Andrew C. Scott

Fire is rarely out of the headlines, from large natural wildfires raging across the Australian or Californian countrysides to the burning of buildings such as the disasters of Grenfell tower and Notre Dame. Fire on these scales can represent a serious risk to human life and property. But the advent of fire made and controlled by humans also represented a crucial point in our evolution, allowing us to cook our food, forge our weapons, and warm our homes. This Very Short Introduction covers the fundamentals of fire, whether wild or under human control, starting with the basics of ignition, combustion, and fuel. Andrew Scott considers both natural wildfires and the role of humans in making and suppressing fire. Despite frightening reports of wildfire destruction, he also shows how landscape fires have been part of our planet's history for 400 million years, and do not always have to be extinguished. He also considers the problem of fires in urban settings, including new ways to prevent fires. The cost of wildfire can be steep - as well as the burning, post-fire erosion and flooding can have a great impact on both humans and the environment. It can also have a lasting effect in shaping ecosystems and plant life. Scott ends by examining the relationship between fire and the climate, and considering the future of wildfire in a warming world. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Fire: a Very Short Introduction

Fire: A Very Short Introduction

Stephen J. Pyne

William J. Bond

David M. J. S. Bowman

Martin E. Alexander

Earth is the only planet known to have fire. The reason isboth simple and profound: fire exists because Earth is the onlyplanet to possess life as we know it. Fire is an expression of lifeon Earth and an index of life’s history. Few processes are asintegral, unique, or ancient. Fire on Earth puts fire in its rightful place as anintegral part of the study of geology, biology, human history,physics, and global chemistry. Fire is ubiquitous in various formsthroughout Earth, and belongs as part of formal inquiries about ourworld. In recent years fire literature has multipliedexponentially; dedicated journals exist and half a dozeninternational conferences are held annually. A host of formalsciences, or programs announcing interdisciplinary intentions, arewilling to consider fire. Wildfire also appears routinely in mediareporting. This full-colour text, containing over 250 illustrations of firein all contexts, is designed to provide a synthesis of contemporarythinking; bringing together the most powerful concepts anddisciplinary voices to examine, in an international setting, whyplanetary fire exists, how it works, and why it looks the way itdoes today. Students, lecturers, researchers and professionalsinterested in the physical, ecological and historicalcharacteristics of fire will find this book, and accompanyingweb-based material, essential reading for undergraduate andpostgraduate courses in all related disciplines, for generalinterest and for providing an interdisciplinary foundation forfurther study. A comprehensive approach to the history, behaviour andecological effects of fire on earth Timely introduction to this important subject, with relevancefor global climate change, biodiversity loss and the evolution ofhuman culture. Provides a foundation for the interdisciplinary field of FireResearch Authored by an international team of leading experts in thefield Associated website provides additional resources

An Introduction

Fire on Earth

Raging wildfires have devastated vast areas of California and Australia in recent years, and predictions are that we will see more of the same in coming years as a result of climate change. But this is nothing new. Since the dawn of life on land, large-scale fires have played their part in shaping life on Earth. Andrew C. Scott tells the whole story of fire's impact on our planet's atmosphere, climate, vegetation, ecology, and the evolution of plant and animal life. It has caused mass extinctions, and it has propelled the spread of flowering plants. The exciting evidence we can now draw on has been preserved in fossilized charcoal, found in rocks hundreds of millions of years old, from all over the world. These reveal incredibly fine details of prehistoric plants, and tell us about climates from deep in earth's history. They also give us insight into how early hominids and humans tamed fire and used it. Looking at the impact of wildfires in our own time, Scott also looks forward to how we might better manage them in future, as climate change has an increasing effect on our world.

The Story of Fire Through Time

Burning Planet

The incredible story of how the village of Lesmahagow has influenced the world in a variety of fields, from industry to espionage, throughout history.

Andrew C. Scott

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