Includes bibliographical references and index. First edition published in 2010 under title: Paradise regained : the regreening of Earth.
Contents:
Mythical paradise. Introduction : welcome to the present -- Space utilization : a moral imperative -- The formation of earth and the solar system -- Earth before people : utopia or nightmare? -- Paradise lost? The environmental dilemma : progress or collapse? -- An exploding population -- Climate change -- Vanishing life -- Diminishing energy -- Humans before the industrial age : a desirable ecological goal? -- Sky harvest. Raw materials from space -- Power from the sun -- Environmental monitoring from space -- Protecting earth -- Mitigating global warming using planetary engineering -- Mitigating global warming using space-based approaches -- Settling the solar system -- An optimistic future -- Afterword : why space advocates and environmentalists should work together -- Appendix 1. The current NASA approach to human life support in space -- Appendix 2. NASA's current plans for human exploration above low earth orbit include the multi-purpose crewed vehicle (Orion) and the huge space launch system (SLS) booster -- Appendix 3. Mitigating global warming using ground-based (terrestrial) geoengineering -- Appendix 4. Mitigating global warming using space-based geoengineering.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.