There is No Planet B: A Handbook for the Make or Break Years

'If you read just one book about the menace of climate breakdown, make it this one.' - TIM RADFORD, Climate News Network

We inhabit a planet in peril. Our once temperate world is locked on course to become a hothouse entirely of our own making.

Hothouse Earth: An Inhabitant's Guide provides a post-COP26 perspective on the climate emergency, acknowledging that it is now practically impossible to keep this side of the 1.5 C dangerous climate change guardrail. The upshot is that we can no longer dodge the arrival of disastrous, all-pervasive, climate breakdown that will come as a hammer blow to global society and economy.

Bill McGuire, Professor of Geophysical and Climate Hazards, explains the science behind the climate crisis and for the first time presents a blunt but authentic picture of the sort of world our children will grow old in, and our grandchildren grow up in; a world that we catch only glimpses of in today's blistering heatwaves, calamitous wildfires and ruinous floods and droughts. Bleak though it is, the picture is one we must all face up to, if only to spur genuine action - even at this late stage - to stop a harrowing future becoming a truly cataclysmic one.

Too much has been written about relations and negotiations between the governments of the United States and the former Soviet Union. But, what about the ordinary people-to-people contacts between the two countries? How were young, Russian-speaking Americans treated in the Soviet Union? Why did Soviet citizens stand for hours in the cold, rain and snow to visit American cultural exhibitions? What elaborate trips for Soviet dignitaries were organized by the US State Department? What happened when a Soviet delegation met with the John Birch Society in Iowa? What caused the Voice of America to stop hiring Russian-speaking Americans and to replace them with recent Soviet

Too much has been written about relations and negotiations between the governments of the United States and the former Soviet Union. But, what about the ordinary people-to-people contacts between the two countries? How were young, Russian-speaking Americans treated in the Soviet Union? Why did Soviet citizens stand for hours in the cold, rain and snow to visit American cultural exhibitions? What elaborate trips for Soviet dignitaries were organized by the US State Department? What happened when a Soviet delegation met with the John Birch Society in Iowa? What caused the Voice of America to stop hiring Russian-speaking Americans and to replace them with recent Soviet

Originally published in 1995, Monitoring Active Volcanoes is a comprehensive text which addresses the importance of volcano surveillance in the context of forecasting eruptive activity and mitigating its effects. The traditional core of seismic and ground deformation monitoring is discussed, along with more innovative techniques involving the recording of microgravity and micromagnetic variations, and the changing compositions of volcanic gases and liquids. The role of satellites is stressed, particularly with regard to the capabilities for measuring surface deformation, recognizing thermal anomalies and monitoring gas and ash plumes from space platforms. This book provides an invaluable insight into how and why volcanoes are monitored. It will be of interest to volcanologists, geophysicists and earth scientists.

This book addresses a wide range of issues relating to the ways in which climate change may force geological and geomorphological hazards. The Chapters reflect an interdisciplinary field of research that is only now becoming recognized as important in the context of the likely impacts and implications of anthropogenic climate change. We hope that the book will provide a marker that reinforces the idea that anthropogenic climate change does not simply involve the atmosphere and hydrosphere, but can also elicit a response from the Earth's crust and mantle. In this regard, we hope that it will encourage further research into those mechanisms by which climate change may drive potentially hazardous geological and geomorphological activity, and into the future ramifications for society and the economy.

Originally published in 1995, Monitoring Active Volcanoes is a comprehensive text which addresses the importance of volcano surveillance in the context of forecasting eruptive activity and mitigating its effects. The traditional core of seismic and ground deformation monitoring is discussed, along with more innovative techniques involving the recording of microgravity and micromagnetic variations, and the changing compositions of volcanic gases and liquids. The role of satellites is stressed, particularly with regard to the capabilities for measuring surface deformation, recognizing thermal anomalies and monitoring gas and ash plumes from space platforms. This book provides an invaluable insight into how and why volcanoes are monitored. It will be of interest to volcanologists, geophysicists and earth scientists.