Contents Notes |
1. The case for sharply cutting U.S. greenhouse gas emissions -- Part I. Coal: a Faustian bargain with payments coming due: 2. The basis of it all: Pennsylvania in the Pennsylvanian -- 3. The air we breathe: the human costs of coal combustion -- 4. From outer space: Asia's brown cloud, and more -- Part II. Climate: the lockstep relationship between carbon dioxide and temperature: 5. The drillers -- 6. The modelers -- 7. The synthesizers -- Part III. Choices: the low-carbon and zero-carbon technologies we can deploy right now: 8. Breaking the carbon habit -- 9. Going all out for renewables, conservation, and green design -- 10. Natural gas, gasoline, and the vision of a hydrogen economy -- 11. A second look at nuclear energy -- Conclusion: How to reduce greenhouse gases now, using today's technology. Argues that cutting oil consumption in the U.S. is an unrealistic goal and that climate change should be addressed by reducing coal use, discussing the history of coal mining and combustion in the U.S., the relationship between carbon dioxide and temperature, and currently available low-carbon and zero-carbon technologies. |