Outlining the challenge for mankind

Chemistry

When Stephen Lincoln, Professor of Chemistry, was asked by publishers to write a book about energy use and climate change, he accepted readily.

He'd previously co-authored a book on his specialist research area of cyclodextrin nano-chemistry, awarded the Ollé Prize by the Royal Australian Chemical Institute. And as a teacher of environmental chemistry, energy use and its ramifications for climate change was a natural extension to this work.

"It was meant to be a short book," said Professor Lincoln with a laugh. But six years and 533 pages later, Imperial College Press released Challenged Earth: An Overview of Humanity's Stewardship of Earth in 2006.

"When I first started to look into the wider picture of energy use and climate change, I quickly realised I had to look at population growth and water and food supply. That led me to also look at what humans are doing to Earth," Professor Lincoln said.

Professor Lincoln's work is highly regarded in Australia and overseas. In 2002 he was awarded the Royal Australian Chemical Institute's H.G. Smith Memorial Medal for outstanding research in the field of chemistry.

Challenged Earth provides a scientifically based and comprehensive insight into the challenges facing humanity and Earth in the 21st century.

The chapter titles point to the breadth of the work: setting the scene with 'The Living Planet' and 'The Human Population'; laying out some principal challenges in 'Water: The Vital Resource' and 'Food: Famine and Plenty'; continuing through 'A New Biology', 'Health and Disease: An Evolutionary Struggle', 'Energy: The Basis of Modern Civilization', 'Greenhouse Earth and Climate Change' and finishing with
'The Ozone Layer: Earth's Stratospheric Defence'.

"This book looks at the state of Earth at the beginning of the 21st century and outlines what the century is likely to bring and the challenges humanity will face," Professor Lincoln said.

"It discusses population change to the end of the century and what that will mean in energy demands and climate change."

Professor Lincoln will present some of his findings in a keynote speech to the International Symposium on Sustainable Development in Sapporo, Japan, in August.

Challenged Earth is suitable for general readers as well as students and environmental professionals. The book was given an Australian launch by the South Australian Environment and Conservation Minister, the Hon. Gail Gago, at the University of Adelaide last month. It is available through web-based and mail order bookshops.

Story by Robyn Mills

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