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James Lawrence Powell

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James Lawrence Powell

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2084: An Oral History of the Great Warming (Kindle Single) Kindle Edition

by James Powell (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

3.9 219 ratings

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By 2084, global warming has proven worse than even the worst-case projections of scientists at the turn of the century. No country and no individual has escaped. Through interviews, this book of oral history captures the effects of the Great Warming on various countries and individuals, as reported in the year 2084.

Print length

91 pages
Language

English
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On Kindle Scribe
Publication date

March 21, 2011
File size

289 KB
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The year is 2084: a literary anniversary of sorts, but these days, Mother Nature makes Big Brother look like child's play. Framed as an oral history, Dr. James Powell's novella depicts the late 21st-century by channeling many voices, from across the inhabited world, to describe the catastrophic effects of global warming. Powell's fictional narrator aims to model the inimitable Studs Terkel, but the resulting overall tone instead recalls the best of pulp science fiction from the 1950s: here a dash of Arthur C. Clarke's penchant for understatement, there a taste of Asimov's subtle bait-and-switch. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Powell's most moving chapter is "Nanuk" ("Polar Bear"), but not because, circa 2084, global warming's poster-beasts only survive in zoos. Rather, the chapter ends with a single, elegant question of booming resonance: "What will people do with the last Native Eskimo?" --Jason Kirk

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B004TAD8G0
Publisher ‏ : ‎ James L. Powell (March 21, 2011)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 21, 2011
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 289 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 91 pages

Customer Reviews:
3.9 219 ratings

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James Lawrence Powell
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I was born in Berea, Kentucky and graduated from Berea College with a degree in Geology. I have a Ph.D. in Geochemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and several honorary degrees, including Doctor of Science degrees from Berea College and from Oberlin College.
I taught Geology at Oberlin College for over 20 years and served as Acting President of Oberlin, President of Franklin and Marshall College, President of Reed College, President of the Franklin Institute Science Museum in Philadelphia, and President and Director of the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History.
President Reagan and later, President George H. W. Bush, each appointed me to the National Science Board, where I served for 12 years. Asteroid 1987 SH7 is named for me.
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James Lawrence Powell
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3.9 out of 5

219 global ratings

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Annmarie

Frighteningly realistic

Reviewed in the United States on April 19, 2011

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I am not quite sure what made me by this book for my Kindle; all I know is that it was a good choice. Over the past couple of years, I have tried very hard to limit my carbon footprint, go green, educate others about what I learned, etc. So when I read this book, I knew enough about what was going on in today's world and viewpoint of Global Warming. For most, I feel Global Warming is pretty much at the bottom of most people's lists. I dont think they realize the drastic impact it will play on their lives. This book, history, what have you gives a frighteningly realistic description of what our world will succumb to if we do not take drastic measures to start restoring our planet. We constantly are battling Mother Nature and Im sorry to say, but look around, we are always, ALWAYS loosing. Katrina, Japan, Africa, India, the ridiculously strong storms, tsunamis, tornados, the oil spill in the Gulf. How many more hints does the world need to provide us with before we see that we are at the mercy of God and Mother Nature? We are destroying all that was given to us and, ultimately, what we need to sustain and survive. Mr. Powell's story is fiction but it may very well soon be fact. This story should have to be read by all. It is a great story, very well researched, presented and easy to both understand and relate to. The other reviewers noted how this is a steal, and they are absolutely right. If others are smart, this book will be a best seller soon enough...and maybe it will be enough to wake everyone up.

One person found this helpful

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Alan V.

Dancing at the Edge of Chaos

Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2012

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This is a novel written by a distinguished geoscientist and educator. It presents an oral history of "The Great Warming" of planet Earth between 2000 and 2084 as related by a variety of (fictional) observant individuals from around the world whose nations and cultures have been devastated by the effects of global warming. Like Orwell's 1984 the world in 2084 is a distopia but unlike that novel this book is definitely not satirical.

Each of the narratives is presented as an interview with one of the observant individuals in one country or another. The author translates his extensive knowledge of the earth sciences into vivid pictures of rising sea levels, extreme weather, flooded coastal cities, disappearing glaciers, empty rivers and diminished crop yields that impact global civilization. Of course, it means the end of golf too. No water to waste.

As a science-fiction novel it is entertaining as well as informative. You may find yourself thinking about various countries, like Bangladesh, Mexico, Canada, Spain, Tuvalu (yes, its real), India and Pakistan, and several states in the USA as you have never thought of them before. Namely, in terms of their topographic exposure to sea level risks, dependency on foreign water supplies and much more.

The book also explores how present-day geopolitical situations may be exacerbated to the extreme by the effects of human-accelerated climate change: the Arab-Israel situation, Pakistan-India disputes, Mexico-USA border issues. Whatever your view on global warming and its causes, if it's real then this author has the credentials and vision to portray the complex and interrelated consequences for our world and civilization.

What is missing is any discussion, preface or afterword that addresses the current controversy, with the sole exception of a short final paragraph. However, the author has several other excellent non-fiction books on the subject that cover the science of global warming. I rate this book 4 stars with one deducted over lack of background on climate change and global warming for those unfamiliar (well, there might be one or two).

3 people found this helpful

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Tall Arizonan

Whether you believe climate scientists or not...

Reviewed in the United States on May 31, 2011

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the concept is a great idea for an apocalyptic novel - though it might take another writer to really hit a home run with the idea.

Told as if in a series of interviews with different people, whether male or female, whatever the culture, Powell's characters all sound alike. Yet the situations the world faces by 2084 are compelling and well thought out. Continuing a baseball analogy, Powell hits a double with this effort, at best. Not a great work of fiction, but it should make the reader think and, for that reason, succeeds well enough.

In Powell's vision of Earth in 2084, the world hasn't done one thing to halt global warming. There isn't one mention of a carbon mitigation strategy, no carbon sequestration, no alternative energy, nothing. Can that be accurate with the way the solar energy industry is taking off? Or wind farms, geothermal or the myriad other alternative energies? 2084 is long enough away for mankind to be convinced about the validity of global warming either one way or another. I don't think people would just roll over and accept a heating planet with the kind of consequences spelled out here.

Nevertheless, the aim here isn't story telling so much as it is to scare you about the implications of global warming. This is agenda-driven fiction. On that front it succeeds handily. With every tornado, overly hot day or any other weather event, I guarantee you're going to be thinking of the shrinking tropical glaciers, the diminishing Rocky Mountain snow pack or drought. All of the doomsday scenarios are collected right here.

14 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Joseph Cummins

2084 is a wonderful book it should be required reading in schools.

Reviewed in Canada on January 15, 2013

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2084 is a great book. It predictions ring very true . I particularly admire the prediction that global warming will lead to rendering global warming deniers prison terms in most countries and capitol punishment in a few countries. The current conservative Canadian government proclaiming a dogmatic rejection of global warming along with rabid environmental pollution.As the book foretells It is likely that the USA will invade Canada to capture water and agricultural land as warming progresses. However, a minor criticism of the book is that it seems unaware of the Canadian shield a U-shaped region of ancient rock, the nucleus of North America, stretching N from the Great Lakes to the Arctic Ocean. The shield means that there is not much soil for farm land as the heat and drought forces grain production north. Anyhow, the book should be required reading in schools.

4 people found this helpful

Richard Beer

Great idea. Execution needs work.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 10, 2011

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We're all doomed. That much is pretty clear. And James Powell's idea to bring that to life with a series of interviews from the future is one that definitely piqued my curiosity enough to drive me to impulse purchase 2084.

The theories, forecasts and statistics scattered throughout the text are interesting and provide pause for thought, but only on a few occasions was I carried away by the stories I was reading. Which is a shame, as I think the whole point of creating a fictional account of the consequences of global warming is to inspire an empathy and emotional connection that mere science reports cannot.

Despite being supposedly drawn from all walks of life, all over the world, each interviewee speaks with the same voice, using the same figures of speech and sentence structure.

Look out, for instance, for the "We [people] [verb]..." sentence that appears multiple times (e.g. "We Canadians stood in disbelief at the rapidity with which you Americans moved"; "We Bangladeshis had so many rivers and creeks that we had a saying, which I will translate..."). It's a forced way of indicating that the interviewee is a spokesman for an entire people, and it's not convincing.

Likewise, it's not just the Bangladeshis who have a saying that needs translating: seemingly every interviewee's culture does, and the constant "We have a saying in [country]..." device that litters the accounts is just over-used.

I really wanted to connect with these individuals. I wanted to hear personal accounts of the disastrous consequences of global warming. I wanted anger, desperation, determination and maybe even hope.

Instead, despite having its heart in the right place, 2084 is a fictional future history lesson whose global perspective doesn't quite fit its personalised narrative structure, meaning it's not quite epic enough to be scary, and not quite personal enough to hit home.