Book Description
In this New York Times bestseller, authors Singer and Avery present the compelling concept that global temperatures have been rising mostly or entirely because of a natural cycle. Using historic data from two millennia of recorded history combined with natural physical records, the authors argue that the 1,500 year solar-driven cycle that has always controlled the earth's climate remains the driving force in the current warming trend. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (142)

The real science of global warming
This volume provides an excellent review of the relevant global warming science.The material gives uncontrovertable evidence of the long history of natural warming and cooling cycles on earth.This is a must read for any serious student of global warming.

Better than ever
Mainstream media have generally crumbled to the fearful predictions
on global warming, which is said by some extremists to be on the verge
of being out of control, as in the book The Revenge of Gaia. To make the dogma more scary, there is a further claim
that the years from about 1980 to the present have been the hottest in
history, and that more storms and more severe storms have resulted.
Extemists have made it clear that humans must stop burning most fossil
fuels in favor of wind and solar power. The true costs of doing so are
never admitted -- turning the standard of living in developed countries
back 150 years.
According to UGW, international panic over these alarms resulted in the
Kyoto Protocol for reduction of emissions of CO2, implemented by a few
countries in 2005. According to UGW, the only result will be payments of
billions of dollars to the government of the Russian Republic, with no
reductions of CO2 emissions into the atmosphere by the countries making
the payments. So UGW gives the evidence from the Russian Academy of
Science in 2004 to reject Kyoto because: (1) the world's temperatures do
not follow CO2 levels; (2) the world was warmer in the Roman Empire
period and during the Medieval Climate Optimum (1000-1250 AD) than now;
(3) there is a much better correlation between warming and solar output
than with CO2 levels; (4) sea levels are not rising faster than 15 cm
per century since 1850, even in the slightly warmer periods; (5) they
did not expect tropical diseases to worsen with some warming; and (6)
that there is no increase in incidence of storms or their intensity due
to recent mild global warming, with which the British delegation
concurred. With no explanation, Russia ratified the Kyoto Treaty in
2005. The obvious explanations, if broadcast, were that Europe and Japan
would pay Russia $ billions to burn more Russian fossil fuels, and that
Russia would gain entrance to the World Trade Organization.
To take the Russian Academy of Science's reasons in order, UGW showed
that: the most blatant attempt to fabricate the Earth's temperatures was
that of Michael Mann, PhD, University of Massachusetts, whose infamous
graph of global temperatures form 1000-2000 AD became known as "the
hockey stick". It showed a general sag in temperature from 1000-1920,
leaving out the higher temperatures from 1000-1250 AD than we now have,
then a huge leap. Iinvestigation by a pair of Canadian researchers (see
Essex & McKitrick, 2002) found that Mann's raw data, obtained by them
with great difficulty, was flawed by every imaginable misuse and
selection of data (details are given), including faulty use of tree-ring
widths, an old standard for weather estimation. Mature trees not only
grow faster when they are warmer or have more rain, but also when there
is more CO2, which was ignored by Mann.
UGW cites evidence of many kinds to show that there were two periods
hotter than now in the last 2000 years, such as the Danish colonization
of Greenland, then the later failure of the colony; on the extent and
location of farmland in many locations, including in the Roman Empire
and in China; isotopic ratios in fossils; length of the sunspot cycle,
and other data. One recent finding, since 1979, is satellite data
showing that the sun is producing 0.05% more radiation per decade. The
temperatures used by pseudoclimatologists to scare us are obviously
tainted by urban heat island effects. New York City has warmed up, as
have Pasadena and Tokyo; but the warming can hardly be global since
Death Valley, CA, McGill, NV, and West Point, NY, have cooled (Crichton,
2004).
Unfortunately, this revised UGW did not focus on the actual CO2 record
from direct chemical assays. CO2 levels were actually higher than now 3
times between 1812 and 1965 (Beck, 2007). This alone demolishes any idea
that higher CO2 levels will cause runaway warming; it already did not.
Now about that so-called consensus on warming: UGW gives 6 examples of
groups of scientists not in agreement with the "warming by CO2"
hypothesis in the 1990s. The largest group was over 17,100 mostly
American holders of science or engineering degrees who signed a petition
expressing doubt about man-made global warming and opposing the Kyoto
Treaty. Of these, fully 2,600 had climate science credentials. Perhaps
the most important group was the 50 US State Climatologists, 90% of whom
agreed with the statement: "scientific evidence indicates variations in
global temperature are likely to be naturally occurring and cyclical
over very long periods of time" (p66). Mass media: beware of your
credibility -- there is no consensus!
Another of UGW's strengths is recognizing that: "Water vapor is the
most important greenhouse gas even during the current [minor] warming
[since about 1980]. Water vapor makes up about 60% of the natural
greenhouse effect, with CO2 making up an estimated 20%..." (p40). Not
knowing whom to believe in 1997, and to see who was correct about the
relative infrared absorption of greenhouse gases, I determined an
infrared spectrum of humid air at 40° north latitude.Fully 92% of the
absorption was due to water vapor, and 8% to CO2; no methane or CFCs
were detected (Kauffman, 2004).
UGW may be the best overall 21st century book on climatology for the
educated general public. It is clear and easy to read, even more so in
the 2007 edition. You should consider having one as an antidote to the
prevailing unscientific dogma on this subject.

Beck, E.-G. (2007). 180 Years of Atmospheric CO2 Gas Analysis by
Chemical Methods, Energy & Environment, 18(2), 259-282.
Crichton, M. (2004). State of Fear. New York, NY: HarperCollins, pp 86,
190, 370-381, 393-4. (Original sources given therein.)
Essex & McKitrick, (2002). Taken by Storm. Toronto, Ontario, Canada: Key
Porter Books, Ltd.,pp154-174.
Kauffman, J. M. (2004). Water in the Atmosphere. J. Chem. Ed., B81(8),
1229-30.

A chance to stand up to the madness
Very fun facts to debate the global warming political correctness-not for those who lean to the left!

The earth may be warming up;but it's not man and CO2 emmissions that is causing it.
If you really want to know what is going on with all the dire warnings about global warming ,you'll be hard pressed to find a better source of information than in this book. The authors have dissected every theory and fact on the subject and while there is evidence that the earth is warming up,it is a long term climatic cycle that has occurred many times in the past and will occur again in the future. Not only does the geological record show that the earth has warmed up,it has gone through cycles where it has cooled. The authors explain these climatic changes and it has not been the actions of man that have caused them and it won't be the actions of man that will prevent them.
Sometime ago I read a book,"The Year 1000" by Robert Lacey and Danny Danziger and the temperatures were a lot warmer than today and vineyards were common in Britain.Then decades later Europe cooled off and great hardships occurred for a long time.See my Review dated November 22,2006)
The authors Singer and Avery address every theory that has been put forth by activists,as well an well intentioned people that have bought into the impending peril that lies ahead unless man drastically changes his ways,
They show where their misguided pronouncements and dire predictions are pure and simply wrong.
Instead of doom and gloom,the earth is warming up slightly but the great calamities will not happen and technology and changes will be made by man to cope .As a matter of fact,difficulties are even harder to cope with when the earth goes through cooling cycles;but not to worry ,that's a long time off.
You will find this book to be an excellent resource ,with every issue,both scientific and political,well adderssed and backed up with references.
If you remember the 50's and early 60's ,you'll recall similar activists were running around telling us about the "Population Bomb or Explosion" .If we didn't control births ,there would be massive fights over land and food.There would be starving and famines and a whole other lot of worldwide misery.Well,the world's population has gone from
3Billion to 6 Billion and about the only problem we have really seen is that of Diabetes and Obseity.The third world countries with their enduring political structures have remained in their dismal shapes while the progressive cultures and countries have continued to better themselves.
So,read this book and you'll ease your concerns about all this nonsense and be equipped to help others see through the fog of nonsense being offered up as science or fact.

Unstoppable Warming - getting back down to Earth.
This book is a good solid recap of an enourmous amount fo published science and commentary dealing with global climate change and climate cycles.It agreesively de-bunks the junk science surrounding the current furor over climate cchange.It simply points out the the climate is always changing and has always been changing; it may seem stable for a decade or even a few decades, but in terms of geological time, a few decades doesn't count at all - even if it is the life span of a man.It also points out the solar activity cycles that seem to generally harmonize with the climate cycles. While it is hard to actually imagine that 6 billion humans could live on this planet without some footprint, the book correctly points out that our influence is marginal at worst. It also debunks the forecasts of mass species extinctions touted by the activist community. ... Read more

Book Description
This latest installment in the P.I.G. series provides a provocative, entertaining, and well-documented expose of some of the most shamelessly politicized pseudo-science we are likely to see in our relatively cool lifetimes. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (253)

Very informative, but can go off track a bit...
I thought this book did a good job of explaining some of this issues in the controversy of global warming, but the author sometimes goes off on tangents and doesn't loop back to his original point, making it sound a little right-wing wacko, but ultimately a very informative piece to help one decipher the REAL issues of global warming when reading the left-leaning newspapers.

No facts
I was really looking forward to an intelligent look at the "other" side of global warming.Instead, the author resorts to name calling and generalizations - everyone who dares ponder the fate of the environment is called a "green", and apparently all "greens" believe all of the same things.It is a book of opinions masquerading as facts.Just one of a hundred examples - he'll rebuke the "greens"' statement that icebergs are shrinking, followed by an unbacked opinion that they're actually growing.Where's your data?What are your sources?The figures and graphs generally have no labels or axes, and no sources...the idea is that if there's a graph, it must be true.One graph that does have a source shows trends in global temperatures - but the source is an economist!This is a scientific issue, not political or economic, except when it's morphed into such by those with an agenda.I understand how it would be easy to get wrapped up in his words...but readers must have a critical mind and ask themselves where the author is getting his information.This is such an important issue that it must be supported by facts.Enough rants and baseless opinions.If these kinds of arguments are what count for the anti-global warming movement, then it doesn't have a leg to stand on.It undermines an author's credibility and insults the readers' intelligence.Very disappointing.

Don't believe everything the media tell you
The content of this book flies in the face of the global warming scare mongers. There are quotes and references galore which point out the fallacies of the global warming people and researchers. Many side bars on the pages distract from the reading of the book. Guaranteed to produce second and third thoughts about the media, research results, and earth weather cycles.

Covers All the Bases, after Rough Start
It takes a bit to wade through the first few chapters, which get repetitive, and in which the author keeps referring to later chapters (which, thankfully, turn out to be quite good).

There is one later chapter, where the author disassembles and debunks Al Gore's works STEP by STEP.From the silly theory that the 2005 hurricanes were caused by Manmade Global Warming (if so, then why, in 2006, when there is MORE manmade CO2 in the atmosphere, are there virtually NO hurricanes?), to the equally silly "hockey stick" curve.

What Warming we have is not "Manmade", nor "Catastrophic" (indeed it may be quite beneficial), nor "Global" (the Southern Hemisphere is not warming).Greens and the leftwing media seek to use "Alarmism" to get us to give up our cars and rights, and allow these communists to exert their form of Totalitarianism and snuff out capitalism and our great economy.This lark must be exposed for what it is.

The Politically Incorrect Guide to Global Warming and Environmentalism
Our planet has many periods of global worming and cooling. Warming creates a period of prosperity while cooling is the reverse. Al Gore is NOT a climatologist: he could not make it in academia so his bleatings are just so much BS. The so-called "Hockey Stick" graph was used by Gore in his film showing, but it was totally debunked as false science prior to the release of his film. While CO2 is a greenhouse gas, its effectiveness as such is minor, clouds are far more important, yet the Kyoto Protocol is directed primarily at CO2 emissions: it is a worthless exercise in futility. Following Gore's stupid predictions (which are based upon faulted computer predictions) will destroy our economy. ... Read more

Book Description
Irreverent and entertaining, DOWN TO EARTH is filled with fact about global warming and its disastrous consequences, loads of photos and illustrations, as well as suggestions for how kids can help combat global warming in their homes, schools, and communities. Engagingly designed, DOWN TO EARTH will educate and empower, leaving readers with the knowledge they need to understand this problem and a sense of hope to inspire them into action. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (28)

inconveniate truth
This is a truely great chalenging and inspiring film. Al Gore and this film deserve all the awards and Nobel Prize they earned.

Insightful and very kid friendly
This was a very well written and illustrated book that is not only easy to go through with my kids but very thought provoking for all of us. It is really nice to see something so well done that was targeted to the audience that will be left with the bag if we don't step in and do something and quick....It maked us all realise we ALL need to be a part of the solution.

Don't let the facts get in the way!
This book directly competes with "The Sky is Not Falling".The best thing to do is to read both books and make decisions on your own.

The point is (few people dispute it), the earth is warming.There are conflicting opinions on why.This book presents the "mainstream" belief that is rightfully under attack. The integrity of the data does not stand up to presenting solid "proof" that human generated CO2 is causing global warming.The planet is warming and CO2 has increased.We know one is driving the other based on the 650,000 year chart.The real chart tells us that CO2 rises after temperature rises.Even in the face of this recognized fact the alarmists believe the debate is over.

The point of this entire debate is what we do about Global Warming.If you believe that we are causing the rise in temperature, then you must believe in the rules set forth in the Kyoto treaty.Most people don't have any idea what the Kyoto treaty is, what it will force us to do, what impact it will have on the economy and that only the "wealthy" countries have to act on the treaty.If you believe we are impacting the climate, read what you can about the treaty and ask yourself if you are ready and willing to sacrifice your job and your future ability to support your family as the cascading effects of regulation destroy the world economy.If you believe, therefore, we all must act, you are destroying your child's economic future.

If you are of the mind that the earth is warming because of a natural cycle and that there is nothing we can do about it, that should not mean that we need to live an unnecessarily gluttonous lifestyle.Teaching our children to recycle, to turn off lights, to utilize more efficient energy sources is responsible and does not have any negative impact.

The problem with the arguments right now is that they are polarizing.You either "love the planet" or you "hate the planet".I can love the planet, yet believe that we are going through a natural cycle that we will have to adjust to.I'm not willing to destroy our economy or my children's ability to support their families under the premise that some scientists using questionable data tell me the world will end.I do believe that we are wasteful and that there are responsible things we can do to reduce.I will teach my children how to conserve and be responsible while telling them the facts of this debate.

Let's begin to question what is going on in reality.The people who are preaching to us, Al Gore, Hollywood and others are not impacted by any negative economic events that will fall upon us with the realities of the Kyoto treaty.Al Gore uses 20 times the electricity of the average household and flies on private jets.The hollywood elite lead their extravagant lifestyles while preaching to us to conserve.Being wasteful and then purchasing Carbon Credits (from companies he is invested in) is about the most hypocritical thing a person can do.That is Al Gore.

Did you know that the countries who have signed onto the Kyoto treaty are being paid cash for planting trees?In order to find land to plant trees on, they are clear cutting old forests and replanting to get the money.

Politicians always have good intentions.What they are not good about is understanding the economics of the unintended consequences of their actions.The point made above is a perfect example of this.

Be a good citizen of this earth.Read all sides of this and all issues.Make an unemotional conclusion, understanding all of the impacts of that conclusion and ACT.Don't be lazy and follow the mainstream and let yourself be sucked along without knowing the facts or the possible outcomes. The mainstream accepted the "facts" of Iraq and we now have a bad result in Iraq.We are heading down a similar path with the global warming debate.

The mainstream is eliminating debate.That is unacceptable.

Great so far!
I haven't gotten through the whole book yet, but I have sat down with my 4-year-old son and read some. It's written very well to make it easy to understand what Global Warming is all about. Since my son is only 4, I easily skipped over some of the bigger words and still got the points across. I will be ordering more for Christmas gifts.

Global Warming
This is a fascinating and easily understood explanation of global warming. Concrete examples will enable children to understand the phenomenon of Global Warming: a popsicle stays frozen at 32 degrees F but falls off the stick at 33 degrees F. Just a one degree difference in earth's average temperature is already causing major changes in climate patterns. Photographs, cartoon illustrations, graphs are eye-catching: there is a picture of an abandoned house on stilts that is now rests at the edge of the ocean because twelve feet of this North Carolina beach are lost each year. Participatory activities like a "connect the dots" and a "match the quote" game. This book also suggests many easy things that kids can do to save energy like unplug the chargers used for cell phones because they use valuable energy even when there is not a phone recharging. Extensive back material includes: a glossary, index, source notes and a list of current material, both books and web sites for further exploration. Every library should have multiple copies.




... Read more

Book Description

In 2001 a panel representing virtually all the world's governments and climate scientists announced that they had reached a consensus: the world was warming at a rate without precedent during at least the last ten millennia, and that warming was caused by the buildup of greenhouse gases from human activity. The consensus itself was at least a century in the making. The story of how scientists reached their conclusion--by way of unexpected twists and turns and in the face of formidable intellectual, financial, and political obstacles--is told for the first time in The Discovery of Global Warming. Spencer R. Weart lucidly explains the emerging science, introduces us to the major players, and shows us how the Earth's irreducibly complicated climate system was mirrored by the global scientific community that studied it.

Unlike familiar tales of Science Triumphant, this book portrays scientists working on bits and pieces of a topic so complex that they could never achieve full certainty--yet so important to human survival that provisional answers were essential. Weart unsparingly depicts the conflicts and mistakes, and how they sometimes led to fruitful results. His book reminds us that scientists do not work in isolation, but interact in crucial ways with the political system and with the general public. The book not only reveals the history of global warming, but also analyzes the nature of modern scientific work as it confronts the most difficult questions about the Earth's future.

Customer Reviews (17)

Excellent Book on History of an Important Subject
The author Spencer Weart has been able to write a surprisingly interesting account of the history behind how global warming was discovered (of course, some people think that you can't discover what doesn't exist). The book is refreshingly free from the current politics surrounding global warming, it tells us of the people that noticed something was going on with the climate, and how they came to the conclusions that the earth, in all likelihood was indeed warming.

The book is not an introduction to global warming.I found it most helpful as a supplemental background to understanding current global warming issues.

It's important to know the history
Weart is a scientist (physicist) who looks at the history of the idea of global warming from its genesis in the late 1800s to the present. The book painstakingly covers material from over 1000 peer-reviewed papers. It discusses the important researchers, ideas and problems more or less decade-by-decade. It does a good job of covering the theory as it related to observed conditions at each point in time, and as such answers issues surrounding such things as the 1940-1970 cooling trend as well as the 1970s-era thoughts about a coming ice-age. It also gives a fairly good explanation of everything that went into the Global Circulation Models and how they should be viewed. Over all, the book gives an excellent background on how we came to be where we are as far as understanding of climate issues goes and it suggests why it is important to look both at the big picture and be aware of the latest research results. The book also gives interesting insight into the process of research and some of the ways the field developed and evolved and the ways in which people became interested and worked together. The conclusion is that while there are still many unanswered questions, the field has coalesced into a legitimate area of inquiry and there is ample and convincing evidence that we are in the midst of a warming trend brought on by elevated levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. This would be a good book for any global warming skeptic to read. It certainly takes into account all of the wrong turns from the past as well as the questions and limitations that still remain. The reason that it is important to know the whole history of global warming awareness is that attempts to debunk or discredit it often use outdated arguments or fail to take into account the historical context of ideas or data that is referenced. Once you know the history of how we got to where we are, many of the skeptics' arguments seem misguided.

A Concise History of the Subject
As a reviewer of nonfiction I tend to rate based on whether or not the author achieves the goal stated in the introduction.When this book was written the shelves were far less crowded than today, but it still serves its purpose in giving the reader a layout of a surprisingly lengthy history in a concise and easy-to-read manual.Although it gives few details on the raw science itself it deftly describes all the difficulties as well as achievements.The book is appropriate for skeptics as well as reference users.

Quite a bit of the book details early achievements including the first calculation of global warming due to carbon dioxide by Svante Arrhenius in the year 1896, and Syukuro Manabe's computer modelling in 1958.The most interesting three pages are the final three in which Weart breaks out of scientific testimony to describe personal feelings on what can be done about global warming.

This book doesn't have the dazzle that the newer books (Gore, Flannery, Kolbert) have, but it's still every bit as worthwhile, and better for reference.

The history of a questionable methodology.
In "The Discovery of Global Warming," Spencer R. Weart's stated objective is to write "thehistory of the science of climate change"(xii). But, he proposes, the discovery of man's effect on the earth's climate is outside the rules of normal scientific methodology.

Weart argues that "the tangled nature of climate research reflects nature itself. The earth's climate system is so irreducibly complicated that we will never grasp it completely, in the way that one might grasp a law of physics."(ix) Isn't this bogus science? Does not removing the study from the discipline of the scientific method unduly permit individual or social biases to skew scientific findings? In Weart's treatise scientific discoveries are nothing more than the consensus of attendees, albeit scientists, at conventions. Conclusions which are the result of give and take among a cohort cannot substitute for rigorous experimentation and independent verification.

While admittedly the study of climate is multidisciplinary, that is not an excuse to sideline the scientific method. Weart counters, "such a logical sequence, with definitive results, does not describe work in interdisciplinary fields like the study of climate change."(viii) Thus it seems a questionable methodology is the founding principle of the science of global warming.

The scientific method instills discipline and methodology into discovery. It is a process based on four steps: observation and description which leads to the formulation of an hypothesis to predict a phenomena that is then confirmed by independent testing. Weart et al are hung up on the first step. They observe and describe a phenomena, i.e. global warming, then are convinced that mankind is the cause? That the earth is in a warming cycle seems self evident. Milder winters, glacial melting, land use and the burning of fossil fuels, are reasons to speculate that humanity is a contributor, but the cause? Where is the evidence? Where is the verification?

Extreme weather is reported and frequently taken as indication of man's effect on the earth's climate. The number and severity of hurricanes in 2005 seemingly raises that possibility. The biggest improvement in tracking hurricanes has come from satellite imagery which permits advanced warning. Just as the weather service uses sophisticated models to predict hurricane tracks, computer models purport to predict climate change. Predicting the paths of hurricanes remains unreliable and the models cannot foretell landfall precisely.

The inability to accurately forecast and predict the behavior of hurricanes escalates the costs and inconvenience of preparations. Imagine what the costs would be for errors on a global scale! Would not it be a more prudent goal to first be able to perfect models that accurately predict something "simple" like hurricane paths (or tornadoes, or droughts?) before we place our trust in climate models to predict something more complex as man's effect on global warming?

Global warming is certainly a hot button topic. Its relevance will not recede in the ensuing years but the politicizing of science is not the answer. Incontrovertably it is in man's best interest to protect the environment, but in a reasonable manner. Absent scientific verification of man's culpability for global warming, the difficulty is in defining the meaning of reasonable and manner. That is a political issue and, contrary to Weart's assertion, we have not "run out of time."(200)

Every student of scientist should read this for the methods alone!
I have to admit that I am not a skeptic of global warming, so I appreciate Spencer Weart's book as a "friend."Actually I am quite worried about global warming and what will happen to our beautiful earth, the one where all of us, Democrats and Republicans alike, have to live on and where we want to go on vacation and bequeath to our children and grandchildren and so on.Not to mention the animals!!!!

I was so impressed by Dr. Weart's excellent exposition of the scientific debate process that I would recommend it to any student for that alone.Just how does science reach a consensus that now is considered accepted fact, and I mean anything, not just global warming?For instance, the ice ages and even the existence of prehistoric life was once considered ridiculous, largely because of religious considerations.Not to mention evolution!!!

One thing that really impressed me was how he talked about the scientific publication community, how that works, what happens, and how years of a person's life can go into saying just one important sentence in a science paper.

Dr. Weart also showed how politics intersects with science, often in a very nasty manner.Nobody can remain objective anymore.Billions, nay trillions, of dollars are at stake.I laughed at his oft-repeated refrain (capitalization is his)More Money Should Be Spent On Research.

I only cry that this book was published in 2003 and not in 2006.Maybe he will do an update soon.I hope that our grandchildren will someday read books like this and smile, "Why did they ever worry so much about that???"Either global warming will turn out to be a chimera (unlikely) or the future people will discover neat ways to counteract it (I hope.)

All in all, many kudos to Dr. Weart!Thanks for a beautifully written book. ... Read more

Book Description
John Houghton explores the scientific basis of global warming and the likely impacts of climate change on human society in this comprehensive guide to the subject. He then addresses the action that could be taken by governments, industry and individuals to mitigate the effects of global warming. Previous Edition Hb (1997): 0-521-62089-9 Previous Edition Pb (1997): 0-521-62932-2Download Description
Global warming and the resulting climate change is one of the most serious environmental problems facing the world community. Global Warming: the Complete Briefing is the most comprehensive guide available to the subject. A world-renowned expert, Sir John Houghton explores the scientific basis of global warming and the likely impacts of climate change on human society, before addressing the action that could be taken by governments, by industry and by individuals to mitigate the effects. The first edition received excellent reviews, and this completely updated new edition (taking account of the latest IPCC Assessments, and now including questions at the end of chapters) will prove to be the best briefing the student or interested general reader could wish for. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Yes, It Really Is A Good Complete Briefing on Global Warming
The title of the book "Global Warming - The Complete Briefing" is aptly named, as it is an excellent briefing, or primer, on the subject of global warming.The book avoids the politics of global warming, which can grow tiresome to those of us who actually work in the climate change field. Instead, the book focuses on the basic science behind global warming, and is a very balanced, non-partisan approach to causes, effects, uncertainties, and potential impacts.

The reading level of the book is college level science, similar to a beginning or intermediate level physical science or meteorology class. If you are looking for an over-all guide to the science of global warming, this is a great book. If you are looking for a less academic, more popular-culture point of view on global warming, look into "Hell and High Water - Global Warming - The Solution and the Politics and What We Should Do" by Joseph Romm for an eminently enjoyable, easily readable guide to some of political and cultural aspects of global warming.

Excellent resource if you want to know the facts on global warming and climate change
I have just gotten half way through this book but am already finding it an excellent source of background information on global warming and climate change.It has a lot of technical information but is written at a level that most people can understand.I'm using it to prepare for a community education class I'll be teaching and finding it most helpful with facts on the science behind global warming.I recommend this book to anyone that wants to delve into the reasons behind what you're hearing in the news.The author is an internationally recognized expert and obviously knows what he's taking about.The book it written in a well balanced way pointing out the uncertainties and sticking to the facts.I'm looking forward to completing the rest of the book this week.

Here is the review I made on this book for class - Umass Boston.
The book "Global Warming: The Complete Briefing, Third edition" by John Houghton is a great guide to understanding how global warming works and how it affects us.
It offers many details and explains how much of the Earth climate phenomena work, and how human activity is altering Earth's climate. In this book review, I will go through the book and discuss what the strong points of each chapter were. I will end up the review by discussing the book's relevance to the class and offering a few suggestions.

Chapter 1, Global Warming and Climate Change, offers a great introduction to the book by explaining the concept of global warming. It talks about how, every year, human activity adds up more emissions of green house gases into an atmosphere that already contains 7 thousand million tones of carbon dioxide. The part that I consider the most helpful is figure 1.5 which talks about how climate change is integrated with human activity. This integration consists of Emissions and Concentrations of Greenhouse gases that lead to Climate Change, which Impacts Human and Natural systems. The diagram closes the loop by illustrating how Socio-economic developments can lead to mitigating the Emissions and Concentrations of Greenhouse gases. In many ways, this is the purpose of this book, to make people understand that it is up to us to develop Socio Economic paths to make use of our technology and governance to control the problem of Global warming. This is also the basis for Sustainable Development.

Chapter 2, The Greenhouse Effect, focuses on explaining the Greenhouse Effect in great detail. The strong points of this chapter are the diagrams presented in figure 2.2 and 2.6. Figure 2.2 shows an actual greenhouse and explains that the roof of the greenhouse keeps the sun rays from escaping easily, hence increasing the temperature. Figure 2.6 shows the Earth's "radiation budget" this puts into perspective how the clouds, the atmosphere and greenhouse gases all play roles in how much radiation from the sun is reflected back out into space, and how much is actually bounced back to Earth and remains as heat.

Chapter 3, The Greenhouse Gases, is about the various gases that induce global warming. The important part of this chapter is that it lets us know how much of each gas counts as a greenhouse gas. This is important for us to measure how much human activity accounts for global warming. The chapter explains that Carbon Dioxide is the main component of greenhouse gases and most of this gas is the result of human activity. Figure 3.1 is rather complicated, but it does a good job in explaining how the global carbon cycle is accumulating carbon in the atmosphere because the Earth can not readily soak up the extra carbon being produced by human activity. This is a key element for us to realize the extent of the problem that we have here. The yearly accumulation of Carbon in the atmosphere, as Carbon Dioxide, makes the problem harder to solve as time goes by.

Chapter 4 is called Climates of the Past. This chapter contains the most relevant piece of evidence to Global Warming, which is figure 4.1 - Global Temperature from 1861-2003. This figure presents evidence that the globe is warming up to higher temperatures during the last 75 years. The importance of this warming trend is because it coincides with the increase in using fossil fuels during the 20th Century. This figure shows that global warming is not part of a natural cycle but it is the result of human activity. Chapter 4 continues to describe the climate as far back as thousands of years, giving information pertaining the Vostok and Greenland records.

Chapter 5, Modeling the Climate, explains how weather forecasting, and other natural phenomena, such as the Ocean's circulation belt. The oceans circulation was the point that I found the most interesting as it pertains thermohaline circulation, as seen in the movie The Day After Tomorrow. The models described in this chapter mentions that, global warming and polar caps melting will weaken the thermohaline circulation and this will result in various climate effects such as colder temperatures for Europe and altering agricultural zones.

Chapter 6 is called Climate Change in the 21st Century and Beyond. The importance of this chapter is that it presents the estimated temperature forecasts for the next century. Figure 6.4 is also included in the movie An Inconvenient Truth as the "Hockey Stick Graph" - which shows an extreme increase in temperatures for the next 100 years, if the current warming trend continues and CO2 emissions are not substantially reduced.

Chapter 7, Impacts of Climate Change, shows the biggest problems we will face due to global warming. The most interesting information on this chapter is Desertification, because we can already see the multiple effects of this problem every time we hear about the Genocide in Darfur, which was catalyzed by famines that resulted from changes in the region's climate. The effects of desertification are also explained on this chapter under a section called "Impact on agriculture and food supply."

Chapter 8, Why Should we be Concerned?, allows us to study the concept of "Earth", and how culture plays a role in people's reaction and interaction with "Earth". The strength of this chapter is the ability of the author to convey the message that we should not separate religion from science if we really want to "Save the Earth." Instead the author's message is that we should develop Environmental Values and become Stewards of the Earth.

Chapter 9 is called Weighting Uncertainty. The basic idea behind this chapter is that the IPCC has been having problems in the past by not being able to tell people that Global Warming is 100% a result of Human activity. The idea of Sustainable Development is discussed in this chapter.

Chapter 10 is called A Strategy for Action to Slow and Stabilize Climate Change. The Montreal and Kyoto Protocols are talked about in this chapter. This chapter is a great reference to efforts that have been taken by the World Governments to deal with Global Warming.

Chapter 11 is called Energy and Transport of the Future. The most important aspect of this chapter is the discussion of the Future energy projections. Figure 11.4 and 11.5 show the different scenarios of what may happen in the next 100 years if the world chooses to use renewable energy or not. The significance of these figures is that they provide a reference for us to evaluate what may happen if things stay as they are. If the world does not choose renewable energy, the energy consumption is expected to be twice as much as it is today. This is the expected energy consumption presented in scenarios A & B, and this, not using renewable energy as is our status quo, would result in major catastrophes, widespread desertification, water shortages and limited agricultural zones. Figure 11.4 & 11.5 also give us scenario C, in which mainly renewable energy sources are used, this being the most promising scenario. The chapter also discusses Building efficiency, alternatives to transportation and energy production, all key to sustainable development.

The book offers high detail and complexity on every chapter. I think that the depth of this book makes it a very effective tool for anyone interested in climate change, possibly all of us. However, since the different climate mechanisms: patterns and phenomena, which are intrinsically complex, made it difficult for me to embrace all the concepts and theories as a whole. Perhaps the book should be studied as a year long course which would go into the depth that is required to understand the complexities of the book. Another way to solve this problem is for the book itself to have a summary or an author's perspective of how he sees the various different climate mechanisms, as "interacting with" and "affecting" each other. I believe that these interactions and effects can result in, either a worsening or lessening of the current climate change trends and this is not explicitly considered in this book, or perhaps, I missed.

Global Warming Explained
The book that I read is the second edition.Because the book is priced at $50+ I chose to do an interlibrary loan instead of purchasing a new copy.

Houghton takes a genuine and direct approach in his book.Indeed it is the complete briefing as advertised.The book starts from the very beginning by explaining the basics on greenhouse gases.The book doesn't get deep into molecular theory.A rounded presentation is given on what greenhouse gases do to the atmosphere and moves into why it is important to address the threat.It finishes by suggesting alternative energy sources.

While I'd like to recommend the book, you could spend the money to outfit a home in fluorescent lighting.

Fair, balanced, scientific, non-partisan, clear.
I have to take immediate issue with the [anonymous] reviews below that claim that this book doesn't address the difference between natural climate cycling and anthropogenic climate change: that difference, in a nutshell, is PRECISELY what this book deals with.Those reviewers never read it, or failed completely to follow its line of reasoning.This is NOT a partisan, political, ideological book.It is simply a guided tour of the science of climate change, revised in 2004.It carefully parses the current research.Read the table of contents [you can click on it at the top of the page] and see that the book is organized around the following inevitable questions: Is climate changing?How much is it changing?How much of that change is caused by people?What are the likely effects, short- and long-term, of these changes?What can we do about it?In the case of climate change, despite all of the political complications that have accrued to what was originally science, these questions are PRECISELY the ones a thinking person needs to ask.To have a book structured around them, referring, as it does, to the best [scientific, independently-refereed] research is a gift.It seems that almost everybody today picks their position on climate change as part of an ideological package-deal: most American conservatives almost automatically disdain the science because the Bush White House and Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter disdain it.Most American progressives almost automatically embrace the NOTION of climate change without actually knowing the science, because Al Gore, et al, have told them to.Both positions, taken in ignorance of the science, are ideolgical and symptomatic of the worst party-line politics.I urge you to read the science.It will take some effort, but that effort is our civic duty.This book has no agenda other than compiling the research and putting it before the reading public in an accessible format. ... Read more

Amazon.com
The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook is the official companion volume to the Live Earth concerts, 24 hours of nonstop concerts broadcast from around the world on July 7, 2007. The book presents 77 essential skills for stopping climate change--and for living through it. It is a fun, compelling, and sly deconstruction of a survival guide (think Boy Scouts of America crossed with WorldChanging atop the Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook) that offers equal parts tongue-in-cheek suggestions, practical advice, factual information, and bluesky dreaming of ways to save the world. Each skill is presented on a spread featuring a bright, full-color instructional illustration, a brief introduction to the skill and its core ideas, a set of instructions, spin-off ideas, and scientific and environmental facts. The book also includes a resource guide that provides useful resources for the eco-conscious reader.

More to Explore

An Inconvenient Truth: The Planetary Emergency of Global Warming and What We Can Do About It

Climate: The Force That Shapes Our World and the Future of Life on Earth

Home Enlightenment: Practical, Earth-Friendly Advice for Creating a Nurturing, Healthy, and Toxin-Free Home and Lifestyle

Earth in the Balance: Ecology and the Human Spirit

An Inconvenient Truth: The Crisis of Global Warming

... Read more

Customer Reviews (31)

Fun!
I thought this was fun, straitforward, and simple with a lot of great tips.A quick read that anyone can enjoy.

Five Major Errors in the First 21 Pages


There is a lot of misinformation in this book,and it's frequently the type of misinformation that I see re-circulated over and over again.

Here are the Top Five Errors found in just the first 21 pages of this book:

1."For every mile you travel,public transport uses around half the fuel of a private car." (page 13)

That is b.s.If you truthfully analyze the CO2 usage of mass transit you'll find that this analysis is wrong.Let's take NYC subways as an example.

Automobiles are a lot lighter than subway cars.If your average passenger vehicle weighs 3500 pounds,your average New York subway car weighs 23 times as much,weighing in at 80,000 pounds--and when was the last time you saw just one subway car running down a track?

Subways may be more efficient than automobiles when there is a passenger hanging from every strap,but that only happens from 7 am to 10 am and from 4 pm to 7 pm on Monday through Friday.However,NYC runs them 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Finally, most subway trains run on electricity.Unless they get their electricity from nuclear power (which NYC doesn't),theyare producing more CO2 per passenger mile than automobiles.Power plants are only 37% efficient and of 37% energy efficiency,another 10% is lost in distribution--bringing efficiency down to 33%.

So, subways do not use half the fuel per mile that private automobiles do. That is error #1.

2."A single tree provides enough oxygen for two people for their entire lives." (page 13)

That is b.s.It takes about 1500 trees,or 2.5 acres of densely planted woodland to produce the amount of oxygen needed for an average American."The single tree for two people" theory only takes into account the amount of oxygen you breathe. If you plan on eating too,then the fuel to grow the food,get it to you,and cook it makes that figure skyrocket.If you a planning on skiing in Vail this winter--or going anywhere by air---you are well out of the "one tree--two people" fantasy world.

That is error #2.

3."Convince every American household to replace one incandescent bulb with a CFL and prevent GHG equivalents to the annual emissions of 800,000automobiles." (Page 18).

This is b.s.The theory is that a CFL uses 26% as much energy to produce the same illumination as an ordinary light bulb.We'll use that assumption because everything else in the calculation is so b.s. that it doesn't matter.

If you burn a CFL 24 hours a day,365 days a year in your home, you save 19 1/4 lbs of CO2 a year,compared to a standard bulb.One gallon of gas produces 19 lbs of CO2.So, put in one CFL and you save the equivalent of 1 gallon of gas each year.

However,I don't leave my lights on 24 hours a day.I figure 8 hours per light is about average,so that gets it down to the equivalent of 1/3rd of a gallon of gasoline per year.

So if there are 103 million households saving 1/3rd gallon of gasoline per year,that's about 34 million gallons of gas,the amount used by 51,000 cars each year,not 800,000.

That is error #3.

4.If you use CFL's you can "deposit $30 to $50 of electricity savings in the bank over the life of the bulb." (Page 19)

That is b.s.The savings are about $2.40 per bulb per year at 8 hours of usage per day.Each bulb is predicted to last 5 years at 4 hours of use per day (that's G.E.'s estimate, not mine), so that's a savings of about 2.5 years time $2.40 per year, or $6 over the life of the bulb.

That is error #4.

5.Flying by commercial air carrier produces 1.36 CO2 equivalents per passenger mile. (Page 21)

That is b.s.According to best estimates, a short flight produces .56 lbs of CO2 per passenger mile, a medium length flight .46 lbs of CO2 per passenger miles, and a long flight .37 lbs of CO2 per passenger mile.

The figure in the book is off by 300%.

That is error #5.

Is this book has so many error in the first 21 pages, why would you want to read the next 138?

Good book!!
Very Good! I'm from Brazil and the product was delivered almost 10 days before the estimated delivery day. The book is nice, good pictures and the author uses simple words to describe what he wants.

Better an ounce of prevention than being a mutant goblin later
The best parts are the "If all else fails" part.Worth a read, btw.Especially if our economy collapses as it could real soon the way things are going.Books like this are great.I hope people buy them and set up a "Pass" club of passing them around.Get it so one book goes to a hundered people back and forth.Maybe they'll try at least a few of the suggestions;Lose a little weight, reduce meat eating, replace incadescent lighting with fluorescent, lower the weight of their car....Getting a few thousand people in every major city to do a few small steps will really help.And, better, it will frame the problem and put the need for the solutions into the GroupThink.That way, if the "All else fails" starts to arrive, people will know who caused it (rich elite, politicians, and to a point them) and be willing to do extreme solutions to lessen the damage.

Get this book and read it !
This book is an excellent primer for those who want to start learning about actionable steps that they can do as individuals, communities and families to help address the global warming environmental problem. It is written in easy-to-understand everyday vernacular with lots of humor and simple illustrations thrown in . It is not meant for the academic scientist, but rather for the ordinary citizen with a style that is especially appealing to the under 30 generation. I read this book from cover to cover, and I anticipate that I will be referring to it many times over the next several years.

Get this book and start learning how to walk the walk and talk the talk !

Note- this reviewer is proudly and positively prejudiced as his son was one of the contributing authors of the book. ... Read more

Book Description
Revisiting the most important topic of our time.

The rapid warming of the Earth’s climate has been a concern for decades. Though many of us understand that temperatures will—on average—rise, the science and the resulting social, economic, and political implications of such a change are far-reaching and complex. This new edition has been completely overhauled, synthesizing the latest information into an easy-to-read reference that provides a fair assessment of climate change, its costs, and even its short-term benefits.
? Covers the newest science and issues surrounding global warming
? Written by a seasoned science/nature journalist
... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A Good Starting Point
This book is a good introductory text for those who want to know more about the complex topic of climate change and "global warming".The book is easy to read and educational for those starting out in their examination of the field, though further reading on this topic will show that some of the core premises of the book are more contentious than the author seems to think.

A list of further readings is provided, though there are no sources listed for the arguments made by the aurthor, which can make it difficult for those who want to do their own fact-checking or to canvass alternative opinions.However, a whole (short) chapter is devoted to arguments against the impact of man and is consequences on the environment.

Unfortunately, like many modern texts on climate and the environment, the author seems wedded to the concept of biocentrality and "steady-state" systems, with no examination of the merits or pitfalls of such a position.

Still, overall, this book provides a good introduction to the general concepts and arguments around man's impact on global climate.

Some decent basic information but clearly biased.
This book has some good basic information but the author
isn't really interested in having anyone read views that
don't buy everything the leftist NGOs or the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change of the United Nations)
say (he states panelists are all "climatologists" which isn't true).He also states 100 Nobel Prize winners see global warming as a big problem caused by the "wealthy few." But most of these "winners" are not climate scientists and the Nobel Committee is very leftist oriented. In fact, the wealthier nations have the improving environments while poorer, socialist and communist nations (such as Zimbabwe) are usually worsening. His references for further reading don't include even one
so-called "skeptic" about global warming but includes Paul Ehrlich whose predictions have often been wrong. In the text, he briefly discusses Bjorn Lomborg with the clear implication he ISN'T an "environmentalist" which I doubt is true.He then doesn't bother to list Lomborg in the Index nor does he list the book as one to read though it has been widely praised.In his list of "Concerned Organizations," he lists every leftwing NGO but not one from those who have questioned the standard orthodoxy such as Cato or the American Enterprise Institute.

So, if you are interested in reading both sides of this issue,
here some suggestions for starters:

BOOKS: "The Collapse of the Kyoto Protocol," David Victor, Stanford University, published by the Council on Foreign Relations."The Satanic Gases" and "Meltdown"(2004), Dr. Patrick J. Michaels, Univ. of Virginia."The Environmental Case for Nuclear Power," Robert C. Morris."The Heated Debate," Dr. Robert C. Balling (also co-authored "Satanic Gases")."Ecoscam" and "Global Warming and Other Eco-Myths," Ronald Bailey. "Why Geography Matters" by Harm de Blij, noted geographer. "The Life and Death of Planet Earth" by Ward and Brownlee, Univ. of Washington. "Frozen Earth" by Douglas McDougall, U.C.-San Diego. "Hoodwinking the Nation" by Julian Simon and Lomborg's book which is simply amazing ("The Skeptical Environmentalist").

WEBSITES: www.sepp.org; www.worldclimatereport.com; www.techcentralstation.com/environment; www.envirotruth.org; www.lomborg.com; www.cato.org; Michael Crichton's website.There are many more but these are a good start.


... Read more

Book Description
Global Warming: Understanding the Forecast is a comprehensive introduction to all aspects of global warming. Written in an accessible way, and assuming no specialist prior knowledge, this important book examines the processes of climate change and climate stability, from the distant past to the distant future. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Basic mechanisms demystified
There are some annoying typographical errors in this book, otherwise I would give
it five stars --- visit the book's website for a list of errata.

Plenty of books tell you about global warming, but this book really does
dymystify the nuts and bolts of how climate scientists know what they
say they know. The book says it is based on a course for non-scientists and
it shows --- the explanations are clearly honed from experience of explaining
scientific concepts to non-scientists. It is always difficult for scientists
in any field to convey the depth of knowledge which has accumulated over
a long period of time to people coming from other disciplines, but this book
does a pretty good job.

Excellent undergrad-level description of the climate
The climate books by Flannery, Kolbert, etc. tend to be anecdotal, with qualitative descriptions of how the climate works.While I think those books are valuable, what's been missing is a more technical description of the physics of the climate system that's accessible to people who aren't physics majors.This book is it.It serves as a bridge between the fully qualitative books and highly technical textbooks requiring calculus.There is some math in it, so math-phobes might approach it with caution.I think the book would be especially useful to scientists or grad students who want to know something about the climate problem, but don't want to invest a lot of time in reading dense textbooks or journal articles.I'm going to have my incoming grad students who did not major in atmospheric sciences read it in order to educate themselves quickly about the climate.

The next best thing to enrolling at U. of Chicago
I wish to commend this wonderful book written by my colleague, David Archer.The class upon which this book is based is a runaway success, and each year it seems they need to find a bigger lecture hall.When you have read the books like "The Weather Makers," and "Field Notes from a Catastrophe," and are ready for something more quantitative but still fairly gentle on the math, this is the one for you.I think it's the best source around for people who want to get a true scientific understanding of the physics and chemistry of climate change.

Great Book For Anyone!
I honestly believe that after reading this book, anyone will be able to confidently discuss global warming topics from an objective viewpoint.

Dr. Archer wrote this book after teaching a course with the same title for several years. His writing style is as great as his lecture style - non-intimidating, humorous, well-explained examples and analogies, and he teaches the science behind the famous words "global warming". There is no arm-waving or magical answer. The descriptive text encourages the reader to find answers themselves via simple calculations. In addition, several fun and relevant web-based models are included. For example, in one model, you can calculate how the earth's temperature may change if you increase the carbon dioxide content of the atmosphere. In another, you can play with the supply of fossil fuels and predict how long it will be before we run out.

I've been a teaching assistant to Dr. Archer for two years, and his lectures, which this book is partially based on, have helped students with no previous background understand the science behind global warming, and enjoy themselves while doing it.But as a graduate student, I still find myself consulting his book for general facts about the carbon cycle or atmosphere. It truly is a book that can be enjoyed at any level of background, especially today, when global warming is such a hot (no pun intended) topic. I've read the book each year, and look forward to reading it again. Definitely a great buy! ... Read more

Book Description

Book Description
Bestselling author Bill McKibben turns activist in the first hands-on guidebook to stopping climate change, the world's greatest threat Hurricane Katrina. A rapidly disappearing Arctic. The warmest winter on the East Coast in recorded history. The leading scientist at NASA warns that we have only ten years to reverse climate change; the British government's report on global warming estimates that the financial impact will be greater than the Great Depression and both world wars-combined. Bill McKibben, the author of the first major book on global warming, The End of Nature, warns that it's no longer time to debate global warming, it's time to fight it. Drawing on the experience of Step It Up, a national day of rallies held on April 14, McKibben and the Step It Up team of organizers provide the facts of what must change to save the climate and show how to build the fight in your community, church, or college. They describe how to launch online grassroots campaigns, generate persuasive political pressure, plan high-profile events that will draw media attention, and other effective actions. This essential book offers the blueprint for a mighty new movement against the most urgent challenge facing us today. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Global Warming Handbook for Action
Bill Mckibben and students have written a good handbook for activists and potential activists on how to gain public attention on the issue of global warming.The book describes how the "Step It Up" campaign began, and how they operated on a shoestring budget, with few organizers and little time.(The Step It Up campaign is a public awareness effort at the grass roots level to convince congress to pass laws to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by the year 2050.)I had not heard of the Step It Up campaign before reading this book, so it's questionable on how effective their efforts were.As a "how-to" type book, I'm guessing it might be useful if you've never participated in an activist group before (as I have not). If you have already participated in the Step It Up campaign, this book is probably not necessary for you to read.

The book contains very little climate change science, or even descriptions on what climate change may bring if not controlled.It is definitely a quick read on ideas for community activism. ... Read more

Book Description

In the global-warming debate, definitive answers to questions about ultimate causes and effects remain elusive. In Global Warming: Myth or Reality? Marcel Leroux seeks to separate fact from fiction in this critical debate from a climatological perspective. Beginning with a review of the dire hypotheses for climate trends, the author describes the history of the 1998 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and many subsequent conferences. He discusses the main conclusions of the three IPCC reports and the predicted impact on global temperatures, rainfall, weather and climate, while highlighting the mounting confusion and sensationalism of reports in the media. After taking a hard look at the reality of the greenhouse effect, the evidence from climate models, and the models limitations, Leroux postulates alternate causes of climate change and analyzes the trends for global temperatures, rainfall patterns, and sea level. He poses the heretical question if warming may be considered a benefit in some regions. Finally Leroux suggests a number of priorities for climatologists to better understand processes of climate change, to integrate them into climate models, and to predict accurately future changes in climate. This timely and controversial book lays out the scientific case of the sizable skeptical scientific community who challenge the accepted wisdom.

Customer Reviews (2)

A MUST read.
Anyone who claim having an opinion on the issue of Anthropogenic Global Warming cannot ignore this book. This is no journalist romanced account nor a guru dire predictions. This is a scientific demonstration based on observations and accute scientific understanding and reasonning. It should be in every school library and science teachers should have read it answer students' question with knowledge. True it is not light reading but there is no other way to explain the fundamentals of atmospheric circulation, its relation to climates and expose the perversions of cooky cutter science. Should you read one book, this one is the one.

Analysis not Rhetoric
Aside from the first four chapters (which provide an excellent, if strident, history of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), this is a thorough text book on climate analysis for the layman.It develops a cogent theory of how the atmosphere works and explains each of the issues involved from the eccentricity of the earth's orbit, the tilt of the poles, the impact of the solar cycle, to a detailed look at the defects in climate modeling and how one might expect the atmosphere to react if, indeed, the earth were warming or cooling.Great care is taken to explain the impact of each of the green house gases (including the most significant, water vapor, and how its omission from IPCC studies impacts the conclusions).Not light reading, but well worth the effort. ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (1)

A good start to learn about global warming
I'm 11 and Im confident that my generation will end up having to find a way to begin changing the direction of apathy and neglect relating to our one and only home that we share - Planet Earth.This book helps begin to interest kids into the responsibility that we must step up to.New jobs, new vision, new attitudes etc are necessary. I like the examples and suggestions the book provides and mostly the concept that it continuously suggest that we must begin working on it today. ... Read more

Book Description

Demystifying one of today's key global issues

This important guide addresses the causes of global warming and its effects on the Earth's climate in bestselling Demystified format. You will learn about the physical science behind climate change, including the chemical processes that upset the Earth's thermal balance. The book makes a distinction between what is known for certain, what many scientists now believe to be true, and what is informed speculation, subject to further interpretation. It then presents a wide range of solutions which can be pursued by individuals, as well as society as a whole.

Customer Reviews (1)

Awesome book!
This book was very informative, especially for people who don't fully understand science. Full of great examples and pictures! Highly highly recommended! ... Read more

Product Description
Our book is an Earth Science Fictional account of a young boy, Stephen, 10, with two of his best pals, Jackie and Mattie, ages 10 and 8 respectively, who help him help his dad bring a environmentally sa