Book Review: Fire and Ice: Soot, Solidarity, and Survival on the Roof of the World

Fire and Ice: Soot, Solidarity, and Survival on the Roof of the World.

You know, I have a child who has been doing research on particulate matter and its effect on climate change for a couple of years now.  The more he tells me about this, the more I want to know.  This book takes a look at the direct cause and effect of climate change.  The nice thing is that we're not looking at climate change as "everything since 1970 is causing the polar ice caps to melt".  The author is looking at the big picture, as in "How everything since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution has worked together to change our environment, slowly and surely, everything has changed.

By focusing on the change of one tiny village - one village that was on the edge of a glacier 20 years ago and is now in the middle of a barren wasteland - the author forces the reader to examine the impact that coal and oil powered combustion - soot - has had upon the lives of a village that had been unchanged for thousands of years.

Nobody wants to face the thought that we might have forever altered the climate of our planet.  Nobody wants to admit that maybe, just maybe, we might be quickly approaching a point where we can do nothing to change what has been done before us.

It is easy to claim that climate change- or global warming - or whatever you choose to call it - is merely a myth dreamed up by liberals in order to get money.

But what if they're right?

Are you willing to have your thoughts challenged?  Are you ready to read a well researched book argue with an author, and maybe have a few of your views changed?

I enjoyed the book.  I argued with the author.  I am very concerned about what is going on in our world, and I hope - desperately hope - that this is all mumbo jumbo science, with no basis in fact or reality.

In the meantime, I've begun researching cleaner burning cars to replace our Civic, and I've begun searching for a cleaner burning wood stove that will cut back on the amount of soot and other various crap that is released into the air every time we use wood to heat.  Not that I am admitting anything one way or another, mind you, but.... what if they're right?