There is an old fundamentalist argument that the world will eventually be destroyed in the Apocalypse, so there is no point in caring for it. When one reads about the delicate balance of the first moments of the cosmos, one can only marvel at the process which brought about the existence of the earth and the creatures that inhabit it. One of Theo McCall's joys in life is cycling. He lives in the city of Adelaide, South Australia, a perfect city for cycling. When he first began this project, once or twice a week he would cycle in the early morning. The last part of the return trip would involve riding eastwards into the rising sun. Whenever he felt the warmth of the sun on his face and was aware of its sheer power and energy, he was convinced that the universe is an overwhelmingly beautiful place, which God would never abandon or destroy. It is with this complete faith in God's love for creation that he set out to write an account of how this creation, with all its beauty and fragility, as well as its flaws and scars, might be transformed into God's new creation. Given the ecological crisis that we face, how can we meaningfully talk about the consummation of all things, without removing the impetus for ecological action? In other words, is it possible to develop an ecological eschatology?

Bjorn Lomborg argues that many of the elaborate and staggeringly expensive actions now being considered to meet the challenges of global warming ultimately will have little impact on the world’s temperature. He suggests that rather than focusing on ineffective solutions that will cost us trillions of dollars over the coming decades, we should be looking for smarter, more cost-effective approaches (such as massively increasing our commitment to green energy R&D) that will allow us to deal not only with climate change but also with other pressing global concerns, such as malaria and HIV/AIDS. And he considers why and how this debate has fostered an atmosphere in which dissenters are immediately demonized.

An off-beat introduction to how electricity works in practical applications.

The Skeptical Environmentalist challenges widely held beliefs that the environmental situation is getting worse and worse. The author, himself a former member of Greenpeace, is critical of the way in which many environmental organisations make selective and misleading use of the scientific evidence. Using the best available statistical information from internationally recognised research institutes, Bjørn Lomborg systematically examines a range of major environmental problems that feature prominently in headline news across the world. His arguments are presented in non-technical, accessible language and are carefully backed up by over 2500 footnotes allowing readers to check sources for themselves. Concluding that there are more reasons for optimism than pessimism, Bjørn Lomborg stresses the need for clear-headed prioritisation of resources to tackle real, not imagined problems. The Skeptical Environmentalist offers readers a non-partisan stocktaking exercise that serves as a useful corrective to the more alarmist accounts favoured by campaign groups and the media.