A classic introduction to the story of Earth's origin and evolution--revised and expanded for the twenty-first century



Since its first publication more than twenty-five years ago, How to Build a Habitable Planet has established a legendary reputation as an accessible yet scientifically impeccable introduction to the origin and evolution of Earth, from the Big Bang through the rise of human civilization. This classic account of how our habitable planet was assembled from the stuff of stars introduced readers to planetary, Earth, and climate science by way of a fascinating narrative. Now this great book has been made even better. Harvard geochemist Charles Langmuir has worked closely with the original author, Wally Broecker, one of the world's leading Earth scientists, to revise and expand the book for a new generation of readers for whom active planetary stewardship is becoming imperative.

Interweaving physics, astronomy, chemistry, geology, and biology, this sweeping account tells Earth's complete story, from the synthesis of chemical elements in stars, to the formation of the Solar System, to the evolution of a habitable climate on Earth, to the origin of life and humankind. The book also addresses the search for other habitable worlds in the Milky Way and contemplates whether Earth will remain habitable as our influence on global climate grows. It concludes by considering the ways in which humankind can sustain Earth's habitability and perhaps even participate in further planetary evolution.

Like no other book, How to Build a Habitable Planet provides an understanding of Earth in its broadest context, as well as a greater appreciation of its possibly rare ability to sustain life over geologic time.

Leading schools that have ordered, recommended for reading, or adopted this book for course use:
Arizona State University


Brooklyn College CUNY


Columbia University


Cornell University


ETH Zurich


Georgia Institute of Technology


Harvard University


Johns Hopkins University


Luther College


Northwestern University


Ohio State University


Oxford Brookes University


Pan American University


Rutgers University


State University of New York at Binghamton


Texas A&M University


Trinity College Dublin


University of Bristol


University of California-Los Angeles


University of Cambridge


University Of Chicago


University of Colorado at Boulder


University of Glasgow


University of Leicester


University of Maine, Farmington


University of Michigan


University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill


University of North Georgia


University of Nottingham


University of Oregon


University of Oxford


University of Portsmouth


University of Southampton


University of Ulster


University of Victoria


University of Wyoming


Western Kentucky University


Yale University