LEADER 04592nam 22006374a 450 001 9910824151003321 005 20210602214945.0 010 $a0-231-51037-3 024 7 $a10.7312/swee13710 035 $a(CKB)1000000000465606 035 $a(OCoLC)76705784 035 $a(CaPaEBR)ebrary10183586 035 $a(SSID)ssj0000187286 035 $a(PQKBManifestationID)12028547 035 $a(PQKBTitleCode)TC0000187286 035 $a(PQKBWorkID)10135158 035 $a(PQKB)10841800 035 $a(MiAaPQ)EBC908528 035 $a(DE-B1597)459370 035 $a(OCoLC)979909840 035 $a(DE-B1597)9780231510370 035 $a(Au-PeEL)EBL908528 035 $a(CaPaEBR)ebr10183586 035 $a(CaONFJC)MIL690493 035 $a(OCoLC)818856085 035 $a(EXLCZ)991000000000465606 100 $a20051130d2006 uy 0 101 0 $aeng 135 $aurcn||||||||| 181 $ctxt 182 $cc 183 $acr 200 10$aKicking the carbon habit $eglobal warming and the case for renewable and nuclear energy /$fWilliam Sweet 210 $aNew York $cColumbia University Press$dc2006 215 $a1 online resource (267 p.) 300 $aBibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph 311 0 $a0-231-13711-7 311 0 $a0-231-13710-9 320 $aIncludes bibliographical references (p. [237]-239) and index. 327 $tFront matter --$tContents --$tPreface --$t1. The Case for Sharply Cutting U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions --$tPart I. Coal: A Faustian Bargain with Payments Coming Due --$t2. The Basis of It All: Pennsylvania in the Pennsylvanian --$t3. The Air we Breathe: The Human Costs of Coal Combustion --$t4. From Outer Space: Asia's Brown Cloud, and More --$tPart II. Climate: The Lockstep Relationship Between Carbon Dioxide and Temperature --$t5. The Drillers --$t6. The Modelers --$t7. The Synthesizers --$tPart III. Choices: The Low-Carbon and Zero-Carbon Technologies we can Deploy Right Now --$t8. Breaking the Carbon Habit --$t9. Going All Out for Renewables, Conservation, and Green Design --$t10. Natural Gas, Gasoline, and the Vision of a Hydrogen Economy --$t11. A Second Look at Nuclear Energy --$tConclusion: How to Reduce Greenhouse Gases Now, Using Today's Technology --$tAcknowledgments --$tNotes --$tBibliography --$tIndex 330 $aWith glaciers melting, oceans growing more acidic, species dying out, and catastrophic events like Hurricane Katrina ever more probable, strong steps must be taken now to slow global warming. Further warming threatens entire regional economies and the well being of whole populations, and in this century alone, it could create a global cataclysm. Synthesizing information from leading scientists and the most up-to-date research, science journalist William Sweet examines what the United States can do to help prevent climate devastation. Rather than focusing on cutting oil consumption, which Sweet argues is expensive and unrealistic, the United States should concentrate on drastically reducing its use of coal. Coal-fired plants, which currently produce more than half of the electricity in the United States, account for two fifths of the country's greenhouse gas emissions of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Sweet believes a mixture of more environmentally sound technologies-wind turbines, natural gas, and nuclear reactors-can effectively replace coal plants, especially since dramatic improvements in technology have made nuclear power cleaner, safer, and more efficient. Sweet cuts through all the confusion and controversies. He explores dramatic advances made by climate scientists over the past twenty years and addresses the various political and economic issues associated with global warming, including the practicality of reducing emissions from automobiles, the efficacy of taxing energy consumption, and the responsibility of the United States to its citizens and the international community to reduce greenhouse gases. Timely and provocative, Kicking the Carbon Habit is essential reading for anyone interested in environmental science, economics, and the future of the planet. 606 $aRenewable energy sources 606 $aPower resources 606 $aGlobal warming 615 0$aRenewable energy sources. 615 0$aPower resources. 615 0$aGlobal warming. 676 $a333.79/4 700 $aSweet$b William$0303586 801 0$bMiAaPQ 801 1$bMiAaPQ 801 2$bMiAaPQ 906 $aBOOK 912 $a9910824151003321 996 $aKicking the carbon habit$93965554 997 $aUNINA