A Review of Field Notes from a Catastrophe by Juma Ali
Rating: 5 Stars (Excellent)
Elizabeth Kolbert a staff writer for the New York Times in her nine chapters book, tries to remind the world about the havoc the world could face due to Man’s activities, nature itself and the result which is climate changes if nothing will be done to stop such activities.

She called her chapter the names of events which happened to show how the climate was gradually start to change or how human try to overcome the possibility of disaster or when man reject to take any step to combat this serious issue which face the world.
1.Shishmaref, Alaska
2.A warmer sky
3.Under the glacier
4.The Butterfly and the Toad
5.The Curse of Akkad
6.Floating houses
7.Business as Usual (BAU)
8.The day after Kyoto
9.Man in the Anthropocene

She started in her opening chapter by revealing the changes happening in the Alaskan Village of Shishmaref. The villagers who live their life by hunting they were forced recently to change the way, and hunting gears from running the dogs to scares beard seals, by snowboarding and now by boats every changes of way or gear was due to the change of climate hindered by exercise CO2 which warm up the ice sheets which thought to cover the area for more than ten millenniums. For the writer opinion this was the alarming alert for the beginning of serious climate changes. President Jimmy Carter called the academy to investigate the alarming in 1979 and Ad Hoc study group on Carbon-dioxide and climate change did the job.

Scientist such as Tyndall was more concerned about radiation and Arrhenius about CO2 the Arrhenius believed burning for those fossils such as coal and natural gas won’t have tremendous impact in increasing CO2 in the atmosphere. Kolbert visited at Swiss research camp station in Greenland ice sheet what she saw over there is terrifying the ice once was a hard mass and now flooded water the camp 15 years period was enough lesson to show how faster the ice was melted. As it know this is the largest fresh water reservoir and if it melt it will rise the sea by 23ft enough to cause catastrophe to most Islands, cost cities and land under sea level. The destruction of natural habitat which causes some living organism to move or to go to its existence in respond to climate changes Europeans Butterflies, toad and frogs are some of them.

Akkadian empire around Tigris River and its civilization had collapsed mainly because of climate change though they believed they were punished by gods of storms and winds. Netherlands floating houses are courageous examples of adapting situation of living with water not fight against it. Business as usual, how much CO2 man contribute in the atmosphere from the time got out of bed to the time he go back consuming energy is necessary but burning fossil fuels pump so much CO2 in the atmosphere 50% coals 17% natural gas these are percentage of CO2 these two fuels source add to the atmosphere. Kolbert explained how the world realize the CO2 problem and set Kyoto conference to resolve it but some nations such as U.S.A and Austria rejected the Protocol which went into effect on February 16, 2005. The loss of ozone layer due to CO2 concentration in the atmosphere could result catastrophe for human and his environment Oxygen we use to keep us alive and also ozone layer reduce the rays of light which without it could destroy the tissue of living organism. Is there any catastrophe than loosing lives, environmental and properties that’s why Elizabeth gave the name to her books to alert every one about the possible consequence of not taking care of our planet.

Submitted on 12:16 AM on 6/16/07

A Review of Field Notes from a Catastrophe by Jessica DaBell
Rating: 4 Stars (Good)
Field Notes from a Catastrophe was a great wake up call book. We all have heard about global warming, but this book really drove home that global warming is happening NOW and fast. This book also mentioned a lot of information about the other living things on this planet other than humans in chapter 4. It was refreshing to change our thinking from, "how global warming is going to effect us" to, "how global warming is effecting them." It was a good, easy read. A definite book to pass onto friends and family who are somewhat aware of global warming to give them a swift kick in the butt.
Submitted on 2:07 PM on 6/12/07

A Review of Field Notes from a Catastrophe by Brita Norvold
Rating: 5 Stars (Excellent)
This book gives an excellent description of the current and projected problems that we face with a warming climate. Through the author's travels, she gives a personal account to these problem while providing the reader with a better understanding without over simplifying or becoming too techinical. She brings it all together to paint the realities of global warming. I would strongly reccommend this book to anyone looking to learn about climate change.
Submitted on 5:09 PM on 6/11/07

A Review of Field Notes from a Catastrophe by Jeremy Jones
Rating: 5 Stars (Excellent)
Environmental Science 283
R. Viens & K. Short
Book Review: Field Notes from a Catastrophe by E. Kolbert

I can think back to about twenty years ago when I first began to hear about the potential dangers of carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere. The scientific discoveries and technological innovations developed over the last 2 decades have provided us the evidence to make the causal connection between human induced carbon dioxide emissions and global warming. To learn that the earth will most likely be hotter that it has been at any period in the last 2 million years is unsettling to say the least and Elizabeth Kolbert, in Field Notes from a Catastrophe, conveys this global crisis from many convincing points of view in a manner both informative for the concerned citizen and educational for the stewards of our environment. I found Kolbert's use of the different case studies to be very effective, exposing the extreme realities of a warming climate and the people and environment that are afflicted by the changes. The Inupiat village of the Shishmaref is a provocative example of how a people's cultural identity and way a life is being threatened by the loss of ice, a fact that is hard to notice while residing in an industrialized and modern city environment. The landscape and species native to the sea ice are being disappearing due to the increased temperatures. Kolbert applies science to prove her use of case studies; the most interesting being Greenland's continued loss of ice, the rate of extinction among terrestrial and aquatic species and effect on the ecosystem, and the Netherlands’ approach to rising water levels and infrastructure. I am confident to say that Kolbert has succeeded in her approach and outline to the dilemma of global warming, although her research into the reaction of political bodies around the world and the response to the harm of carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere exposes another yet another challenge for people to assume.
Submitted on 12:52 PM on 6/11/07

A Review of Field Notes from a Catastrophe by Kim Beeson
Rating: 5 Stars (Excellent)
I really enjoyed reading "Field Notes from a Catastrophe" by Elizabeth Kolbert, I found it by far the easiest to read out of all our materials for class. I loved the way the author talked about the experiences that she had like she was telling a story. All of the people she interviewed and the experiences where she was able to see first hand the devastation being experienced by the native people of this world. She was able to share with her readers how global warming is happening everywhere, but in some cases the facts are being covered up or minimized by the government or other people with business or political agendas.
The part of the book that really struck me the most is that the things that are the most affected by global warming are the things that cant really help themselves. By this I mean the animals and native tribes people. The animals can’t do anything about it when their habitat is melting or being destroyed. I think as Americans we are already a little oblivious of other cultures because, even though America is made up of other cultures they are all a little watered down. We have no idea how people still live on ice and do not have electricity. These people and animals are doing the least to contribute to global warming but they are feeling the affects the most.
The other topic we talked about a lot in class was the use and affect of aerosols. In the book Kolbert explains that when aerosols get into the air they reflect the sunlight, which actually slows global warming effects. The problem is that aerosols get in the atmosphere by burning gas and other things that are very unhealthy to be breathing in.
It seems to me that this book could bring the two sides together between people who deny that global warming is happening and people who are already convinced. It is also a good read to get a person started in thinking about what they can do about global warming. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who fits into any of these categories, and it seems to me that everyone fits into one of the categories.

Submitted on 11:37 AM on 6/11/07

A Review of Field Notes from a Catastrophe by Jamie Yantis
Rating: 4 Stars (Good)
"Field Notes from a Catastrophe- Man, Nature and climate change" by Elizabeth Kolbert was a very interesting read. There were so many eye opening quotes that really hit me. This is a book that I will keep, and read in a year or too, and lend to friends. It was very understandable and had great facts without sounding too technical. I liked the chapter "The Butterfly and the Toad" because I loved the information on ecology. This chapter really interested me and I found many strong points about the climate and environmental change. I think this book needs to be a required book in schools or used more in college.
Submitted on 10:18 AM on 6/11/07

A Review of Field Notes from a Catastrophe by Jon Orton
Rating: 5 Stars (Excellent)
In my opinion, the book “Field Notes From a Catastrophe” by Elizabeth Kolbert captures the scientific and practical viewpoint of climate change today. This book also gives constructive advice on climate change. The thing I like most about this book is that it helps the reader understand our current situation on climate change by offering real life examples from our environment. Field scientists, who are educated in climate change, complete the research presented in this book and they present empirical evidence on the subject. One quote that caught my attention is “On the other hand, given our conclusions about possible extinctions, it is, to me personally, a serious concern,” (Kolbert, 2006) which does a good job of explaining the threat of global warming and the loss of species that may result as the world begins to heat up. On top of that the book is very easy to read with larger text and fewer pages. In my opinion, if someone is going to read one book this summer, it should be this book, as it explains how life as we know it is changing.
Submitted on 1:13 PM on 6/8/07

A Review of Field Notes from a Catastrophe by Dale Robinson
Rating: 4 Stars (Good)
Field Notes from a Catastrophe: Man, Nature, and Climate Change by Elizabeth Kolbert. I thought Kolbert’s selection of countries was interesting because it enlightened me about how other areas are changing. In particular, I was struck not just by the changes to Iceland’s glaciers, but that its citizens were vested so strongly in their surroundings that its Icelandic Glaciological Society is composed entirely of volunteers and whole generations of families are tracking the changes of glaciers near them year after year. The chapters, “Business As Usual” and “The Day After Kyoto” were extremely well written; it’s the facts that are alarming. While I was, of course, aware of our current Administration’s appalling record of climate awareness, it was frightening to read of its deliberate manipulation of facts and its ability to eliminate or rewrite “facts” from reports generated by the EPA. America’s policy on Kyoto is embarrassing. Kolbert’s write up of her brief interview with our nation’s Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs, Paula Dobriansky, was telling. In fact, I think I will send a copy of the two chapters “Business As Usual and “The Day After Kyoto” to President Bush. I know he doesn’t read much, but if he spots Dobriansky’s name among the pages, perhaps he’ll stop long enough to read just how preposterous the administration’s position is on global warming. I was also interested in learning that the Greening Earth Society is actually an organization created by the Western Fuels Association. With what I learned during BCC’s Earth Week and this book, I intend to research more closely all organizations and their sponsors that purport to be “green”. I was also heartened by Burlington, Vermont’s environmental changes and the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement. This book was an easy read and an important one. One addition to the book that might be helpful, would be some links that list how our representatives and senators vote on environmental issues.

Submitted on 10:20 AM on 6/7/07

A Review of Field Notes from a Catastrophe by Kelsey Neal
Rating: 5 Stars (Excellent)
Kelsey Neal
Book Review
June 5, 2007

Field Notes from a Catastrophe: Man, Nature, and Climate Change by Elisabeth Kolbert, I found to be a wonderful introduction to the subject of climate change. Kolbert explores the origin of climatology and the global warming theory, its current and future impacts and efforts to mitigate climate change, through interviews with people directly involved in research relating to climate change and effected by its impacts. What I was left with after reading this book was a collection of personal stories from around the world, a better understanding of the subject and a greater sense of the importance of acting now to help reduce global warming and prepare for its inevitable impression on our daily lives and the world as a whole. The last part of the book focused on mitigation, on what we can do as a country as a people trying to avoid disaster, and while it is encouraging that there are so many people struggling to get their foot in the door with new technologies, I am afraid that in our panic we might latch on to a “solution” that is poorly thought out and proves to be damaging in ways we had not expected. It seems to me that steps need to be taken simultaneously to reduce our emissions: consuming less, making cleaner technology more widely available, looking for long-term energy solutions and perhaps hardest is selling new more sustainable lifestyles to a people used to excess. I believe real change is possible if enough people decide it is necessary. I will be recommending this book right and left, because it is accessible, a quick engaging read, and I think brings up the multifaceted and a times remarkably personal reasons climate change is an important issue.
Submitted on 5:17 PM on 6/5/07