Powering Planet Earth

In their book Nicola Armaroli, Vincenzo Balzani and Nick Serpone uncover the background details associated with a transition to sustainable energy production that are routinely swept under the table in public discussions. They are not only concerned with the (alleged) advantages and disadvantages of any one energy generation technology from a technical viewpoint, but also with the ecological, economic, political and social consequences of an inevitable transition. In a highly readable manner aimed at an international audience, the authors introduce the often misused and sometimes abused term 'energy' and give a lucid account of the development of energy production from timber to nuclear energy and renewable energies. They compare various energy generation methods with respect to their efficiency and practicability for large-scale implementation and examine if, and how, these methods live up to the expectations and promises their proponents make. In addition, the authors juxtapose the political and economic prerequisites in different regions of the world that advance, or hinder, an energy turnaround. They round off their book by debunking the seventeen most popular myths often cited in discussions on energy issues. As a result, the authors provide ammunition for debate, underpin (and unsettle) opinions using facts, and challenge comfortable and popular chains of reasoning.

In EARTH- THE BIOGRAPHY renowned science writers Iain Stewart and John Lynch use ground-breaking imagery and the latest scientific discoveries to explain how our unique and remarkable planet functions. After four and a half billion years the Earth is approaching old age -a perfect time to look back on an extraordinary life.Each chapter will examine one of the Earth's most powerful forces -meteor impacts, plate tectonics, the ocean, the atmosphere and ice -and explore their central role in keeping the Earth alive. These are the forces that drive our planet, the powers that shape the Earth and affect its destiny.Spectacular graphics will present the familiar in a striking new light and will allow us to go back in time to discover the critical events in the Earth's past. This lavishly illustrated book will tell the epic story of the birth, life and future end of our amazing planet.

Powering Our Planet is aligned to the Common Core State Standards for English/Language Arts, addressing Literacy.RI.2.3 and Literacy.L.2.1a. Readers learn about the many ways we power our planet through narrative nonfiction text and full-page color photographs and images. This book should be paired with “Energy for Earth" (9781477724347) from the InfoMax Common Core Readers Program to provide the alternative point of view on the same topic.

Energy is all around us. Food and sleep are the fuels our bodies use to create the energy we need to move, talk, and think. But scientists tell us some of the fuels that keep our homes and businesses running, power our transportation, and keep us safe are hurting Earth. Learn why energy companies are working to come up with cleaner ways to supply oil and gas, how fuels in the future will be safer for Earth, and what you can do now to use energy wisely. Book features: Table of Contents; Glossary; For More Information including books and web sites; Index; photos and captions; charts and graphs; source notes.

Robert walked towards the hospital emergency entrance. The smell of death was over powering. Many of the cars blocking the ambulance entrance had their lifeless occupants slumped over the steering wheels or their heads propped against the car windows. The sliding doors were propped open by more bodies of virus casualties. Robert looked deeper into the dark hospital and turned around. The hospital was not receiving more patients. Jillian stared over the city of Hong Kong from the eighteenth floor of the luxury hotel. Although it was the middle of the day, the entire city was dead. Not a car, boat or person was moving. The hotel had no water, phone or electricity. Despair washed over her as she thought of her children. She prayed that her two boys survived the virus. The problem was that they were a very large ocean away. Adapting to the new world was difficult. Finding and protecting your family was an even greater challenge.

From Space to Earth tracks the evolution of the technology of photovoltaics, the use of solar cells to convert the sun's energy into electricity. John Perlin's painstaking research results in a fascinating account of the development of this technology, from its shaky nineteenth-century beginnings mired in scientific controversy to its high-visibility success in the space program, to its current position as a versatile and promising power source.

For thousands of years, humans have probed and pondered over our planetary home. How was the Earth formed? How old is it? How did it become a living world? Today, because of our expanded knowledge and the wonders of technology, we know a lot more about Earth than our ancestors. We know that it is an evolving planet, undergoing never-ending changes, perhaps at a pace unequalled in its recent, or even remote, past. The Story of Planet Earth gives a detailed, yet interesting, account of a lot more aspects related to the creation of Earth – Earth’s origin in light of the Big Bang explosion, arrival of water on its surface, formation of its atmosphere, evolution of life forms from unicellular organisms to giants like dinosaurs, changes from its core to crust and its current state in terms of unsettling global changes, a majority of which find their roots in our greed and thoughtlessness. The book goes beyond time, into the future, to see what may be in store for our forthcoming generations, if we don’t care about this “home” of ours.