The alternating periods of light and darkness we experience as the Earth rotates about its axis have changed considerably over time. A gradual slowing of our planet’s rate of rotation has resulted in the average duration of a 24-hour day increasing by some 1.8 milliseconds every century. Read the book review.
The trouble with climate change used to be short-termism. The catastrophe was predicted for a future that lay further away than the next election, so most politicians feared the issue as a potential vote loser. They didn’t dare to ask anybody to make sacrifices or incur costs for the benefits of future generations.