The Emerald Planet
David Beerling is a Professor of Palaeoclimatology at the University of Sheffield's Department of Animal and Plant Sciences. Previously, he held a Royal Society University Research Fellowship, for which his work on the evolution of life and the physical environment was recognized with the prestigious Philip Leverhulme Prize in earth sciences (2001). He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2014, and he held the Royal Society-Wolfson Research Merit Award from 2009 to 2014.
Plants have had a significant impact on the Earth's climate and the evolution of life. Plants, far from being "silent witnesses to the passage of time," are dynamic components of our world, shaping the environment as much as it has shaped them throughout history.
Plants take center stage in David Beerling's The Emerald Planet, revealing the critical role they have played in driving global environmental changes, recording hidden facets of Earth's history, and assisting us in predicting its future. His account combines evidence from fossil plants, experiments with living counterparts, and computer models of the 'Earth System' to shed light on our planet's history and biodiversity. This new approach explains how falling carbon dioxide levels removed a barrier to leaf evolution; how plants played a key role in pushing oxygen levels upwards, allowing spectacular giant insects to thrive in the Carboniferous; and how fascinating and contentious fossil evidence for an ancient hole in the ozone layer is strengthened. Along the way, Beerling introduces a lively cast of pioneering scientists from the Victorian era onwards, whose discoveries provided critical context for these and other mysteries.
This understanding of our planet's past casts a sobering light on our own climate-changing activities and provides hints about our climatic and ecological futures. There has never been a more important time to study plants and learn about the history of the world through the stories they tell. The book is considered one of the best books on geology.
Author: David Beerling
Link to buy: https://www.amazon.com/Emerald-Planet-changed-history-Landmark/dp/0198798326/
Ratings: 4.3 out of 5 stars (from 105 reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #257,408 in Books
#13 in Botany (Books)
#78 in Paleontology (Books)
