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Daniel B. Botkin

Solving environmental problems by understanding how nature works

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25 Myths that are Destroying the Environment: My New Book

October 17, 2016 By Daniel Botkin 2 Comments

25 Myths That Are Destroying the EnvironmentJust Published!

For decades, environmental scientist and conservationist Daniel B. Botkin has studied the world around us. He has traveled the globe observing nature and the human impact on the environment, and now he has collected his keen observations into this accessible and informative book.

25 Myths That Are Destroying the Environment explores the many myths circulating in both ecological and political discussions. These myths often drive policy and opinion, and Botkin is here to set the record straight. What may seem like an environmentally conscious action on one hand may very well be bringing about the unnatural destruction of habitats and ecosystems.

If our society is to sustain the environment around us for future generations, solving environmental problems by understanding how nature works is not just helpful, it's necessary.

Topics include:

  • Is life really that fragile?
  • Is consensus science?
  • Are recent weather patterns truly proof of long-term weather change?
  • Are wildfires really all that bad?
  • Are predators absolutely necessary to control populations of other species?

In a world awash in misleading or false information about the environment, Daniel Botkin has written a straightforward and concise examination of the biggest myths hurting conservation efforts today.

Written in a clear manner that dissects each myth one by one, 25 Myths That Are Destroying the Environment offers readers an informative guide to navigating discussions on environmental issues.

Visit www.rowman.com to order today!

Taylor Trade Publishing is an imprint of The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group

Table of Contents

  1. We Are the Only Species That Has Ever Had Global Effects on the Environment
  2. Life Is Fragile, Requires Specific Conditions,and Can't Adjust Easily to Change
  3. Extinction Is Unnatural and Bad, but Easy to Accomplish
  4. The Balance of Nature Exists and Dominates All Life and All Environments
  5. The Balance of Nature Is the Best and Only Condition for All Life
  6. Beauty in Nature Only Happens in Areas Completely Undisturbed by Us
  7. An Ecosystem Is Any Kind of Group
  8. People Are Outside of Nature
  9. The Only Reason to Conserve Nature: Every Species Has a Moral Right to Exist
  10. People Have Changed the Environment Only Since the Industrial/Scientific Age
  11. Without Human Interference, Earth's Climate Is Stable
  12. People Are the Most Important Factor Determining Earth's Climate
  13. Climate Change Will Lead to Huge Numbers of Extinctions
  14. Recent Weather Is Proof of Long-Term Climate Change
  15. Consensus Is Science
  16. Computer Models Are True
  17. All Populations Are Bound to Grow to Exceed what Their Environment can Support and Go Extinct.
  18. Predators Are Absolutely Necessary to Control the Populations of Their Prey
  19. Maximum Sustainable Yields Are Possible for Fish and All Wildlife
  20. We Can't Do Much about Environmental Risks
  21. Smokey Bear Is Right: Only You Can Prevent Wildfires
  22. Forests Are an Important Place for Long-Term Carbon Storage
  23. Solar and Wind Energy Require Huge Areas
  24. Large-Scale Solar Energy Projects Require Very Hot Climates
  25. Compared to Climate Change, All Other Environmental Issues Are Minor

Order Today!

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Filed Under: Featured, Myths, Folklore & Science

Comments

  1. Pam Edsall Stewart says

    May 29, 2017 at 11:05 am

    In your discussion of the lag time between temperature rise and CO2 level increase in the atmosphere, I didn’t find any mention of ocean acidification or the absorption of CO2 by the oceans. Doesn’t that, as well as increased uptake in carbon by certain plants, explain the lag?

    By the way, back in the late 1960s I shared a microscope in a NYU class with a Daniel Botkin, and introduced him to Dr. Klein, for whom I was working as a research assistant. I wonder if that was you? Since then I have worked as a naturalist in nature centers, taught in international schools with my husband, and now am promoting the planting of native plants to benefit birds and other wildlife.

    Reply
    • Daniel Botkin says

      July 6, 2019 at 11:39 am

      Hello,
      Thanks for writing! Yes, you are correct that ocean acidification is a likely method to explain the lag, but I am not an expert on oceanography. I’ll ask colleagues and find out what I can. If I find anything of interest, I’ll get back to no.

      No, I never took a course at NYU so it wasn’t me. Sorry.

      Dan Botkin

      Reply

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From Daniel B. Botkin, Ph.D

Daniel Botkin
I believe we are mostly on the wrong track in the way we try to deal with the environment. Everything I do, study, learn, and advise about the environment is different from the status quo. Throughout my career, I have tried to understand how nature works and use that understanding to figure out how we can solve our most pressing environmental problems.

My process over the past 45 years has been to look carefully at the facts, make simple calculations from them (sometimes simple computer models) and then tell people what I have learned. It’s surprising how rarely people bother to look at the facts. This has surprised me every time I’ve started a new ecology research project or work on an environmental issue.

In the course of my work and studies, I have learned many things and I want to tell you about them. That is the purpose of this website.

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Books by Dan Botkin

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Powering the Future  No Man's Garden
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Jabowa III Forest Model


Jabowa Forest Model
Jabowa Forest Model for Windows 7.
This forest model, used around the world, was developed first in 1970 by Daniel B. Botkin, James F. Janak and James R. Wallis

JABOWA remains the most completely detailed and well validated forest growth model available, accounting for 95% or more of the variation in real forests where it has been tested.

The book Forest Dynamics: An Ecological Model (available as an eBook) provides a complete description of the model and the rationales behind its development.

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Sea Ice Study

The Bockstoce and Botkin Historical Sea Ice Data Study has a new home at the University of Alaska website. The data include more than 52,000 daily observations in an unbroken 65 year record from 1849 – 1914.

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