Over: The American Landscape at the Tipping PointFor more than 30 years, Alex MacLean’s aerial photographs have captured the evolution of the American landscape and the complex relationship between its natural and constructed environments that contribute to climate change. Over: The American Landscape at the Tipping Point is an ambitious and visually breathtaking catalogue of the extraordinary patterns and profound physical consequences brought about by natural processes and human intervention. The book allows readers to visualize climate change and our culture's excessive use of resources and energy, which account for our oversized carbon footprint. It demonstrates the extent to which the human ecosystem, and our economic and social well being, are dependant upon our wise use of land and its resources. Over is divided into sections covering such as Atmosphere; Way of Life; Automobile Dependency; Electricity Generation; Deserts; Water Use; Sea-Level Rise; Waste and Recycling; and Urbanism. MacLean’s powerful photographs and insightful text make it clear that maintenance of the current American lifestyle is incompatible with a planet of diminishing natural resources and a finite atmosphere. Over compels us all to reconsider our basic assumptions about how we live, work, and play, and reveals that, while the challenges we face today are not insurmountable, the future depends on our collective vision, passion, and commitment. |
Contents
Introduction by Bill McKibben Atmosphere | 6 |
Way of Life | 34 |
Electricity Generation human activity can make a decisive impact on | 104 |
Copyright | |
7 other sections not shown
Common terms and phrases
agricultural Alex MacLean's American arid Arizona City atmosphere Bacliff Beach Belle Chasse Bill McKibben Boston Buckeye building built environment canals carbon dioxide cars CASINO Chicago climate change coal commercial cooling towers Crystal River cultural Cutler Bay density desert downtown drought electricity energy environmental feet FEMA trailers flood flying fossil fuel Galveston geography Glendale golf courses grid groundwater growth Gulf Coast Gulfport heat highway homes Homestead housing developments human Hurricane Katrina industrial infrastructure Interstate 15 irrigation Lake land landscape Las Vegas lawns MacLean Miami miles million Mississippi natural neighborhoods ocean Ono Island Orleans parking lots pedestrian percent Phoenix photographs population power plants recycled roads rush hour sand Santa Rosa Beach Santa Rosa Island sea level sea-level rise Seattle space suburban suburbs Sun City surface temperatures traffic troposphere Tucson turbines United urban Vegas waste waterfront wind power xeriscaping York