"The age of the earth as an abode fitted for life" (Lord Kelvin, 1899)
Rotation, tides and the moon
The variable sun and other astronomical effects
Internal heat and the evolution of the earth
Planetary atmospheres and the appearance of free oxygen
Thermal balance, the greenhouse effect, and sea level
Environmental crises and mass extinctions of species
Stability of the environment
Inorganic mineral deposits as products of an evolving environment
Fossil fuels, buried carbon and photosynthetic oxygen
Effects of fossil fuel use
A comparison of human energy use with natural dissipations
A summary of salient conclusions.
