Ultraviolet reflections

About this book

In the stratosphere, ozone performs a vital role by absorbing ultraviolet (UV) radiation and acting as a protective layer for life on Earth. Ultraviolet Reflections: Life Under a Thinning Ozone Layer examines the effects of increasing UV radiation on people, plants and animals. It takes the reader on a journey from the Antarctic ozone hole to the Arctic birch forest, to see how plankton and plants will fare against increasing UV radiation. We know the dangers for skin cancer, but this book also raises intriguing questions about the evolution of our immune system and uncovers scientific controversy in the discussion of eye disease. The accessible style of this book gives readers at all levels an insight into the complexities of how life has evolved to deal with the destructive power of the sun. Moreover, it gives the reader a chance to follow international policy, as well as current research in the field. The book is aimed at those who do not have time to follow the scientific literature in all the fields, but who are not satisfied with simple answers: science teachers trying to convey basic ideas about the environment, students who want to know things that you cannot find in the text books, environmentalists and policy makers needing more than statements of scientific consensus. Most of all it is written for anyone ready to reflect on one of the major environmental issues of today.