History DQ.

Here’s the 10th and final DQ, based on the final two readings in the course pack. I’ll keep things nice and short this time!

1. Based on your reading of Lovelock’s chapter, why is it sometimes easier to predict long-range futures than it is to forecast short-term ones? Give two examples that account for Lovelock’s pessimistic outlook for our future.

2. Read the extract from Weisman’s book, The World Without Us, in which he peers even further into the future. In your opinion, is his vision optimistic or pessimistic, and why? Of the two futures drawn here, which do you agree more with, and why?