Climate change is reshaping the planet before our eyes. From melting ice caps and rising sea levels to drought and destructive hurricanes, no corner of Earth is protected from the effects of global warming. Discover the facts about what climate change is doing—and will continue to do—to our planet, and how we might reduce its impact.
The huge variety of plants and animals that live on Earth is called biodiversity. As ecosystems are destroyed by climate change and human activity, plants and animals are becoming endangered and even extinct. Find out how the loss of biodiversity affects food chains and natural habitats, why it is important to humans, and how its loss threatens the health of all living things on the planet.
The black-footed ferret was once listed as extinct on the prairies of North America. Its population had been devastated by a disease that also reduced its main food source—prairie dogs. This book tells the fascinating story of the black-footed ferret's rediscovery in 1981 by a dog in Wyoming. Readers will learn how the find inspired a captive breeding program that is restoring not only this prairie species to the wild, but its essential food source as well, the prairie dog.
Does bottled water do more harm than good? Should clear-cutting for agriculture be allowed? Every day, we hear arguments about environmental issues in the media. This book gives readers the tools to make sense of and evaluate some of these arguments. Using relatable and accessible environment-related examples, this book introduces readers to the parts of an effective argument and prompts them to use the knowledge they have gained to evaluate the effectiveness of arguments on opposing sides of the issues.
The year 2017 saw the most active and costly hurricane season on record. Moving photographs help tell the human stories of Harvey, hitting Texas and Louisiana; Irma, the strongest Atlantic basin hurricane ever recorded, pummeling Florida; and Maria, the worst natural disaster ever to hit Puerto Rico and Dominica. Detailed information tracks the paths of each storm, the clean-ups that followed, what remains to do.
It cost $10 billion to combat the wildfires in California in 2017 that scorched 300,000 acres of land and left 100,000 people displaced. With dry weather and drought bringing more catastrophic wildfires to the western United States and Canada, this timely title discusses the human and physical impacts of these and other fire disasters and how fire professionals and policymakers are combatting them.
Readers bored with seeing the same information on renewable energy will love the focus on relevant contemporary examples in this book. How does solar power give energy to medical clinics in Ghana or cut fossil fuel use in Australia? Infographics make finding detailed information easy and interesting.
How can eating better ourselves improve life for everyone on the planet? This intriguing title combines images and infographics to help explain how choosing foods that don't have to be shipped long distances, don't add to world pollution, and are not in danger of running out helps to ensure the world's food supply. Close-up boxes and case studies illustrate relevant examples of topics such as soil protection, organic vs industrial farming, and overfishing.
Make a simple refrigerator like pottery-maker Mohammed Bah Abba did that does not use electricity, or create little models of people out of ice like sculptor Néle Azevedo. This title gives readers both an understanding of the different states of matter and the skills to investigate great discoveries and works. Exciting and easy-to-understand experiments encourage budding scientists, inventors, engineers, and artists to stand on the shoulders of the curious and creative people who came before them.
From urban design that suits the local landscape to zero-carbon living, this fascinating book looks at how cities around the world are adapting to environmental change. Readers are presented with real-life, eco-city solutions to issues such as water use in times of drought, and why green spaces matter.
Want to know if the Canada lynx lives in any other countries, or where not to go if you don't want to run into a venomous cottonmouth snake? This vibrant atlas is packed with eye-catching images of animals and their ecosystems and territories. Useful maps and text provide readers with easy-to-access geographic and biological information on animals that live throughout the world.
How many uses can you find for an old glass jam jar? This engaging book looks at the always topical issues of managing our waste in a world with finite resources. Infographic details provide ready facts such as how much energy recycling one tin can provides and what that energy can be used for.
The survival of the giant panda depends on the survival of its only food: bamboo. Habitat loss from the destruction of bamboo forests in south central China where they live made the giant panda a vulnerable species. This book tells how habitat conservation and the creation of borrowing-and-breeding programs with zoos around the world kept the beloved bear from extinction.
Climate Change is a hot-button topic today and one that requires skill to examine and grasp different viewpoints. This book introduces readers to multiple perspectives on the topic and encourages them to objectively view local, national, and global connections to help them form knowledgeable points of view.
The only remaining wild population of whooping cranes breeds in Canada and winters in the United States. The story of their recovery is a tale of cross-border cooperation and the work of a team of international biologists. Readers will be able to chart their course and determine the elements of this successful recovery plan.
Listed as a threatened species in 1975, the grizzly bears near Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming have made a remarkable recovery. Intriguing text and vibrant images will draw readers into the story of the bear's decline due to human interaction and habitat loss, and the strategies put in place that helped it return.
Long considered by humans as a threat to livestock, wolves are hunted as pests. In particular, the gray wolf has been hunted almost to extinction in parts of North America. But these keystone predators help keep an ecosystem in balance. This book details reintroduction programs that have helped populations recover—yet they still occupy only 10 percent of their historic range.
Humpback whales are a true ecological success story. Readers will be enthralled by the story of these masters of the deep, listed as endangered in 1970. Protected by an international ban on hunting all whales in 1982, the humpback recovered so well it was no longer listed as endangered in most of the world by 2016.
The American alligator, which escaped extinction 65 million years ago, was nearly wiped out in the marshes and swamps of Louisiana and Florida in the last century. Today, they are thriving. This exciting book tells the story of how government protection, habitat preservation, and a campaign to reduce the demand for alligator products helped bring back these fierce-looking predators.
From creating their own art tools to making a screen print unique to their personal style and vision, this title helps readers express their creativity through the various forms of printmaking. Using clear methods, engaging photographs, and non-toxic materials, readers will learn the techniques of printmaking and be inspired to experiment with their own designs and ideas.
With over 1700 species, more than one-third of all mammals are rodents. From the jumping jerboa to the humungous capybara, What is a Rodent? gnaws through rodent myths to expose the facts about this often misunderstood group. Readers of all ages will be fascinated by the rodent family tree, a rodent's body and amazing teeth, homes underground and in watery habitats, millions of mice and rats, many rodent cousins from squirrels to prairie dogs, their prickly quills, webbed feet, and fabulous fur, and pet care tips.
From a stalk of corn to a pine tree, every plant is made of plant cells. What material is in these cells? How do they hold together? How do growers use their knowledge of cell growth to create new plants? What's next in plant science? You can see the hidden secrets of cell life in the fascinating photos, diagrams, and text inside.
This forward-looking book explores a unique field of entrepreneurship, in which innovative individuals directly address, or work toward addressing, environmental challenges in our world. Offering an important look at the ways entrepreneurship can tackle global issues, this title engages readers through real-world examples, discussion prompts, and critical thinking questions. The title encourages readers to recognize and take on the skills and mindset needed to achieve success as an environmental entrepreneur.
My Bed and Other Furniture explores the problems faced by people around the world who produce and assemble furniture, and environmental problems, such as deforestation, associated with the harvesting of materials used in furniture-making. Case studies show how fair trade projects are helping people achieve better working conditions and a fair price for their products, and how using renewable materials is helping to save the world's precious resources.
Environmental scientists look at their natural surroundings and think about future generations. They want to understand how the human activities of today are affecting the health of the environment, what that means for the future, and what can be done about it. This title aims to create meaningful connections between the scientific concepts readers learn in the classroom and how they are applied in the real world by environmental scientists searching for answers.