1 Second in the World

Author: [Japan] Yoichi Yamamoto, Editor-in-Chief / Wang Ying / Cui Yang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-04-01
Features: Funded by Beijing Science Popularization Creation Publishing Special Fund! A second is extremely brief, yet the changes in the Earth's ecological environment are astonishingly profound! In the blink of an eye! In the long river of time, it is an ordinary moment beyond ordinary! However, the changes in the macro world are accumulated from these second-by-second transformations. So, how do the instantaneous changes of all things in the world manifest? Clearly, it is difficult to comprehensively account for and answer this question. This book collects and organizes 60 typical cases related to our survival and life, especially in the field of ecological environment, allowing us to glimpse the changes of all things in the world within one second: For example, in one second, the world population increases by 2.4 people, the ice melt of Greenland's glacier reaches 1,620 cubic meters, 390,000 cubic meters of carbon dioxide are emitted globally, 103 tons of fresh water are consumed, 252 tons of petrochemical fuels are consumed, 400,000 kilowatts of electricity are used, 2,300 square meters of arable land in the world decrease, 5,100 square meters of natural forests in the world disappear, 1,900 square meters of desert expand in the world (of which only China accounts for 78 square meters), and 513 square meters of China's natural grassland degrades, and so on. How astonishing these changes are! As expressed in the preface written by Academician Shi Changxu of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering for this book, "A second is extremely brief, yet the changes in the Earth's ecological environment are astonishingly profound." Upon deep reflection on these changes, you will consciously or unconsciously recognize and understand the impact of unrestrained and excessive human activities on the Earth's resources, ecological environment, and the living conditions of humanity itself! Professor Yoichi Yamamoto, the author of this book, hopes that readers will carefully contemplate and understand each of the 60 "changes in one second" listed in the book as cases, recognizing the meaning of the wonderful universe, life, and self-existence, keeping a firm grasp of the current state of environmental changes, and working together to achieve a sustainable development society. The content of this book is novel, thought-provoking, inspiring, and educational.