Other books that might interest you

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  Charged - A History of Batteries...

  James Morton Turner

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  Winner of the 24th Annual Susanne M. Glasscock Humanities Book Prize 
   
   
   
  Finalist for the 2023 Cundill History Prize 
   
   
   
  Gold Medal Recipient, Nautilus Book Awards, Sustainability 
   
   
   
  To achieve fossil fuel independence, few technologies are more important than batteries. Used for powering zero-emission vehicles, storing electricity from solar panels and wind turbines, and revitalizing the electric grid, batteries are essential to scaling up the renewable energy resources that help address global warming. But given the unique environmental impact of batteries—including mining, disposal, and more—does a clean energy transition risk trading one set of problems for another? 
   
   
   
  In Charged, James Morton Turner unpacks the history of batteries to explore why solving "the battery problem" is critical to a clean energy transition. As climate activists focus on what a clean energy future will create the history of batteries offers a sharp reminder of what building that future will consume. With new insight on the consequences for people and communities on the front lines, Turner draws on the past for crucial lessons that will help us build a just and clean energy future, from the ground up.

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  Wild American Ginseng - Lessons...

  James McGraw

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  Wild American ginseng, America's most famous medicinal plant, is in trouble. In plain prose, James McGraw explains why as he translates the latest in ecological and conservation science findings on this unassuming understory herb. As the world's foremost authority on wild ginseng, McGraw is uniquely poised to present this story based on more than twenty years of uninterrupted field research. 
   
   
   
  McGraw traces the dramatic ecological history of ginseng in North America, documenting the ginseng-centric view of a world increasingly dominated by both direct and indirect actions of humans. Far more than a story of a single plant species, ginseng becomes a parable, a canary in a coal mine, for what is happening to our dwindling wild species across the globe. Documenting lingchi (death by a thousand cuts) in human interactions with wild species, McGraw shows us the evidence of our slowly eroding biodiversity and our diminishing global biotreasury. 
   
   
   
  Beyond merely documenting our destruction of nature, McGraw also offers a pathway to an optimistic future for ginseng and the wild species with whom we share the planet. He illuminates how a dramatic expansion of our commitment to sharing the planet with our fellow planetary companions is the key to preservation; and now is the time to do so.

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  The Fall Of Homo Digitalis -...

  Brian Gibson

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  This audiobook is narrated by an AI Voice.  
  With unparalleled insight and a keen understanding of the digital revolution's impact on our lives, this book explores the rise of Homo Digitalis, a new era of human existence where screens, algorithms, and data have reshaped how we interact. 
  From the exhilarating thrill of swiping right to the troubling reality of social media-driven envy, this book delves into the paradox of our time: the paradox of impersonal intimacy. We've become experts at connecting with others across the globe, yet sometimes struggle to communicate with those closest to us. "The Fall of Homo Digitalis" explores how these unprecedented technological advancements have reshaped our understanding of love, friendship, and human connection. 
  Whether you're a digital native, a concerned parent, or anyone curious about the transformative power of technology on our relationships, this book is a must-read for all those seeking to comprehend the ever-shifting dynamics of love, intimacy, and human connection in the digital age. "The Fall of Homo Digitalis" mirrors our digital selves and guides us toward a more connected and authentic future.

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  The Heat and the Fury - On the...

  Peter Schwartzstein

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  As a journalist on the climate security beat, Peter Schwartzstein has been chased by kidnappers, badly beaten, detained by police, and told, in no uncertain terms, that he was no longer welcome in certain countries. Yet these personal brushes with violence are simply a hint of the conflict simmering in our warming world. 
   
   
    
  Schwartzstein has visited ravaged Iraqi towns where ISIS used drought as a recruiting tool and weapon of terror. And he has heard the fear in the voices of women from around the world who say their husbands' tempers flare when the temperature ticks up. 
   
   
    
  In The Heat and the Fury, he not only puts listeners on the frontlines of climate violence but gives us the context to make sense of seemingly senseless acts. As Schwartzstein deftly shows, climate change is often the spark that ignites long smoldering fires, the extra shove that pushes individuals, communities, and even nations over the line between frustration and lethal fury. What, he asks, can ratchet down the aggression? 
   
   
    
  Schwartzstein's incisive analysis of geopolitics, unparalleled on-the-ground reporting, and keen sense of human nature offer the clearest picture to date of the violence that threatens us all.

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  The Importance of Being Educable...

  Leslie Valiant

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  If we hope to share our planet successfully with one another and the AI systems we are creating, we must reflect on who we are, how we got here, and where we are heading. The Importance of Being Educable puts forward a provocative new exploration of the extraordinary facility of humans to absorb and apply knowledge. The remarkable "educability" of the human brain can be understood as an information processing ability. It sets our species apart, enables the civilization we have, and gives us the power and potential to set our planet on a steady course. While we can readily absorb systems of thought about worlds of experience beyond our own, we struggle to judge correctly what information we should trust. 
   
   
   
  In this visionary book, Leslie Valiant argues that understanding the nature of our own educability is crucial to safeguarding our future. After breaking down how we process information to learn and apply knowledge, and drawing comparisons with other animals and AI systems, he explains why education should be humankind's central preoccupation. 
   
   
   
  Will the unique capability that has been so foundational to our achievements and civilization continue to drive our progress, or will we fall victim to our vulnerabilities? If we want to protect our collective future, we must better understand and prioritize the importance of being educable.

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  Eight Bears - Mythic Past and...

  Gloria Dickie

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  A global exploration of the eight remaining species of bears—and the dangers they face. 
   
   
   
  Bears have always held a central place in our collective memory, from Indigenous folklore and Greek mythology to nineteenth-century fairytales and the modern toy shop. But as humans and bears come into ever-closer contact, our relationship nears a tipping point. Today, most of the eight remaining bear species are threatened with extinction. Some, such as the panda bear and the polar bear, are icons of the natural world; others, such as the spectacled bear and the sloth bear, are far less known. 
   
   
   
  In Eight Bears, journalist Gloria Dickie embarks on a globe-trotting journey to explore each bear's story, whisking listeners from the cloud forests of the Andes to the ice floes of the Arctic; from the jungles of India to the backwoods of the Rocky Mountain West. She meets with key figures on the frontlines of modern conservation efforts—the head of a rescue center for sun and moon bears freed from bile farms, a biologist known as Papa Panda, who has led China's panda-breeding efforts for almost four decades, a conservationist retraining a military radar system to detect and track polar bears near towns—to reveal the unparalleled challenges bears face as they contend with a rapidly changing climate and encroaching human populations.

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