Book Review – Earth: The Operators’ Manual by Richard B. Alley

Richard Alley is a climate scientist.  While many may not have heard of him before, some will have seen him give a demonstration of the Earth’s tilt (and its relationship to climate change) in a House hearing last year.  Using his head, with his bald spot representing the North Pole, Alley schooled Republican Rep. Rohrabacher on historical climate science.  Alley uses the same humor and adroitness of analogy in Earth: The Operators’ Manual to give us an engaging look at our planet, the changes that are occurring, and options for moving forward.

The book is a companion to a PBS documentary, which I haven’t seen but plan to do so after reading this book. The book is divided in to three parts totaling 24 chapters.  The first part gives us a glimpse at how we have used energy over the millennia, how we have impacted the planet, and how we have moved from “peak trees” to “peak whale oil” to eventually (or even already), “peak fossil fuels.”  The second part gives us a dozen chapters that make it clear that human activity is changing our climate.  The third part focuses on options for non-fossil fuel energy sources.

Throughout, Alley’s whimsical side shows through, as does the ease at which he can communicate the science with apt analogies that all of us can understand. Who knew that climate was a bit like watching a kindergarten soccer game?  With climate, many factors appear to be kicking around randomly but then, eventually, there seems to be an order to the chaos.  As Alley takes us through the science it becomes undeniably clear that we are warming our planet.

While the first two sections may be the most entertaining, the final section is probably the most important part of the book.  Alley examines “the road to ten billion smiling people,” that is, the options we have to providing energy for our ever-growing global population.  Starting with toilets (I kid you not), he discusses the smart grid, solar and wind solutions, and pretty much everything else from hydroelectric to nuclear to geo-engineering.  Some seem more promising than others, and Alley largely believes that some combination of renewable energy sources are the likely future. 

Overall, I found the book interesting and definitely informative.  It’s a worthy read for anyone interested in the topic.

Is the recent cold weather due to climate change? Richard Alley and how to communicate the science (video)

Recently, much of the United States was hit with excessively cold weather. Immediately the chorus of "skeptics" fluttered onto to every media outlet to decry that global warming couldn't possibly be real because, after all, it's cold outside. In winter. While the rest of the planet is actually warmer than normal. So how do scientists communicate to the public that human activity is warming the planet when there is so much noise?

One way is to repeat that the IPCC has increased its confidence that we are warming the planet. It is unequivocal. Then point them to the IPCC reports. Of course, at over 2200 pages, there is a good chance that the public isn't going to read the report, or even the 33-page summary. Even if they tried, the reports are just too technical for the general public.

So how do we communicate the science to the public in an era of "skeptics?"

One way is by video. There are many short, informative videos that get across the basic science. I'll provide some examples of those in future posts. For this post take a look at the following video of Dr. Richard Alley being interviewed on CNN by Christiane Amanpour.



Dr. Alley is a quintessential scientist in many respects. His wild hair, beard, and nerdy glasses epitomize what many people think scientists should look like (minus the white lab coat). Alley is renowned for the high level of his scientific research and exhibits the excitement and animation of a man who loves his work. He also tends to talk in terms the public can understand. He's a scientist for the public, in a crazy sort of way.

On the flip side, at nearly 8 minutes long, the video is on the outer edges of the time most people are willing to listen to an interview. Especially an interview of a guy sitting in a chair. That said, Alley is able to make several succinct points:

- the cold weather we've been getting is mostly just weather

- climate change is happening now

- while some people (colder areas) might enjoy a warmer planet, other people (warmer areas) are already at the limits of their ability to live in their climates (so...warming will make their locations unlivable)

- like saving for retirement, if we start now to reduced carbon emissions the process is much easier and cheaper than waiting until the last minute (age 65 or catastrophic climate change)

Overall, Dr. Alley's video provides some useful tips to other scientists who are seeking to communicate science to the public. And that is what they should be doing.