The title of the book “Ship Earth” represents our sole blue planet that carries the ever-growing cargo of humanity. The book simplifies complex multidisciplinary environmental issues and presents them through the fictional adventures of three youngsters from Istanbul, Cincinnati and Tokyo.
Ufuk, Dylan and Sora each witnessing natural disasters personally (an earthquake, a tornado, a volcanic eruption and tsunami), realize some of the risks of changing natural systems to humanity and start to question the course of our civilization. Having met through a fictional web site (www.askgaia.com) they become friends and share views and information on nature, environment and also music. When they physically meet at a conference in Sydney, they learn more about the limits of natural resources and how our civilization may cope with these. They also meet a “mad scientist” who has unusual solutions to global problems and an Aborigin painter with a very different viewpoint about nature. Inspired by all, they try to discover how they can contribute to a more resilient and sustainable society.
For the curious reader, the book also presents summary information on climate change, fossil fuels, renewable energy, sustainability, resilience, genetically modified organisms, natural disasters, ecological economics, great extinctions…
The writer has a BS degree in Industrial Engineering and an MS in Environmental Science. She worked as an environmental consultant both in Turkey and in the USA. Her articles on environment, energy, ecology, green economics, sustainability… appeared in various Turkish newspapers. Her book (translates from Turkish:) “From Global Crises to Sustainability- Environmental Issues of Our Time was published by Boğaziçi University Press in 2013.
Publications in English:
The Abyssinian, Bewildering Stories e-magazine (issue 345). 2009.
Earth Stories, nature stories for children. lulu.com, 2008.
Apocalypse & Butterfly Flap, Bewildering Stories/ESSAYS e-magazine. 2009.
Hospital System Model Incorporating Spatial Interaction Effects, F. Kennedy, D. Terrell, N. Barlas. ORSA/TIMS Conference, San Francisco, 1984.
General Hospital Bed Need Plan (co-author). NCG-Health Systems Agency, Atlanta, Georgia. Years 1983-1988.