5. The Goldilocks Element

Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter i
2. Contents vii
3. Introduction: World-Changers 1
4. Part I. Lessons from the Past
5. 1. The Biggest Environmental Change of All 15
6. 2. Plants Colonize the Continents 36
7. Part II. Are we so different?
8. 3. Life’s Battery and Earth’s Blanket 57
9. 4. How We Know What We Know about Climate Change 79
10. 5. The Goldilocks Element 100
11. 6. White Gold, Finite and Irreplaceable 116
12. 7. Water, the Key to Life on Land 140
13. Part III. A way forward?
14. 8. Biogeochemical Luck 163
15. 9. Some Remaining Puzzles 185
16. Acknowledgments 211
17. Works Cited 215
18. Index 217