The story of carbon--the building block of life that, ironically, is humanity's great threat. Carbon has always been the ubiquitous architect of life: Indeed, all living things need it to stay alive, and carbon cycles through organisms, ground, water, and atmosphere in a kind of global respiration system that helps keep Earth in balance. Yet, since the start of the industrial era, carbon dioxide emissions have sped up the carbon cycle, and chlorofluorocarbons are destroying the ozone layer and warming the planet. In "The Carbon Age," science writer Eric Roston evokes this essential element, illuminating history from the Big Bang to modern civilization, and chronicles the often surprising ways mankind has used carbon over centuries. Blending the latest science with original reporting, Roston charts how we reached the brink of catastrophe, making us aware, as never before, of the seminal impact carbon has on our lives.

埃裏剋·羅斯頓，哥倫比亞大學歐洲史學士、俄羅斯史碩士，精通俄語。曾在《時代》周刊做過六年的科技、科學政策和能源議題的報道撰稿人，曾參與《時代》“911”特刊的策劃撰稿，並以這期增刊贏得瞭2002年美國國傢雜誌奬。後任美國彭博新聞社編輯，負責報道能源、自然資源和可持續發展方麵的新聞。現為美國國傢發展委員會的高級分析師。本書是他第一次對影響全球氣候的根本因素——碳的曆史做全麵闡述，他深入淺齣的寫作方式，使人有如傾聽一部宇宙、地球、碳和人類文明的史詩。