Ocean Book of the Month
Every month, The Ocean Project highlights a book focused on our blue planet or environmental sustainability. Books for all age groups will be covered, non-fiction and fiction, prose and poetry. If you have a suggestion, please let us know.
At the Ends of the Earth
by Kieran Mulvaney
The polar regions of our earth have several things in common: coldness, remoteness, and abundant natural resources. They are also extremely different from each other. Kieran Mulvaney writes, "Penguins live in the Antarctic; polar bears live in the Arctic. It is an easy distinction to remember, but it is just one of many." The Arctic is comparatively lush and heavily populated, with some 40 mammal species and hundreds of plant species to Antarctica's zero and two, respectively. The Arctic is heavily traveled, its waters plied by container ships and oil tankers, its roads full of trucks and pleasure vehicles; even with ecotourism and scientific expeditions, Antarctica remains little visited. And, whereas Antarctica has been largely protected by international convention from exploitation, pressures are mounting to develop further the Arctic's abundant stores of fossil fuels and other resources.
In At the Ends of the Earth, Mulvaney, an environmental journalist and resident of Alaska, chronicles the history of polar exploration from ancient times to the present--a history that concentrates on the quest for the fabled Northwest Passage, as well as on the international race to claim the poles. To this history, he adds well-reasoned arguments for why the poles, north and south, matter--why, that is, they merit continued and even expanded protection in a time of scarcity. He argues in particular for "a reduction in the drilling for fossil fuels in the Arctic, reducing the risk of pollution and putting the brakes on global warming." Timely and sometimes controversial, Mulvaney's book is a solid addition to the literature of exploration and environmentalism alike.
Kieran Mulvaney has written more than 200 articles on science and environment issues for publications including The (London) Sunday Times Magazine, New Scientist, and E magazine, and is a frequent contributor to the Discovery Channel Online. He is currently editor of Ocean Update, a monthly newsletter produced by SeaWeb, and resides in Anchorage, Alaska.
This book should motivate and inspire us to provide future generations our same experiences outdoors.
-
Explore Kieran Mulvaney's home page.
-
Find out how you can help do your part at the Seas the Day action pages.
-
If you are interested in reading this book but also want to be a conscious consumer, please visit your local library and check it out.
-
If you're interested in purchasing this book, and then perhaps passing it along to a friend to spread the word, we encourage you to buy locally and from an independent bookseller. Please click on one of the two logos below to purchase a good read and help The Ocean Project.
[For any purchase you make online by linking directly from this website to either the legendary independent bookseller, Powell's, or an independent bookstore in your community participating with Book Sense (if the latter, they will prompt you for your zip code to find the closest participating bookstore), a small commission will be sent to The Ocean Project to help us continue our nonprofit educational mission, thanks to you!]
|
