Bill McGuire Books

Hacking the Earth might be the last thing we ever do. Sometimes, when you're in a hole, it's best to stop digging. This applies as much to messing with the climate as anything else, except even more so.

We inhabit a planet in peril. Our once temperate world is locked on course to become a hothouse entirely of our own making.

In this Very Short Introduction Bill McGuire explores the potential catastrophes facing our planet. Assessing both the probability of these events happening in the future, and our chances of survival, this new edition brings our understanding of global disasters and risk research up to date by using recent case studies from around the world.

Thousands of people die every year from floods, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, hurricanes and typhoons. Yet compared to what the Earth endured in prehistoric times-lethal volcanic winters, deadly asteroid collisions-our civilization has developed against a backdrop of relative geologicalcalm. Will this calm last? A Brief Guide to the End of the World looks at the frightful prospects that await us in the 21st century and beyond.Bill McGuire, a leading expert in the field of geological hazards, admits that the omens are less than encouraging. Only 10,000 years after the last Ice Age, the Earth is sweltering in some of the highest temperatures it has ever seen. Overpopulation and the relentless exploitation ofnatural resources, combined with rising temperatures and sea levels induced by greenhouse gases, are increasing the likelihood of natural catastrophes, from continuing El Ninos, to large-scale glacial melting, to mega-tsunami. Even more disturbing is the near certainty that we are headed towardanother asteroid or comet collision on the scale of the one that wiped out the dinosaurs. In this provocative and immensely readable guidebook, McGuire discusses when these catastrophic events are likely to take place, how they will effect our global society, and what we can do to increase ourchances of survival--from emissions reductions, to massive geo-engineering schemes, to the colonization of space.Illustrated with photographs and diagrams, and backed by meticulous research, A Brief Guide to the End of the World sheds new light on the extraordinarily vulnerability of our planet, and on our capacity to withstand the dramatic changes Mother Nature has in store for us in the distant--ornot so distant--future.

We can save the planet in seven years and Bill McGuire is here to tell us how. For the past decade, Professor McGuire has been running the largest academic hazard research center in Europe, advising governments and multinationals on natural disasters and climate change. In Seven Years to Save the Planet , he explains how each one of us, acting collectively, can make a real difference in the battle to control carbon emissions, with his comprehensive plan of attack and a few simple steps, we can halt and reverse this disastrous process for good. Anyone concerned about the future of this planet will find this startling text an essential read. The time for change is now.

Die Erde steht vor akuter Gefahr durch den Klimanotstand, der das Erreichen der 1,5°C-Marke unmöglich macht. Bill McGuire, Geophysik-Professor, erläutert die wissenschaftlichen Hintergründe und skizziert ein realistisches Bild der zukünftigen Welt, die von Überschwemmungen, Dürren und Konflikten geprägt sein wird.

Náš niekdajší svet sa stáva skleníkom, ktorý sme si sami vytvorili. Horúce letá, nedostatok vody, úhyn živočíchov, problémy s úrodou, silné búrky. Zmena klímy dnes zasahuje už takmer každého z nás. Bill McGuire vysvetľuje vedecké fakty, ktoré stoja za klimatickou krízou, a načrtáva strohý, ale autentický obraz o tom, v akom svete zostarnú naše deti a v ktorých vyrastú naše vnúčatá, ak teraz nezakročíme. Ešte nie je neskoro, aby sme zvrátili svet, ktorý v dnešných horúčavách, katastrofálnych požiaroch, ničivých záplavách a suchách je ešte len začiatkom toho, čo by mohlo prísť.