"Shortlisted for the Phi Beta Kappa Award in Science, Phi Beta Kappa Society" "Finalist for the 2019 Los Angeles Times Book Prize in Science & Technology" "Winner of the 2019 PROSE Award in Popular Science & Popular Mathematics, Association of American Publishers" "Longlisted for the 2019 PEN/E.O. Wilson Prize for Literary Science Writing Award, PEN American Center" "One of EcoLit Books' Best Environmental Books of 2018" "A Choice Outstanding Academic Title of the Year" Marcia Bjornerud is professor of geology and environmental studies at Lawrence University. She is the author of Reading the Rocks: The Autobiography of the Earth and a contributing writer for Elements, the New Yorker's science and technology blog. She lives in Appleton, Wisconsin.
Why an awareness of Earth's temporal rhythms is critical to our planetary survival
Few of us have any conception of the enormous timescales in our planet's long history, and this narrow perspective underlies many of the environmental problems we are creating for ourselves. The passage of nine days, which is how long a drop of water typically stays in Earth's atmosphere, is something we can easily grasp. But spans of hundreds of years-the time a molecule of carbon dioxide resides in the atmosphere-approach the limits of our comprehension. Our everyday lives are shaped by processes that vastly predate us, and our habits will in turn have consequences that will outlast us by generations. Timefulness reveals how knowing the rhythms of Earth's deep past and conceiving of time as a geologist does can give us the perspective we need for a more sustainable future.
Marcia Bjornerud shows how geologists chart the planet's past, explaining how we can determine the pace of solid Earth processes such as mountain building and erosion and comparing them with the more unstable rhythms of the oceans and atmosphere. These overlapping rates of change in the Earth system-some fast, some slow-demand a poly-temporal worldview, one that Bjornerud calls "timefulness." She explains why timefulness is vital in the Anthropocene, this human epoch of accelerating planetary change, and proposes sensible solutions for building a more time-literate society.
This compelling book presents a new way of thinking about our place in time, enabling us to make decisions on multigenerational timescales. The lifespan of Earth may seem unfathomable compared to the brevity of human existence, but this view of time denies our deep roots in Earth's history-and the magnitude of our effects on the planet. "[Timefulness is] a profound meditation on the richness, depth and entanglements of geologic time . . . elegantly condensing the landmark tomes of geology, from James Hutton's Theory of the Earth . . . to John McPhee's Annals of the Former World."---Robert M. Thorson, Wall Street Journal "In this trenchant study, Bjornerud calls for a new geological literacy to instill deeper knowledge of planetary rhythms and processes."---Barbara Kiser, Nature "Timefulness is a delightful and interesting read. The author's cadence and the illustrator's aforementioned figures made me feel as though I was having a glass of wine with a friend who was explaining geologic history while sketching on a napkin."---David R. Wunsch, Science "With Timefulness . . . [Bjornerud] delivers a brisk biography of Earth. Aside from charting the rise of mountains and the transformation of the atmosphere, she shows us why–given an uncertain future–taking the long view is more critical than ever before."---Matt Huston, Psychology Today "Timefulness is a charmer and makes a strong case for thinking like Bjornerud."---Heather Smith, Sierra "It is always a challenge to make geology accessible to a popular audience, but Timefulness is never impenetrable and is sparing in its use of jargon. New Scientist readers will have little difficulty following the heartfelt narrative. Bjornerud's book is a manifesto for humanity –
