Gareth Morgan couldn't decide whether he believed in climate change or not, so he hired the best international scientists to answer his questions and these are his findings. Combined with anecdotes from his own recent trips to Antarctica and the Arctic this is something completely unique in books about climate change - somebody who has approached the topic with an open mind, somebody who has the resources to explore such a topic and somebody who has personally investigated all of the issues. So what was his conclusion? Read the book to find out. In conjunction with excellent researcher and writer Dr John McCrystal, this is an accessible and fascinating exploration of one of the biggest topics of the 21st century. This book defines climate change, explains the science of taking the earth's temperature, looks at the respective cases of the alarmists and the sceptics, examines the anecdotal evidence and the politics of this dialogue, and then comes to a conclusion based on all this research.
The Silk Rider trip was conceived after three biking trips of shorter duration - two in the Himalayas and one in the Andes. It was very clear that month-long trips are great but there is another level - a number of countries to navigate and borders to negotiate; a trip without any pre-arranged accommodation; a motorcycle journey without support vehicles so each rider is self-contained; and finally a theme to ride bikes by. That theme was "In the footsteps of Marco Polo" and it set a backdrop to this traverse of Eurasia. Marco (1254-1324) was born on Korcula, an island in the Adriatic off Split in Croatia. But he was raised in Venice and in 1271 set out with his two uncles for Cathay. The return journey took 24 years - outbound by land alone taking 3 years, in China for 17 years and then home by sea, dictating his book, "The Travels of Marco Polo", from a Genoa prison cell 3 years later in 1298. As he lay on his deathbed he confessed, "I have not told half of what I saw". Gareth, Jo and friends also started their trip in Venice and ended in Xanadu (Shangtu) - north-west of Beijing - where the summer palace of the Mongol (Tartar) leader Kublai Kan was located and where he met Marco Polo in 1275. Their timeframe (3 months) was a mere 1/12th of Marco's for the one-way land traverse and while most of it was along the route he took, they had a few diversions to take in points of interest - such as the dried-up Aral Sea.
The ship was the ice-capable vessel, the Spirit of Enderby, and aboard were Gareth Morgan and 50 others, bound on a 30-day sea voyage to our far south - through the Southern Ocean, via the subantarctic islands and all the way down to Scott Base in Antarctica. With some of New Zealand's leading experts on the region along for the ride, the ship became a university by day and a party ship by night. And meanwhile, the wonders of this little-known part of the world - the wildlife, the sea-, land- and ice-scapes - unfurled before their eyes. Join Gareth and his crew on their voyage of discover, as they mix with penguins, albatrosses, seals, elephant seals, sea lions and whales on the way. Hear all about the issues: the race for resources on the frozen continent and in the Southern Ocean, the effects of over-fishing, climate change and habitat destruction - facing the region. Learn a little about the history and the ecology of these remarkable places. And laugh with the crew, too. By journey's end, you too will have an appreciation of what we stand to lose if we don't act to protect our far south. You'll never look at a mouse the same way again"--Back cover.
New Zealand's health system is a political football, held together only by the high quality of our nurses and doctors, according to a new book from Gareth Morgan. While the local health system scrubs up surprisingly well globally, Dr Morgan finds a substantial mismatch between the public's expectations and what the health system actually delivers. From interviews with those working in the sector through to a detailed examination of the latest major review of the system known as the Horn Report, Morgan and Simmons go behind the scenes of the New Zealand public health system and bring clarity to the issues that need to be addressed if crisis is to be avoided. The book explores the consequences of ongoing avoidance of the tough calls on rationing and prioritisation. It considers how many New Zealanders are already suffering or missing out from health care because of ad-hoc interventions in response to pressure groups. Co-authored with former Treasury analyst Geoff Simmons, and written in Morgan's frank style, this book takes no prisoners as it explores which patients and treatments need to be given priority.
Gareth Morgan's follow-up to Pension Panic, which has sold almost 20,000 copies. Many of Gareth's predictions from that book have come true - a number of finance companies have gone bust, the property market is in tatters and lots of super schemes are in trouble. In After the panic Gareth outlines the problems with the products that have collapsed; talks about why the savings and investment sector is still structurally sick; and discussed how best to navigate investing now. This is a must-have book for anyone with super, Kiwisaver or investments of any kind.
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