The answer is a resounding “Yes!” according to Matthys Levy, who wrote “Why the Wind Blows: A History of Weather and Global Warming.” Why? Levy states that reversing the global warming course will help future generations. My belief is that through choosing greener ways of living, we improve our own lives today as well.
I think you will enjoy reading Mr. Levy’s personal insights to questions I posed to him recently. I know I did!
I recently read “Why the Wind Blows” and I found it very enjoyable, interesting, and easy to read. I also feel that it is an important book that has the power to motivate people to live more “green lives.” I’ve written before on “Green Living” and how you can reduce your impact on the environment.
What’s In It For You?
The neat thing about living a more “green” life is that it opens our eyes to living a more simple life. We realize that we can live with less. We can enjoy life more fully when we slow down enough to live more “green.” And I think it’s very likely that if everyone joins in that we will have healthier lives from producing less toxins in our world.
“Why the Wind Blows” teaches us about the weather on our planet along with very interesting stories about each aspect of the weather. Importantly, it also contains information about global warming.
Interview with Matthys Levy
Here are some questions that Mr. Levy was gracious enough to answer for Life Learning Today’s readers.
1. I loved reading “Why the Wind Blows: A History of Weather and Global Warming.” It is so enjoyable to read, full of interesting information as well as serious information about our future. For whom did you write this book and why?
It is addressed to a general audience and is appropriate for people from 8 to 80. The book follows a series I started with Mario Salvadori, including “Why Buildings Fall Down” and “Why the Earth Quakes” that deal with failure and natural phenomena. Weather is the last natural phenomena that I felt would complete the series. As I began the book, it evolved as the issue of global warming became more critical and needed to be fully explained.
2. What will readers learn from “Why the Wind Blows” that will help them improve their life?
Hopefully, people will realize that for the first time in history, man has impacted future weather and has the power to reverse course and return us to what nature intended. Unless we take decisive action to reduce carbon emissions, we are dooming future generations. By understanding weather, we can all benefit by anticipating changes and being prepared for them. Also, it provides a guide to where and how we want to live.
3. Every day more people are making personal changes to live a more Green Life and lessen their impact on the environment. But what about the macro picture? What is the most effective way that individuals can help move our society towards the mainstream use of renewable energy sources instead of fossil fuels?
We all have an impact on our environment from what we consume to how we discard our garbage. Water will turn out to be our most critical resource so we should do whatever is necessary to engage our government in conservation and resuse of water. As to the issue of carbon use, which is the principal global warming element, government needs to establish caps to reduce CO2 emissions.
4. Are there any organizations that you would recommend individuals check out and join to foster positive environmental change?
There are a number of environmental organizations that I favor such as the Sierra Club and the Environmental Defense Action Fund. On the local front, participation in Town and City boards to influence action on environmental issues is strongly encouraged.
5. What is the most alarming piece of information that most people don’t already know about global warming?
What has already been set in motion cannot be changed! This means that all we can do today is to slow the arrival of the consequences of global warming. These are clearly elucidated in my book.
6. Is there hope? Are we beyond the point of no return or can we reset the dial on global warming? Any best case/worst case future scenario predictions?
We should not be looking for hope in the short term because the train is already rapidly moving down the track. We should instead, think about our children and grandchildren and act to give them a better future. We can do this by slowing and eventually turning the train of global warming by reducing carbon emissions.
Thank you, Matthys!
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What do you do that makes you feel like you’re making a difference for the world?
Post from: Life Learning Today
译文:
你会关注全球变暖吗?
玛斯利维的回答是一个响亮的“应该！”玛斯利维写了一本名为《为什么风会吹：天气和全球变暖的历史》的书。为什么写这本书呢？维利陈述说逆转全球变暖的课程对后代会有帮助。我坚信，通过选择更绿色的生活方式，现在，我们也改善着我们自己的生活。
我想你将会很享受地阅读维利先生对于我近来对他所提出的问题的个人见解。我知道我确实是很享受地阅读的！
近来我读了《为什么风会吹》这本书，并且我发现它是很愉快，很有趣和很容易阅读的。我也发现它是一本很重要的书，它有能力去驱使人们过更“绿色的生活。”以前，我写过有关“绿色生活”和你怎样才能减少对环境的影响的书。
你从书里学到什么呢？
过一个更“绿色的”生活的好处是它能开豁我们的视野，去过一个更简朴的生活。我们意识到我们可以用更少的能源来生活。当我们减少能源的使用到足已过上更“绿色生活”的时候，我们就能更充分地享受生活。并且我想如果人人都参与到节省能源的使用中来，在我们的世界，很可能我们会拥有一个制造更少毒素的更健康的生活。
《为什么风会吹》这本书教给我们有关我们星球上的天气，伴随有关于天气各个方面的非常有趣的故事。重要的是，它也包含有有关全球变暖的信息。
对玛斯利维的采访
这是一些问题，维利先生非常亲切的为终身学习今天的读者回答了这些问题。
1.我喜欢读《为什么风会吹：天气和全球变暖的历史》这本书。它读起来是如此的令人感到愉快，充满有趣的信息和有关我们将来的严肃的信息。你为谁而写这本书呢？为什么？
它面向大众读者并且适合于从8岁到80岁的人。这本书是跟随着我和马里奥萨尔瓦多开始写的一个系列，包括处理失败和自然现象的《为什么建筑物会倒塌》和《为什么会地震》书。天气是我以为会完成这个系列的最后的一个自然现象。当我开始写这本书时，它是随着全球变暖问题变得更危急和需要充分地解释而发展的。
2.从《为什么风会吹》这本书中，读者将会学到有助于他们改善生活的什么东西呢？
希望，人们有史以来首次意识到人类已经对将来的天气情况造成了影响，并且人类有能力扭转局势并把我们带回自然本来的生活中去。除非我们采取果断的行动，减少二氧化碳排放量，否则的话我们正在毁灭后代。通过了解天气，我们都会受益通过预料变化并为这些变化做好准备。同时，它也提供了一个我们想要在哪里生活和怎样生活的向导。
3.每天，为了过一个更绿色的生活和减少他们对环境的影响，更多的人正在作出一些个人的改变。但是宏观的蓝图又是怎样的呢？什么是最有效的方法，通过这些方法，个体能帮助我们的社会转向主要使用可再生能源而非化石燃料？
从我们消费什么到我们怎样丢垃圾，我们都对我们的造成了影响。水将会成为我们最严峻的资源，因此我们应该做所需要的一切事情去参与我们的政府来保护水资源和重复利用水资源。关于碳的使用问题，它是全球变暖的主要的因素，政府需要建立雷管去降低二氧化碳排放量。
4.有任何的组织你会推荐给个人去核查并且加入以便培养积极的环境变化吗？
有很多我喜欢的环境机构，例如塞拉俱乐部和环境的防御行动基金会。在本地方面，参与城市和市议会来影响环境问题的行动是大力鼓励。
5. 什么是最令人担忧的信息呢，大多数人不知道全球变暖？
已经运转起来东西更改不了！这意思是说我们今天所能做的就是减缓全球变暖后果的降临。这些在我的书中阐明得很清楚。
6. 有希望吗？我们还有退路吗或者在全球变暖上，我们能重新拨号吗？未来的情景预测有任何最好的情况/最坏的情况吗？
在短期内我们不应该寻找希望，因为火车已经快速地沿着轨道而去。相反，我们应该想想我们的孩子和孙子并且行动起来以便给一个更美好的将来。通过降低二氧化碳排放量，慢慢地并最终把全球变暖的火车转过来，我们能做到这一点。
谢谢，玛斯！
请一起来分享这个问题吧！
你做什么事情会让你感觉到你正在对这个世界有所作为？
文章来自：终身学习今天