Ten years after his internationally bestselling The Weather Makers, acclaimed scientist and author Tim Flannery argues that Earth’s climate system is approaching a crisis. Catastrophe is not inevitable, but time is fast running out. In the lead-up to the United Nations Climate Change Summit to be held in Paris in December, Atmosphere of Hope provides both a snapshot of the trouble we are in and an up-to-the-minute analysis of some of the new possibilities for mitigating climate change that are emerging now. From atmospheric carbon capture through extensive seaweed farming, CO2 snow production in Antarctica and the manufacture of carbon-rich biochar to reflecting the sun’s rays by releasing sulphur into the atmosphere and painting landscapes and cities white, Flannery outlines an array of innovative technologies that give cause for hope. Tim Flannery has published over thirty books including the award-winning The Future Eaters, The Weather Makers and Here on Earth and the novel The Mystery of the Venus Island Fetish. In 2005 he was named Australian Humanist of the Year, and in 2007 Australian of the Year. In 2007 he co-founded and was appointed Chair of the Copenhagen Climate Council. In 2011 he became Australia’s Chief Climate Commissioner, and in 2013 he founded and heads the Australian Climate Council. His latest book is Atmosphere of Hope: Searching for Solutions to the Climate Crisis. ‘This man is a national treasure, and we should heed his every word.’ Sunday Telegraph ‘Thoughtful, candid and—yes—ultimately upbeat, Atmosphere of Hope could not be more timely. It is just the book the world needs right now.’ Elizabeth Kolbert, author of The Sixth Extinction ‘An important and timely book...The eloquent clarity of this book is a delight. It makes a grim subject exciting. It does fill me with practical hope as well as an enabling sense of urgency. I am also moved by what can be achieved.’ Australian Book Review ‘A significant statement from a great Australian.’ Tom Griffiths, Australian Book Review, Books of the Year 2015 ‘Flannery cleverly offers practical solutions rather than another jeremiad about climate change.’ Australian Financial Review, Best Books of 2015
With this awe-inspiring account of earth’s evolution, “you’ll discover why Tim Flannery’s books have made him the rock star of modern science” (Jared Diamond, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Guns, Germs, and Steel). Beginning at the Big Bang, Here on Earth explores the evolution of Earth from a galactic cloud of dust and gas to a planet with a metallic core and early signs of life within a billion years of being created. In a compelling narrative, internationally-acclaimed scientist, explorer, conservationist, and “crackerjack storyteller” Tim Flannery describes the formation of the Earth’s crust and atmosphere, as well as the transformation of the planet’s oceans from toxic brews of metals to life-sustaining bodies covering seventy percent of the planet’s surface—which first appeared as ocean-born microscopic plants and bacteria with the metal brew serving as a catalyst for the earliest biological processes known to exist (Publishers Weekly). From this beginning of life on Earth, Flannery tells the fascinating story of the evolution of humanity, exploring several early human species—from the diminutive creatures proclaimed as “hobbits” who lived in Africa around two million years ago to Homo erectus—before turning his attention to Homo sapiens. Drawing on Charles Darwin’s and Alfred Russell Wallace’s theories of evolution and Lovelock’s Gaia hypothesis, Here on Earth is “an educational project worthy of Flannery’s great talents” (TheGuardian).
From the bestselling author of The Weather Makers: “An enthralling introduction to the mountain people of New Guinea . . . and to their magnificent land” (The New York Times Book Review). A world expert on the fauna of New Guinea with twenty new species and over seven books to his credit, Tim Flannery takes us into the field and on an unforgettable journey into the heart of this mysterious and uncharted country. Flannery’s scientific voyage leads him to places he never dreamed of: he camps among cannibals and befriends Femsep, a legendary warrior who led the slaughter of colonial whites decades before. He enters caves full of skeletons of long-extinct, giant marsupials, scales mountains previously untouched by Europeans, and is nearly killed when tribes people decide to take revenge for their prior mistreatment by his “clan” (wildlife scientists). And Flannery writes movingly of the fate of indigenous people in collision with the high-tech world of late-twentieth-century industry. In New Guinea Pidgin, “throwim way leg” means to thrust out your leg on the first step of a long journey. Full of adventure, wit, and natural wonders, Flannery’s narrative is just such a spectacular trip. Like Redmond O’Hanlon’s classics Into the Heart of Borneo and No Mercy, Throwim Way Leg is a tour de force of travel, anthropology, and natural history. “Flannery combines diligent science, heart-pounding adventure, and a respect for ancient cultures to create a compelling tale.” —Sierra, The National Magazine of the Sierra Club
Internationally renowned author and scientist Tim Flannery explores our planet’s rivers and oceans and the extraordinary animals that live in them. Can jellyfish become zombies? Are narwhals unicorns? Can a turtle live in a tree? Tim Flannery has the answers. In this informed and accessible book, he introduces some of the most spectacular and unusual creatures in Earth’s waters with in-depth and often bizarre facts. Flannery ties together concepts of climate change, evolution, conservation, and taxonomy throughout each animal’s profile, firmly connecting it to its environment while sparking wonder at its role in the natural world. Packed with vibrant illustrations and guided by real-life anecdotes from one of our greatest science communicators, Weird, Wild, Amazing! Water teaches readers to cherish and delight in our planet’s ecosystems with Tim Flannery’s signature mix of humor and wisdom.
A forceful call to climate change action and a pragmatic roadmap toward sustainability from the internationally acclaimed author of The Weather Makers. Utilizing the most up-to-the-minute data available, Tim Flannery offers a guided tour of the environmental challenges we face and their potential solutions in both the big picture and in specific detail. He explores everything from techniques for storing the carbon that dead plants release into the earth to the fragile balancing act between energy demands and food supply in India and China, from carbon-trading schemes in South America to a collaboration between a Danish wind-energy company and an automobile manufacturer that may produce a viable electric car and end the reign of big oil. Now or Never is a powerful, thought-provoking, and essential book about the most urgent issue of our time. It burns with Flannery’s characteristic mix of passion, scientific precision, and “offhand interdisciplinary brilliance” (Entertainment Weekly). “Shocking . . . [Flannery] writes for a general audience with passion and clarity.” —Jim Hansen
The #1 international bestseller on climate change that’s been endorsed by policy makers, scientists, writers, and energy executives around the world. Tim Flannery’s The Weather Makers contributed in bringing the topic of global warming to worldwide prominence. For the first time, a scientist provided an accessible and comprehensive account of the history, current status, and future impact of climate change, writing what has been acclaimed by reviewers everywhere as the definitive book on global warming. With one out of every five living things on this planet committed to extinction by the levels of greenhouse gases that will accumulate in the next few decades, we are reaching a global climatic tipping point. The Weather Makers is both an urgent warning and a call to arms, outlining the history of climate change, how it will unfold over the next century, and what we can do to prevent a cataclysmic future. Originally somewhat of a global warming skeptic, Tim Flannery spent several years researching the topic and offers a connect-the-dots approach for a reading public who has received patchy or misleading information on the subject. Pulling on his expertise as a scientist to discuss climate change from a historical perspective, Flannery also explains how climate change is interconnected across the planet. This edition includes a new afterword by the author. “An authoritative, scientifically accurate book on global warming that sparkles with life, clarity, and intelligence.” —The Washington Post
Twenty-five years ago, a young Australian museum curator named Tim Flannery set out to research the fauna of the Pacific Islands. Starting with a survey of one of the most inaccessible islands in Melanesia, the young scientist found himself ghost whispering, snake wrestling and Quadoi hunting in search of a small bat that turned out not to be earthshatteringly interesting. With accounts of discovering, naming and sometimes eating new mammal species; being thwarted or aided by local customs; and historic scientific expeditions, Flannery, now one of the world’s top environmentalists, takes us on an enthralling journey through some of the most diverse and spectacular places on earth.
Internationally renowned author and scientist Tim Flannery takes readers to the skies to learn about the extraordinary animals that fly in them. Can owls swim? Do woodpeckers eat wood? Are vampire bats real? Tim Flannery has the answers. In this informed and accessible book, he introduces some of the most spectacular and unusual creatures soaring through Earth’s skies with in-depth and often-bizarre facts. Flannery ties together concepts of climate change, evolution, conservation, and taxonomy throughout each animal’s profile, firmly connecting it to its environment while sparking wonder at its role in the natural world. Packed with vibrant illustrations and guided by real-life anecdotes from one of our greatest science communicators, Weird, Wild, Amazing! Sky teaches readers to cherish and delight in our planet’s ecosystems with Flannery’s signature mix of humor and wisdom.
Are zombie jellyfish real? Do seahorses have stomachs? What’s it like to wrestle a python? Tim Flannery has the answers. Introducing some of the most spectacular and unusual creatures on Earth, from water to sky and the forests and deserts in between, he offers in-depth and often bizarre facts about extraordinary animals that live in each habitat. Flannery ties concepts of climate change, evolution, conservation, and taxonomy to each animal’s profile, firmly connecting the animal and its environment while sparking wonder at its role in the natural world. Did you know that lions once roamed North America, or that albatrosses sleep-fly? Have you ever heard a piranha bark, or wondered how the sloth got its name? Packed with vibrant illustrations and guided by real-life anecdotes from one of our greatest science communicators, Weird, Wild, Amazing! teaches readers to cherish and delight in our planet’s ecosystems with Tim Flannery’s signature mix of humor and wisdom.
Essays, speeches and collective musings from one of Australia’s greatest minds. From climate change to art, books, and the environment, there is something here for every Flannery fan.
A tale of cave bears and comet strikes and a hundred million years of history by the bestselling author of Here on Earth: “Marvelous.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review) In Europe: A Natural History, world-renowned scientist, explorer, and conservationist Tim Flannery applies the eloquent interdisciplinary approach he used in his ecological histories of Australia and North America to the story of Europe. He begins 100 million years ago, when the continents of Asia, North America, and Africa interacted to create an island archipelago that would later become the Europe we know today. It was on these ancient tropical lands that the first distinctly European organisms evolved. Flannery teaches us about Europe’s midwife toad, which has endured since the continent’s beginning, while elephants, crocodiles, and giant sharks have come and gone. He explores the monumental changes wrought by the devastating comet strike and shows how rapid atmospheric shifts transformed the European archipelago into a single landmass during the Eocene. As the story moves through millions of years of evolutionary history, Flannery eventually turns to our own species, describing the immense impact humans had on the continent’s flora and fauna—within 30,000 years of our arrival in Europe, the woolly rhino, the cave bear, and the giant elk, among others, would disappear completely. The story continues right up to the present, as Flannery describes Europe’s leading role in wildlife restoration, and then looks ahead to ponder the continent’s future: with advancements in gene editing technology, European scientists are working to recreate some of the continent’s lost creatures, such as the great ox of Europe’s primeval forests and even the woolly mammoth.
In this adaptation of his massive international bestseller The Weather Makers, now revised for teen readers, Tim Flannery argues passionately and eloquently for the urgent need to address the global crisis that is threatening our survival. With expanded Canadian content and added illustrations, We Are the Weather Makers sets out, with devastating clarity, the science and evidence of global warming, and the perils of complacency. Unimpeachable in its authority and empowering in its vision of what each of us can do to make a difference, The Weather Makers garnered praise from world leaders such as Tony Blair and John Howard, as well as from such esteemed writers and scientists as David Suzuki, Ronald Wright, John Polyani and Bill Bryson. Now more readable than ever, and more relevant by the day, this global call to arms will continue to fuel discussion, inspire change and dominate bestseller lists. Recognizing that young people will pay the highest price for climate change, Flannery has written a young adult edition of his essential masterpiece that speaks thoughtfully, but never condescendingly, to the future caretakers of our planet.
Life On Us is a first-of-its-kind exploration of everything that lives ON and IN us, but is NOT us, from one of the world’s greatest living explorers and scientists! Welcome to the fascinating world of Life On Us! Our bodies are home to tens of thousands of species that aren't at all human – on our skin, inside our gut and even in our brain, and they can have an extraordinary impact on how we feel, act and live. Many organisms are microscopic, but some are far longer than we are. Some make frequent but temporary visits, while others stay for a very long time! Get ready to learn all about our amazing microbiome and the trouble-making germs and parasites you won't like to host. Scientist-extraordinaire Tim Flannery and his daughter Emma Flannery come together in this incredible exploration of a rapidly growing and enormously exciting area of science. Together, they've assembled possibly the weirdest collection of knowledge about the human body, from poo transfusions to research into how parasites can help us. Find out what's living on you! Did you know: - that your gut microbiome makes up three-quarters of the weight of your poo? - that COVID-19 can enter your body through your eyeballs? - that botox is more poisonous than any snake, spider or jellyfish? - that your pet cat could pass on a mind-controlling parasite?
An urgent and essential call to arms from one of Australia’s most respected climate scientists, Tim Flannery. A compelling and solution-focused declaration of the action required to win the climate battle, and how change must start in our board rooms and parliaments.
Internationally renowned author and scientist Tim Flannery explores the most remote and mysterious levels of Earth’s oceans. Who is the giant squid’s mortal enemy? Can you see ghosts in the deep sea? What in the world is a headless chicken monster? Tim Flannery has the answers. In this informed and accessible book, he takes readers on a journey into the darkest depths of this unchartered realm to learn about the incredible creatures living there. Divided into sections that focus on the various depths of the ocean, readers can navigate their way through the sea while being guided by anecdotes from Tim’s own personal experiences. From hairy sea devils and goblin sharks to entire ecosystems within whale carcasses, he uncovers fascinating and bizarre facts about this enchanting place and the slippery, scaly, and strange creatures that live there. Packed with vibrant illustrations and snappy engaging text, Deep Dive into Deep Sea will enthrall, enlighten, and capture the imaginations and passions of young oceanographers.
Everyone's invited Tim Flannery is here to offer us a change of perspective. And he is here to inspire us. He invites us to consider again our place on earth, what it really means to be alive. Here on Earth is a revolutionary dual biography of the planet and of our species. Flannery reimagines the history of earth, from its earliest origins as a chaotic ball of elemental gases to the teeming landscape we currently call home. It is a remarkable story. How did life first emerge here? What forces have shaped it? Why did humans come to dominate? And when did we start to have an impact? More importantly, how has this changed us as a species? The awesome hand of nature has never been better portrayed than in this book. Nor, remarkably, the transformative power of ideas. From the most intense competition for survival, cooperation has emerged. The challenge we now face is to sustain our fragile hold on life. Our fate is in our own hands. But first we have to realise who we are.
From the authors of A Gap in Nature, a breathtaking visual adventure showcasing ninety of the world’s most astounding creatures. Sumptuous birds of paradise, amazing soft-shell turtles, frogs that look like tomatoes, and terrifying fish (including the deep-water angler fish from Finding Nemo) are just some of the extraordinary creatures that can be found in Tim Flannery and Peter Schouten’s new book, Astonishing Animals. Superbly illustrated with lifelike full-color paintings, Astonishing Animals details ninety of the world’s most amazing animals from around the world. In this book you will find the hairy seadevil; the spectacular Sulawesi naked bat; and in the depths of the limestone caves in Slovenia, the olm, a pink, four-legged, sightless salamander that lives for a hundred years. In fascinating vignettes, Flannery offers the true evolutionary tale of how each of these bizarre creatures came to look the way they do. Alongside each historical account is a stunning hand-painted color reproduction (life-size in the original painting) by Schouten. Filled with purple-faced apes, jagged-toothed dolphins, and antlered lizards, Astonishing Animals is a remarkable collection of the world’s most incredible creatures and the stories behind their remarkable survival into a modern age. “An elegant paean to some of the world’s strangest and/or most beautiful creatures.” —Mary Ann Gwinn, The Seattle Times “As beautiful as it is fascinating, this book will be relished by animal lovers of all stripes.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review
When The Weather Makers was first published, the book actually forced the John Howard government in Australia to change its environmental policy. While on tour to promote awareness of global warming, Flannery met with other political and business leaders, including Al Gore, Richard Branson and Prime Minister Stephen Harper's science advisor, as well as such leading thinkers as David Suzuki. With Now or Never, a landmark essay about sustainability, Flannery reignites the conversation with new insights, warnings and solutions to the environmental dangers that confront us today. Flannery discusses in detail three potential solutions to climate change, the most urgent of the challenges we face in our pursuit of sustainability. Flannery's crisp and engaging prose presents his arresting argument with sincerity and enduring passion as he confronts the greatest threat of our time. The book also features detailed responses to Flannery's work by Richard Branson, Gwynne Dyer and others. Brilliant and terrifying, Now or Never is a panoramic look at climate change in the context of human existence, by one of the world's leading thinkers and writers on the natural world.
Get ready to go on a journey through time with real-life explorer and scientist, Professor Tim Flannery. You’re about to meet the weirdest, wildest and most amazing animals that have ever lived – and died! Could you outrun a T-rex? Can mushrooms talk to each other? Which dinosaur had a second brain near its butt? Did the Earth used to be a giant snowball? What do human-sized scorpions eat? Do scientists play pranks on each other? Fire up the time machine – you’re about to find out! From the author of the best-selling Explore Your World: Weird, Wild, Amazing! and Explore Your World: Deep Dive into Deep Sea! comes a brand-new compendium to enthral and enlighten readers. Each page is packed with vibrant illustrations and bursting with bizarre facts about the incredible creatures that once roamed the Earth – prepare to gasp, laugh and squirm in disgust!
Islands are special because they promote unique forms of life, and large proportions of the species they hold are found nowhere else on Earth. The mammals of the South-west Pacific are no exception, with many distributed only across single islands or archipelagos. Mammals of the South-west Pacific details the natural history for more than 180 species of marsupials, bats and rodents from 24 Pacific nations and territories. Species profiles are accompanied by distribution maps, illustrations and photographs – many being the first images ever captured for the species. By combining available knowledge with unpublished data collected over years of field work, Mammals of the South-west Pacific forms a definitive guide to the mammals from this region.
Tim Flannery’s international bestseller The Weather Makers has sold over a million copies and influenced politicians, movie stars, even business leaders - after reading it, Sir Richard Branson pledged more than 3 billion dollars towards developing sustainable energy sources. We Are the Weather Makers is a concise and revised edition that will allow readers aged from nine to ninety to learn the real facts about the biggest question of our generation. Flannery takes us on a journey through history and around the globe, writing about hurricanes and droughts, coral reefs and polar bears, and wind energy and nuclear power. He shows us how, as we continue to heat the planet, humanity faces unprecedented dangers and challenges. We are the weather makers now.
‘Sunlight and Seaweed is the beginning of a new way of helping the planet we live on.’ AU Review Acclaimed scientist Tim Flannery investigates exciting new technologies currently being developed to address our most pressing environmental threats in a book that presents a positive future for us and our planet. Climate change, food production and toxic pollution present huge challenges, but, as Flannery shows, we already have innovative, practical and inspiring solutions. Solar energy has, until now, been limited to supplying power only when the sun is shining. But new technology using concentrated sunlight to provide intense heat energy that can be effectively stored overcomes this problem, providing clean renewable power around the clock. Further, the large amounts of power produced can be used to tackle the issue of feeding the world’s growing population—by enabling energy-intense methods of purifying polluted land for agricultural production. Drawing carbon out of the atmosphere is an essential component in limiting climate change. Flannery explores the potential of kelp, a fast-growing sea algae, to be used on a large scale to convert carbon from the air to a non-gaseous form, reducing levels of atmospheric carbon. With accessible and engaging explanations of the fascinating science behind these technologies, as well as accounts of the systems already in operation around the world, Sunlight and Seaweed is an enlightening and uplifting view of the future. Tim Flannery has published over thirty books including the award-winning The Future Eaters, The Weather Makers and Here on Earth and the novel The Mystery of the Venus Island Fetish. In 2005 he was named Australian Humanist of the Year and in 2007 Australian of the Year. In 2007 he co-founded and was appointed Chair of the Copenhagen Climate Council. In 2011 he became Australia’s Chief Climate Commissioner, and in 2013 he founded the Australian Climate Council. His previous book is Atmosphere of Hope: Searching for Solutions to the Climate Crisis. ‘Sunlight and Seaweed also offers an excellent model for how best to communicate the challenges posed by climate change without turning readers off with unrelieved messages of doom.’ Sydney Morning Herald ‘This new book is among [Flannery’s] best...Wonderfully thought provoking...Well informed and sobering.’ Australian ‘This man is a national treasure, and we should heed his every word.’ Sunday Telegraph ‘It is difficult to overstate the importance of this concise, convincingly argued view of our world’s prospects for its survival and improvement over the next 33 years...Every one of this slim treatise’s 127 pages packs a punch, and its timely content deserves to be read by all of us.’ Books+Publishing ‘Accessible and engaging..An enlightening and uplifting view of the future.’ Readings ‘Tim Flannery addresses complex issues and make them clear and accessible. His compelling book both seriously informs and entertains...This is a fascinating, exciting and inspirational read.’ Toowoomba Chronicle ‘Flannery is optimistic, presenting a well-researched range of clearly explained technologies and strategies, and many of them are compelling reasons to be hopeful.’ SA Weekend ‘A small book full of big ideas...This book doesn’t just wow the reader with nifty ideas; Flannery explains how they actually work, with his signature fluency and clarity.’ Australian Book Review ‘It is a joy to be guided through the science by someone who understands it and can explain it...Flannery commands his subject, but he can also be read for style alone...Flannery’s message in Sunlight and Seaweed is urgent and his spare prose reflects this.’ Newtown Review of Books ‘Flannery has written in easy-to-understand language and he sets out a positive path for this planet’s future.’ Weekly Times ‘In a summer in which heat records are sure to be broken, Tim Flannery dives into the clean technologies that just might sustain the world of our children and grandchildren: giant kelp farms that can do the work of forests, taking carbon dioxide out and deacidifying seawater,and concentrated sunlight stored to power homes and cities. Flannery offers some kernel of hope for us hopeless humans.’ Sydney Morning Herald ‘A focused, clear and optimistic read.’ Best Books of 2017, Adelaide Advertiser ‘While global environmental challenges are immense, he [Flannery] argues here, they are not insurmountable...Flannery has a great ability to distil complex subject matter into something you can wrap your head around.’ North & South ‘This book offers a welcome ray of hope.’ Organic Grocer
Get ready for a whole new look at the world around you. You’re about to meet the weirdest, wildest and most amazing animals on the planet. Are zombie jellyfish real? Do frogs like opera? Which animals eat poop? (And more importantly, WHY?!) What’s it like to wrestle a python? Buckle up – you’re about to find out! Bursting with bizarre facts, packed with vibrant illustrations and guided by one of the world’s greatest living scientists, Professor Tim Flannery, this deep-dive into the natural world will enthral and enlighten readers. It will also make them laugh out loud … and squirm in disgust. Shortlisted for the 2020 ABDA Best Designed Children's Non-Fiction and 2020 Environment Award for Children's Literature Longlisted for the 2020 ABIA Book of the Year for Younger Children
Explore the extraordinary world of elephants with explorer and scientist Tim Flannery and his daughter, Emma, as they shine the spotlight on one of the world's most beloved and surprising creatures! There's so much more to elephants than their enormous size! Have you heard about their excellent memory or their adorable sense of humour? Did you know that they actually walk on their tippy toes? And wait till you see who their cousins are – you're in for a surprise! Elephants can live until the age of 70 and are Earth's most intelligent giants, with incredible communication and relationship-building abilities. Come along on an exciting expedition with the world-renowned scientist and explorer Tim Flannery and his daughter Emma as they spotlight these wonderful creatures, their closest relatives (the woolly mammoth!), and discover what humans can do to protect this beloved species. This gorgeous large format picture book comes with lush, full-colour illustrations from renowned illustrator Katie Melrose, cherry-red foil and tactile grain lamination on the cover – making it the perfect gift for animal lovers and elephantophiles alike! Discover more fascinating creatures in Tim Flannery's other picture books: Sensational Sharks Extraordinary Elephants Jiggliest Jellyfish Spectacular Snakes
Dive into the world of Sensational Sharks with explorer and scientist Tim Flannery and his daughter, Emma, as they shine the spotlight on one of the world's most beloved and surprising creatures! Have you ever heard about the cookie-cutter shark, which bites out cookie-shaped morsels of flesh from much larger animals than itself? Or the goblin shark, which was thought to have become extinct 100 million years ago until a living specimen was discovered in 1898? And did you know that the whale shark has jaws the size of a 12-year-old child? The earth is home to over one billion sharks across 500 different species, and there's so much to learn about these ancient rulers of the ocean! With their extraodinary superpowers and senses of sound, sight and smell, these fearsome predators have fascinated humans since well before Jaws. Come along on an exciting expedition with the world-renowned scientist and explorer Tim Flannery and his daughter Emma, as they spotlight some of the world’s weirdest and most compelling creatures. This gorgeous large-format picture book comes with lush, full-colour illustrations from renowned illustrator Katie Melrose, shimmering silver foil, and tactile grain lamination on the cover – making it the perfect gift for animal lovers and selachimorphaphiles (also known as 'shark enthusiasts') alike! Discover more fascinating creatures with Tim Flannery: Sensational Sharks Extraordinary Elephants Jiggliest Jellyfish Spectacular Snakes
A comprehensive history of the continent, “full of engaging and attention-catching information about North America’s geology, climate, and paleontology” (The Washington Post Book World). Here, “the rock star of modern science” tells the unforgettable story of the geological and biological evolution of the North American continent, from the time of the asteroid strike that wiped out the dinosaurs 65 million years ago to the present day (Jared Diamond, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Guns, Germs, and Steel). Flannery describes the development of North America’s deciduous forests and other flora, and tracks the migrations of various animals to and from Europe, Asia, and South America, showing how plant and animal species have either adapted or become extinct. The story spans the massive changes wrought by the ice ages and the coming of the Native Americans. It continues right up to the present, covering the deforestation of the Northeast, the decimation of the buffalo, and other consequences of frontier settlement and the industrial development of the United States. This is science writing at its very best—both an engrossing narrative and a scholarly trove of information that “will forever change your perspective on the North American continent” (The New York Review of Books).
A place of exceptional diversity, rapid change, and high energy, for the past 100 million years Europe has literally been at the crossroads of the world: ever since the interaction of Asia, North America and Africa formed the tropical island archipelago that would become the continent of today. In this unprecedented ecological history, Tim Flannery shows how Europe has absorbed wave after wave of immigrant species ever since; taking them in, transforming them, and sometimes hybridising them. Flannery reveals how, in addition to playing a vital role in the evolution of our own species, Europe was once the site of the formation of the first coral reefs, the home of some of the world's largest elephants, and now has more wolves than North America. This groundbreaking book charts the history of the land itself and the forces shaping life on it - including modern humans - to create a portrait of a continent that continues to exert a huge influence on the world today.
When The Weather Makers was first published, the book actually forced the John Howard government in Australia to change its environmental policy. While on tour to promote awareness of global warming, Flannery met with other political and business leaders, including Al Gore, Richard Branson and Prime Minister Stephen Harper's science advisor, as well as such leading thinkers as David Suzuki. With Now or Never, a landmark essay about sustainability, Flannery reignites the conversation with new insights, warnings and solutions to the environmental dangers that confront us today. Flannery discusses in detail three potential solutions to climate change, the most urgent of the challenges we face in our pursuit of sustainability. Flannery's crisp and engaging prose presents his arresting argument with sincerity and enduring passion as he confronts the greatest threat of our time. The book also features detailed responses to Flannery's work by Richard Branson, Gwynne Dyer and others. Brilliant and terrifying, Now or Never is a panoramic look at climate change in the context of human existence, by one of the world's leading thinkers and writers on the natural world.
The internationally acclaimed author of The Weather Makers crafts a love letter to his native land and one of its most unique inhabitants: the kangaroo. Drawing on three decades of travel, research, and field work, Tim Flannery shows us how the destiny of the extraordinary kangaroo is inseparable from the environment that created it. Along the way he uses encounters with ancient aboriginal cultures, eccentric fossil hunters, farmers, scientists, kangaroo advocates, and kangaroo hunters, to explore how Australia’s deserts and rain forests have shaped human responses to the continent—and how kangaroos have evolved to handle the resulting challenges. Ultimately, Chasing Kangaroos is a captivating blend of memoir, travel, natural history, and evolutionary science—and further proof of Flannery’s “offhand interdisciplinary brilliance” (Entertainment Weekly). “Absorbing, funny, and wonderfully learned.” —Bill Bryson, New York Times–bestselling author of A Walk in the Woods
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