Laurence C. Smith

An "eye-opening, sometimes alarming, and ultimately inspiring" natural history of rivers and their complex and ancient relationship with human civilization (Elizabeth Kolbert, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Sixth Extinction). Rivers, more than any road, technology, or political leader, have shaped the course of human civilization. They have opened frontiers, founded cities, settled borders, and fed billions. They promote life, forge peace, grant power, and can capriciously destroy everything in their path. Even today, rivers remain a powerful global force -- one that is more critical than ever to our future. In Rivers of Power, geographer Laurence C. Smith explores the timeless yet underappreciated relationship between rivers and civilization as we know it. Rivers are of course important in many practical ways (water supply, transportation, sanitation, etc). But the full breadth of their influence on the way we live is less obvious. Rivers define and transcend international borders, forcing cooperation between nations. Huge volumes of river water are used to produce energy, raw commodities, and food. Wars, politics, and demography are transformed by their devastating floods. The territorial claims of nations, their cultural and economic ties to each other, and the migrations and histories of their peoples trace back to rivers, river valleys, and the topographic divides they carve upon the world. And as climate change, technology, and cities transform our relationship with nature, new opportunities are arising to protect the waters that sustain us. Beautifully told and expansive in scope, Rivers of Power reveals how and why rivers have so profoundly influenced our civilization and examines the importance this vast, arterial power holds for the future of humanity." As fascinating as it is beautifully written."---Jared Diamond, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Guns, Germs, and Steel, Collapse, and Upheaval

An "eye-opening, sometimes alarming, and ultimately inspiring" natural history of rivers and their complex and ancient relationship with human civilization (Elizabeth Kolbert, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Sixth Extinction). Rivers, more than any road, technology, or political leader, have shaped the course of human civilization. They have opened frontiers, founded cities, settled borders, and fed billions. They promote life, forge peace, grant power, and can capriciously destroy everything in their path. Even today, rivers remain a powerful global force -- one that is more critical than ever to our future. In Rivers of Power, geographer Laurence C. Smith explores the timeless yet underappreciated relationship between rivers and civilization as we know it. Rivers are of course important in many practical ways (water supply, transportation, sanitation, etc). But the full breadth of their influence on the way we live is less obvious. Rivers define and transcend international borders, forcing cooperation between nations. Huge volumes of river water are used to produce energy, raw commodities, and food. Wars, politics, and demography are transformed by their devastating floods. The territorial claims of nations, their cultural and economic ties to each other, and the migrations and histories of their peoples trace back to rivers, river valleys, and the topographic divides they carve upon the world. And as climate change, technology, and cities transform our relationship with nature, new opportunities are arising to protect the waters that sustain us. Beautifully told and expansive in scope, Rivers of Power reveals how and why rivers have so profoundly influenced our civilization and examines the importance this vast, arterial power holds for the future of humanity. "As fascinating as it is beautifully written."---Jared Diamond, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Guns, Germs, and Steel, Collapse, and Upheaval

"A compelling portrait of the future and vividly relates the big challenges facing the world now."--Jared Diamond, New York Times bestselling author of Collapse and Guns, Germs, and Steel The world's population is exploding, wild species are vanishing, and our environment is degrading. What kind of world are we leaving for our children and grandchildren? Just who will flourish--and who will fail--in our evolving world? Combining the lessons of geography and history with state-of-the-art model projections and analytical data, Guggenheim fellow Laurence C. Smith predicts how the eight nations of the Arctic Rim (including the United States) will become increasingly powerful while the nations around the equator struggle for survival. Like Bjorn Lomborg's The Skeptical Environmentalist, The World in 2050 is as credible as it is controversial, projecting the looming benefits as well as the problems of climate change.

Professori Laurence C. Smith on UCLA:n maantieteen professori, jonka erikoisala on ilmastonmuutoksen geofyysiset vaikutukset. Tutkimustensa perusteella Smith tiesi voimistuneen ilmastonlämpenemisen alkaneen pohjoisesta. Hän matkusti kahden vuoden ajan arktisilla alueilla selvittämässä mitä tämä voisi tarkoittaa pohjoisen asukkaille ja ekosysteemeille. Kävi ilmi, että maapallon pohjoisten alueiden lähitulevaisuuteen vaikuttaa eniten neljä muutostekijää: ilmastonmuutos, väestön kasvu, luonnonvarojen kulutus ja talouden globalisaatio. Smith käsitteleekin tulevaisuutta näiden neljän megatrendin avulla ja teos poikkeaa lukuisista tulevaisuutta ja ilmastonmuutosta esittelevistä teoksista juuri monialaisuutensa takia. Kirjassa yhdistyy tiedemiehen tarkkuus arkipäiväisiin esimerkkeihin: Miten nopeasti ilmastonmuutos etenee? Kuvittele, että pihanurmikkosi liikkuu joka päivä 1,5 metriä pohjoisemmaksi! Skandinavia ja Suomi kuuluvat kirjan aiheisiin. Smith teki kirjaan liittyvää tutkimustyötään myös Suomessa.