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Under The Microscope

GREENHOUSE NEW ZEALAND, Our Climate, Past, Present And Future, by Jim Salinger; Square One Press, 1991; 104 pages; $29.95
UNSETTLED OUTLOOK, New Zealand in a greenhouse world, by Matt McGlone, Tom Clarkson and Blair Fitzharris; GP Books, 1990; 128 pages; $19.95

These two books are as different as a cold front and an anticyclone, yet they cover much the same ground. Unsettled Outlook is by far the easier of the two to read, explaining clearly how the climate works and the very complex feedback mechanisms that amplify any cooling or warming effect.

Through geological history, so much atmospheric carbon dioxide --  which was once very abundant -- has been locked up in limestone, coal and ocean sediments that the concentration of this gas is now very low. So low, in fact, that since the industrial revolution, the frenetic activities of humans have increased it's concentration by a quarter. Almost a third of human carbon dioxide emission since the industrial revolution began took place during the 70s. Methane and other greenhouse gases add to the picture, and New Zealand ranks fairly high overall as a contributor -- "we are a big part of the problem", say the authors.

Research into the climate of New Zealand's recent past is presented in plain language. The greenhouse effect and ozone depletion are then discussed in both New Zealand and global contexts, with projections of our future climate, lifestyles and what we can do  -- plant more radiata pine for example. The book is well indexed, making it a useful reference, although some of the graphs are far too small and the labels unclear.

Greenhouse New Zealand is not an enjoyable medium by which to learn much the same information. It has awful illustrations, and the language is often too technical or dull. Elsewhere it is patronising -- depressions cross New Zealand "in their haste to join their cousins in the southern oceans". A lot of the difference between these two books, however, is in professionalism of production rather than writing. Salinger's information is authoritative enough -- if only you can get through to it.

Mike Bradstock