About the Book:
The amazing true story of the man behind modern weather prediction.
Consider a world without weather prediction. How would we know when to evacuate communities ahead of fires or floods, or figure out what to wear tomorrow? Until 40 years ago, we couldn’t forecast weather conditions beyond ten days. Renowned climate scientist Dr. Jagadish Shukla is largely to thank for modern weather forecasting. Born in rural India with no electricity, plumbing, or formal schools, he attended classes that were held in a cow shed. Shukla grew up amid turmoil: overwhelming monsoons, devastating droughts, and unpredictable crop yields. His drive brought him to the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, despite little experience. He then followed an unlikely path to MIT and Princeton, and the highest echelons of climate science. His work, which has enabled us to predict weather farther into the future than previously thought possible, allows us to feed more people, save lives, and hold on to hope in a warming world.
Paired with his philanthropic endeavors and extreme dedication to the field, Dr. Shukla has been lauded internationally for his achievements, including a shared Nobel Peace Prize with Al Gore for his governmental research on climate change. A Billion Butterflies is a wondrous insider’s account of climate science and an unbelievable memoir of his life. Understanding dynamical seasonal prediction will change the way you experience a thunderstorm or interpret a forecast; understanding its origins and the remarkable story of the man who discovered it will change the way you see our world.
My Review:
This is a very interesting book, a combination memoir and science discovery. I enjoyed the informative first part of the book on Shukla growing up in India. Then I was fascinated by all the information I learned about weather forecasting and how it was developed. Then there was the chaos theory and the butterfly effect. Forecasting came to include information from ocean temperatures and eventually satellite data. Shukla's interest was primarily in monsoon prediction and seasonal forecasts. When the effect on climate of carbon in the atmosphere was proven, he also included it in his studies. It was heartbreaking to read how he was treated by climate deniers and those funded by the fossil fuel industry.
I like Shukla's writing style. The climate and weather information in the book is very readable. I will think of Shukla and the work he and his co-scientists did when I look at that convenient forecast on my weather app.
My rating: 4/5 stars.
About the Author:
DR. JAGADISH SHUKLA is a Professor of Climate Dynamics at George Mason University. Internationally recognized for his role in the development of weather and climate science, he has received the International Meteorological Prize by the UN and the Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal of NASA, the highest honor given to a civilian by NASA. For his work as a lead author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s 4th assessment, his team was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Photo credit: Tom Wakefield
St Martin's Press, 288 pages.
I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.
(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.)
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