In this insightful, compelling, and highly readable work, Melanie
Lenart, an award-winning journalist and science writer who holds a PhD
in Natural Resources and Global Change, examines global warming with the
trained eye of a professional scientist. And she presents the science in
a clear, straightforward manner. Why does the planet's warming produce
stronger hurricanes, rising seas, and larger floods? Simple, says
Lenart. The Earth is just doing what comes naturally. Just as humans
produce sweat to cool off on a hot day, the planet produces hurricanes,
floods, wetlands, and forests to cool itself off.
Life in the Hothouse incorporates Lenart's extensive knowledge of
climate science-including the latest research in climate change-and the
most current scientific theories, including Gaia theory, which holds
that the Earth has some degree of climate control "built in." As Lenart
points out, scientists have been documenting stronger hurricanes and
larger floods for many years. There is a good reason for this, she
notes. Hurricanes help cool the ocean surface and clear the air of
carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas responsible for global warming.
From the perspective of Gaia theory, these responses are helping to slow
the ongoing global warming and Lenart expounds upon this in a clear and
understandable fashion.
There is hope, Lenart writes. If we help sustain Earth's natural defense
systems, including wetlands and forests, perhaps Mother Earth will no
longer need to rely as much on the cooling effects of what we call
"natural disasters"-many of which carry a human fingerprint. At a
minimum, she argues, these systems can help us survive the heat.
