Kieran D. O'Hara

Since retiring in 2011 I have kept myself busy in writing. The first edition of an introductory college textbook entitled "Earth Resources and Environmental Impacts" was published in early 2014 by Wiley. This book is designed for science and non science majors and places an emphasis on the environmental impacts of resource extraction and use. The link to the left provides more information on the textbook.

I have also recently published a book for a general audience entitled "Cave Art and Climate Change"  by Archway publishing, 2014. This book examines how the late Pleistocene climate determined the animals that the Upper Paleolithic hunter-gatherers painted and how the animals depicted accurately reflect that climate. This is likely to be controversial. More information on this book is provided in the link to the left. 

A book entitled "A Brief History of Geology" authored by myself was published by Cambridge Press in March of 2018.The link to the left provides more information.  

A new book, published by Elsevier, entitled "Climate Change in the Anthropocene" has been published in 2022.

Society faces two related major challenges today – an ever increasing demand for natural resources, especially by the developing world, and the effect of increased extraction and use of these resources on the health of the planet as a whole. This first edition of Earth Resources and the Environment addresses these problems by looking at the environment in the context of Earth-system Science. By treating energy resources as carbon-based (fossil fuels) versus noncarbon-based, the role of the carbon cycle in the health of the planet is emphasized and underscores the relationship between Earth’s spheres (the lithosphere, atmosphere, cryosphere and the biosphere) and man’s role in disturbing these systems. Suitable for both science and nonscience undergraduates, part I provides an introduction to Earth-system Science (including plate tectonics) and to Earth materials so that prerequisite courses are not required. Part II addresses ore deposits, metal and mineral resources, part III addresses energy resources and part IV water resources. Four of the 15 chapters are devoted to the environmental effects of resource extraction and use. Throughout the text, resources are placed within their historical, political and economic context, such as the rise of China, developed versus developing nations, and the world recession of 2008 – 2011. Using metric units, quantitative boxes on selected topics show the student how simple ballpark calculations can provide important constraints on complex issues. Earth resources are an ideal way to introduce students to the principles and methods in the Earth and environmental sciences.

Cover photo: This satellite view looking northwest over Africa and Europe displays some of the Earth’s major spheres – the atmosphere, hydrosphere and lithosphere. The curved horizon underscores that the Earth’s resources are circumscribed by these spheres and that both are finite. 

https://ees.as.uky.edu/sites/default/files/Back%20cover%20textbook.docx