Kicking the Carbon Habit

Examines what the United States can do to help prevent climate devastation. This title explores advances made by climate scientists and addresses the various political and economic issues associated with global warming, including the practicality of reducing emissions from automobiles, and the efficacy of taxing energy consumption.

Preface 1. The Case for Sharply Cutting U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions Part I. Coal: A Faustian Bargain with Payments Coming Due 2. 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 Acknowledgments Notes Bibliography Index