Product Description
In graphic novel format, follows the adventures of Max Axiom, a science teacher and super-cool super-scientist, as he explains the science behind global warming. ... Read more

Product Description
The second edition of Dessler and Parson's acclaimed book provides an integrated treatment of the science, technology, economics, policy, and politics of climate change. Aimed at the educated non-specialist, and at courses in environmental policy or climate change, the book clearly lays out the scientific foundations of climate change, the issues in current policy debates, and the interactions between science and politics that make the climate change debate so contentious and confusing. This new edition is brought completely up to date to reflect the rapid movement of events related to climate change. In addition, all sections have been improved, in particular a more thorough primer on the basic science of climate change is included. The book also now integrates the discussion of contrarian claims with the discussion of current scientific knowledge; extends the discussion of cost and benefit estimates; and provides an improved glossary. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

climate Con: How It Pays Off
What if CO2 emissions from 6,000 older inefficient PCs in Duluth could be reduced by half by replacing them with one big 5-acre computer in Des Moines run by just 88 people? Think of what we'd save in CO2 emissions!
We'll establish another UN bureaucracy with green jobbers to monitor this mitigation plan! And we'll finance it all - and a make a ton of money - with an annual fee per ton of CO2 emissions saved - paid by New Yorkers required by law to pony up - every year for the life of the computer in Des Moines, estimated at 20 years. We'll charge fees for any files printed in Des Moines and delivered to Duluth (but ignore the CO2 emissions generated in transit).
Along with the Teamsters, NGOs and bureaucrats, New Yorkers will be thrilled by this plan since these are green jobs and, after all, we're saving the planet!
And what could possibly be better than that?

[...]

Ludicrous right wing baloney.
Ludicrous right wing baloney. There have now been thousands of peer-reviewed professional papers published by seasoned relevant researchers demonstrating, not only historically out of bounds global climate CHANGE (not all of it will be warming), but statistically driven proof of human causality. How many peer reviewed studies have been published demonstrating a LACK of human causality? Anyone? Oh, that's right. It is zero, zip, nada. Right wingers lie about climate change but scientists go by the results, even if they contradict their possible pre-existing beliefs. I have seen quite a few professionals who have abandoned their prior skepticism about climate CHANGE (not all of it will be warming). Why is the British government leading the global effort to deal with the issue. Because they are scared spitless by the increasingly rapid loss of the Greenland icecap. NASA satellite measurements have recently shown that the loss rate has been twice that predicted only about 5 years ago. This leads to a great increase in 'bergs' being calved off of the edge of the icecap. These bergs float out into the northern Atlantic and slowly melt when they get in the warm current coming across from the Gulf. This influx of cold fresh water decreases the salinity of the so-called 'Atlantic conveyor' which carries heat from the warmer southern waters up to the area of the British Isles. The heat is released there, often in the form of warm precipitation, and the cooler resulting water sinks to the bottom due to its high salinity and flows back towards the south. Seabed deposits show that the Atlantic conveyor has totally stopped several times (at least) in the last 100,000 years. That is very much not a good thing. The loss of the added heat from the Atlantic conveyer basically makes the British Isles and much of western Europe almost uninhabitable and destroys any form of agriculture. Only the most incompetent leader would stand back and watch that sad fate developing without taking immediate strong action. I firmly believe that Tony Blair tried to maintain close ties with the current administration to get more influence over U.S. climate change policy. It remains to be seen whether that worked. And, yes, there have been numerous warming and cooling periods on Earth historically. Primarily driven by the increasing well understood Milankovitch cycles. The cycles run the earth's climate system with a little help (!) from the sun. The statistical variance in a cycle comes from other influences including human intervention.

Global Warming:Reality
Dessler and Parson have provided a welcome contribution on the subject of climate change. It is, of course, a nightmare for the climate change denial folks. Clearly written and making the critical distinction between science and political decision making, the authors lay out the case for a rapid response to a looming disaster. The book provides a counter balance for the nonsense being spewed forth by the likes of Rush Limbaugh, Joanne Nova and Senator Orrin Hatch. It will not change the minds of politicians whose campaigns are funded by the energy industry, but it should sway the opinion of a literate public with its compelling arguments: 'We have met the enemy and he is us.'

excellent, brief introduction to the science and politics
In my effort to learn about climate change, I found it admittedly very difficult to read the lengthy IPCC reports (e.g. Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis), so it's wonderful to have Dessler's and Parson's short, inexpensive book to give a guide to the findings of the IPCC, as well as to explain some of the politics in a calm, rational way. I think that any citizen genuinely interested in this topic should try to become familiar with the actual IPCC findings.

What is the IPCC ?What have they concluded ?How uncertain are the conclusions ?How have the policy makers reacted ?What are the scientific criticisms ?These issues are explained in this nice compact book.A very good aspect of this book is that it conforms to the standard practice of scientific argument: it shows data, describes theories (models), discusses how the theory fits data, explains the uncertainties, and (importantly) cites references.When looking into this subject, I suggest the reader beware of books or articles that are primarily "expert opinion" with no, or very little, reference to actual data.

The only reasons I didn't give 5 stars are: a) I would have liked it if the book could have covered the 2007 edition of IPCC report (maybe they will update it ?), and b) The book has a somewhat dry, academic style which probably will not make it very popular with a mass audience, hence limiting it's impact.At least it's short, though. Perhaps when they update it they can bring in a science writer to improve the style.

Eschew Obfuscation
I was disappointed in the writing.The book reads like a scientific treatise.The authors write, "This tangling of positive with normative claims, and of explicit arguments with unstated assumptions, obstructs reasoned deliberations on public policy."(p. 22.)OK.No doubt this is true.It borders on common sense and needs to be said.The problem is that, for the non-scientific person to whom this book is addressed, such language obstructs understanding.We don't talk that way.I gather that the authors are keen to be as objective and sound in their discussion as possible.Certainly this is commendable.Do they need to speak in these kinds of terms in order to be objective?Do they need to speak in such language in order to convey these basic concepts?Not to the degree they have done so.I give the book only four stars because I was anxious to learn more about this topic, and I was annoyed when an "accessible primer" is made unnecessarily difficult.I'm not planning in taking a degree in the subject. ... Read more

Product Description
We can do better than just slow down global warming. We can fix it. This book shows how.Increasing the organic matter in the world's soils is the only practical and cost-effective way to stop the worldwide catastrophe of global warming. By switching to sustainable energy sources that don't add carbon to the atmosphere, we can keep global warming stopped. Yet these proven solutions are poorly understood, scattered among specialties, and surrounded by confusion and conflict. Priority One shows how to combine these proven solutions so we can stabilize the world's climate, bolster lagging economies, and enhance human health. But we need to act now, before this one-time opportunity is gone. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Interesting ideas, some inaccuracies
The idea of sequestering carbon in organic soils is interesting, particularly the idea of no-till farming which requires much less energy and chemicals than "modern" farming methods.Understanding carbon cycles in agriculture and forestry is currently a subject of intense study.The sheer quantity of land involved makes this an important component of any plan to reduce carbon emissions.The book is worth reading for the author's willingness to consider unorthodox ideas and methods.I doubt his assumptions regarding the ease of disposal of nuclear waste, in light of the mess we are now trying to clean up next to the Columbia River in Washington State.This, and other leaps of logic, seemed to conflict with reason.Glean the unique ideas, but you are better off reading scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals for accurate information.

The only complete book on the problem
An intrepid, thorough exploration of the issue of global warming, focused on proven solutions. Al Gore and others have done great work in bringing the problem to the awareness of many, but if our only antidote is restricting emissions, we have no way of reducing excess atmospheric carbon, no way of solving the problem. The message becomes, "let's wreck the planet more slowly."

If that message seems lacking or indifferent to you, then you owe it to yourself and your descendants to read this book.

The soil contains twice the carbon that the atmosphere does, in organic matter. Generations of moldboard plowing, nitrogen fertilizer, and other agrochemicals have put this carbon into the atmosphere to a far greater extent than most realize. There are huge potentials, based on solidly proven and economically sound techniques, for reversing this flow, for removing the excess carbon from the atmosphere and stabilizing it in soil organic matter. Perennial grasses are key, and yield tremendous auxiliary benefits. The 8 percent or so of the earth's surface that is agricultural and pastureland soils, over which we have great influence through food and farm decisions and policies, could remove the excess atmospheric carbon fairly quickly.

Many have recognized the potential of increasing soil carbon to mitigate or stop global warming. But it has been a difficult concept for an urbanized population to comprehend. It is far easier to focus on emissions from smokestacks and exhaust pipes. Allan Yeomans has been in agriculture most of his life, and he does an excellent and thorough job of explaining soil carbon and other relevant topics to nonexperts.

Yeomans points to biofuels and nuclear energy as the solution to continued high energy needs. Again, these are not speculative potentials, but solidly proven. His comparison of the risks of nuclear to those of coal and oil are fascinating and revealing.

This book contains provocative, inconvenient truths. It is NOT conventional thinking. The climate change discussion will never be the same.

Viable Solutions Instead of Platitudes--In Public Service

This 492 page book is the work of a a seriious pioneer in Australia who decided that the public could use a serious book with serious solutions, instead of the range of platitudes, fear-mongering, or outright misrepresentation (energy companies like Exxon lying about the facts).

It is an over-size bookthat ships from the USA and reached me in a few days instead of the 4-6 weeks that Amazon shows.It is very well laid out, two-column, 12 chapters, listing 50 specific local, national, and global strategies that can be implemented today.I regard this book as the graduate school equivalent of "50 Simple Things You Can Do to Save the Earth."

What I find especially powerful about this book is that it focuses less on the industrial undermining of the atmosphere, and more on agriculture, which suffers from a range of problems including top soil rather than deep root farming, very unwise use of toxic chemcials that pollute aquifers (while failing to separate animal feces from water feeding into spinach fields, as the US found to its horror recently).

The author also does a superb job of pointing out that global warming is an ENERGY problem as much as it is an emissions problem.It is down-right nuts for the US to contront Iran over the need for nuclear energy while pretending that the US is not the primary proliferator of both nuclear technologies and the weapons of death.Safe nuclear energy as well as many forms of renewalbe solar and wind energy, and portable energy such as hydrogen from water using a renewable energy to make it effective, are all with us now.

Bottom line: this book should be in every educational program that seeks to understand solutions, and this book should be required reading for everyone that respects "Inconvenient Truth."This book is the book you read after you agree with Al Gore, and recognize that he is summarizing, very eloquently, the problem, without actually providing any solutions.

Winston Churchill, God-Father of the English-speaking peoples, is smiling down at Allan Yeomans, the author and self-financed publisher of this volume--he's fighting the real war for our future, rather than the false war against terrorism.

A book like this would normally sell for US$75 or so, but the author, as a public service, ordered it to be priced close to cost plus Amazon commision plus shipping from Australia, and only recently found a US distributor so the book could be listed in the world's single greatest library catalog, Amazon.com. ... Read more

Product Description
Reforestation and avoiding deforestation are methods of harnessing nature to tackle global warming - the greatest challenge facing humankind. In this book, Colin Hunt deals comprehensively with the present and future role of forests in climate change policy and practice.

The author provides signposts for the way ahead in climate change policy and offers practical examples of forestry's role in climate change mitigation in both developed and tropical developing countries. Chapters on measuring carbon in plantations, their biodiversity benefits and potential for biofuel production complement the analysis. He also discusses the potential for forestry in climate change policy in the United States and other countries where policies to limit greenhouse gas emissions have been foreshadowed. The author employs scientific and socio-economic analysis and lays bare the complexity of forestry markets. A review of the workings of carbon markets, based both on the Kyoto Protocol and voluntary participation, provides a foundation from which to explore forestry's role. Emphasis is placed on acknowledging how forests' idiosyncrasies affect the design of markets for sequestered carbon. The realization of forestry's potential in developed countries depends on the depth of cuts in greenhouse gas emissions, together with in-country rules on forestry. An increase in funding for carbon retention in tropical forests is an immediate imperative, but complexities dictate that the sources of finance will likely be dedicated funds rather than carbon markets.

This timely and comprehensive book will be of great value to any reader interested in climate change. Policy-makers within international agencies and governments, academics and students in the fields of geography, economics, science policy, forestry, development studies as well as carbon market participants and forest developers in the private sector will find it especially useful. ... Read more

Product Description
Is the weather truly getting worse? When it comes to global warming, dire predictions seem to be all we see or hear. Climatologists Patrick Michaels and Robert Balling Jr. explain why the news and information we receive about global warming have become so apocalyptic. The science itself has become increasingly biased, with warnings of extreme consequences from global warming becoming the norm. That bias is then communicated through the media, who focus on only extreme predictions. The authors compellingly illuminate the other side of the story, the science we aren't being told. This body of work details how the impact of global warming is far less severe than is generally believed and far from catastrophic. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (29)

Couldn't finish the book ...
I wish I could say I read the entire book.But I didn't.I just couldn't.

It's entirely possible the authors have a point -- and that they make it in the book.

But because every page is FILLED with arcane numbers, stats and graphs, you'd never know it.

The first three chapters consume 100 pages, and in the first pages of Chapter 4, I realized I wasn't going to finish the book.I have no doubt the information is in there, and that the book can / will be useful to ... someone.But not me.

Good gracious.Life is too short!

Reality Check
Well, it seems now there are some people who cling to notions that the current global warming is nothing to be bothered about. We could argue about the science until the sun becomes a dwarf star, but the point we should keep in mind is that the overwhelming majority of the world's scientists do accept the "AGW" and consider it something to be greatly concerned about. But let me put it another way. I'm sure you've heard of "Pascal's Wager" regarding the existence of God. Well, think of this climate argument as "Gore's wager." If global warming is nothing to be concerned about, what have we lost by believing it is and taking the appropriate actions? We might clean up the air and the oceans, stop sending billions of dollars over to Muslim countries for oil, we might develop many new businesses and create lots of new jobs, and the only thing the world would lose is an unhealthy environment. If the doom-sayers are right, however, and we do nothing, then we might tip the planet into a runaway climate change that might destroy life on Earth and leave us smoldering like Venus. I personally don't want this, and hope we can stop fouling our own nest, but I say again, even if the predictions are too dire, what do we stand to lose except an unhealthy environment and a dependent relationship with an Arab country (Saudi Arabia) that is cranking our terrorists faster than we can even name them? Personally, I see no reason not to take the threat seriously. Exxon Mobil would have to move to alternate energy and give up their obscene profits, but somehow that doesn't bother me too much. (I agreed with another readers assessment so much, felt worthwhile to repost it)
Check out the following website, very interesting:
[...]

Well worth reading for anyone interested in the topic, regardless current opinion
This is a serious review of some of the most recent observational data in the context of how it conforms, or does not, to the various predictions made by prognosticators of serious environmental impacts associated with 'Global Warming', and with the predictions of climate change made by various 'Global Warming' models themselves.

Agree or disagree with the analysis of the authors, it raises serious questions that need to be addressed.

It's a reasonably well written treatment for such rather technical material, approachable without sacrificing too much technical detail, well organized and coherent.

I'd recommend it highly to anyone interested in Climate or Climate Policy regardless of one's particular perspective on the issues.

It's also excellent referenced for a popular treatment, and allows those interested to continue to investigate both the authors' arguments and their treatment of the information from their sources.

A damn good book!!!
Patrick Michaels and Robert Balling have done a great job of exposing the tripe, and worse, that have nearly overwhelmed all sectors of our nation.The authors should receive the Nobel Prize for Literature next year and the Pulitzer Prize as well."Then truth will out," and finally it has.

Graphs, Graphs, Charts, Charts, is that All You Can't Manage?
I get a little tired of people complaining that they have to read a chart or a graph to understand something, or that they have to wade through one while reading an important book.When I was in secondary school, you couldn't graduate without showing rudimentary ability to read a graph.

The writers have the credentials to tackle the subject and do it well.I'm reminded of the book "Silent Spring" (Ehrlich is still a tenured professor last I checked) that warned of global freezing in the early 1970s and influence the tail end of the hippie generation.

When it comes to verbal explanation of the man-made Armageddon through global warming hoax, I would send those who cannot read graphs to YouTube and listen to a brief lecture by Christopher Monckton, Prime Minister Marager Thatcher's science advisor, who debunks the false science well.And to think that exposure of the hoax through the publication of e-mails from the University of East Anglia came out after this book--what a shame.

Nonetheless, the case for climate cycles is irrefutable, and man's contribution to them is negligible.No, Mr. Glover, the "failure" of Copenhagen did not lead to the earthquake in Haiti.
If I ever hear Dennis Franz (the most believable cop I know of on film or TV) ever utters such gibberish I may have to seriously consider Hari Kari.

But, until that time comes, even with my Ph.D. in hand, I recommend this book to anyone interested in the TRUTH, which the scientific method helps us distinguish from fallacy, but a search for which is never entirely over.I write this after the election of Senator Brown in Massachusetts, so I don't have to rail against the insanity of Cap and Trade at the moment.The bumper sticker I have seen one of my neighbors put on his or her auto that they paid for their Carbon Dioxide emissions in advance, makes my laugh and cry.Where would the American breadbasket, that feeds the world, be without Carbon Dioxide.Thanks to the NEA, do the young "skulls full of mush" that Limbaugh refers to not even know basic physiology and plant physiology?

May God help us when scientific dialogue is completely silenced by the supporters of State decrees about the outcome of informed debate. ... Read more

Product Description

“Comprehensive, readable, and replete with current, useful examples, this book provides a much-needed explanation of how to be a critical consumer of the scientific claims we encounter in our everyday lives.”

–April Cordero Maskiewicz, Department of Biology, Point Loma Nazarene University

“Seethaler’s book helps the reader look inside the workings of science and gain a deeper understanding of the pathway that is followed by a scientific finding–from its beginnings in a research lab to its appearance on the nightly news.”

–Jim Slotta, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto

“How I wish science was taught this way! Seethaler builds skills for critical thinking and evaluation. The book is rich with examples that not only illustrate her points beautifully, they also make it very interesting and fun to read.”

–Julia R. Brown, Director, Targacept, Inc.

Don’t Get Hoodwinked! Make Sense of Health and Science News...and Make Smarter Decisions!

Every day, there’s a new scientific or health controversy. And every day, it seems as if there’s a new study that contradicts what you heard yesterday. What’s really going on? Who’s telling the truth? Who’s faking it? What do scientists actually know—and what don’t they know? This book will help you cut through the confusion and make sense of it all—even if you’ve never taken a science class! Leading science educator and journalist Dr. Sherry Seethaler reveals how science and health research really work...how to put scientific claims in context and understand the real tradeoffs involved...tell quality research from junk science...discover when someone’s deliberately trying to fool you...and find more information you can trust!  Nobody knows what new controversy will erupt tomorrow. But one thing’s for certain: With this book, you’ll know how to figure out the real deal—and make smarter decisions for yourself and your family!

Watch the news, and you’ll be overwhelmed by snippets of badly presented science: information that’s incomplete, confusing, contradictory, out-of-context, wrong, or flat-out dishonest. Defend yourself! Dr. Sherry Seethaler gives you a powerful arsenal of tools for making sense of science. You’ll learn how to think more sensibly about everything from mad cow disease to global warming–and how to make better science-related decisions in both your personal life and as a citizen.

You’ll begin by understanding how science really works and progresses, and why scientists sometimes disagree. Seethaler helps you assess the possible biases of those who make scientific claims in the media, and place scientific issues in appropriate context, so you can intelligently assess tradeoffs. You’ll learn how to determine whether a new study is really meaningful; uncover the difference between cause and coincidence; figure out which statistics mean something, and which don’t.

Seethaler reveals the tricks self-interested players use to mislead and confuse you, and points you to sources of information you can actually rely upon. Her many examples range from genetic engineering of crops to drug treatments for depression...but the techniques she teaches you will be invaluable in understanding any scientific controversy, in any area of science or health.

^   Potions, plots, and personalities: How science progresses, and why scientists sometimes disagree

^   Is it “cause” or merely coincidence? How to tell compelling evidence from a “good story”

^   There are always tradeoffs: How to put science and health claims in context, and understand their real implications

^   All the tricks experts use to fool you, exposed! How to recognize lies, “truthiness,” or pseudo-expertise

Customer Reviews (18)

Clear, helpful and useful
The others have done a good job of explaining this book. It is an antidote to my screaming at the TV or newspaper and saying "that's not clear, you idiot" I wanted to buy a bunch of copies and make each member of my family read it. Then I'd take it down to the grandkids school and volunteer to teach this stuff.
We NEED to think like this. We need to stop being so gullible to stakeholders. The election ads illustrate this easily.

Don't look now, your agenda's showing...
This is not new information, and contrary to what the author purports, many science teachers today can and do teach this stuff.It's also frequently taught in health classes and in some language arts classes.But seriously, how many people remember even a fraction of what they learned in middle school and high school?

Anyway, this book, though it does have good information regarding media manipulation, corporate number juggling, etc., is by no means unbiased.She may have tried to appear neutral, but in every example her choice of vocabulary to describe the actions and ideas of the various interested parties make it quite clear which side of the debates she falls on.

I would suggest using the tools in this book to evaluate the book itself as you read it - a mildly amusing activiy.I did want to finish it because of my background in science and education, but I was very disappointed in the bias.I had my hopes up, too.Oh well.

Elucidation
First and foremost: The author knows the correct use of "elucidate." How do I know this? She makes endless use of the word in this otherwise ho-hum book.

OK, so science wasn't your bag in high school, and that college you attended let you graduate without additional math, and perhaps only a poet's look at some form of science, and now you wonder what all the hubbub is about.

This book is written to be your salvation. That's what it says, right there in the first pages.

Yep, and pigs fly, not that it really mentions anything about flying pigs. I just used that to emphasize my lack of excitement about this book.

Perhaps it's because I've worked in an erstwhile science all these many years, but I found the book deadly dull. Enough so that it probably would work as an introduction to a research methods class of some sort, not that I'm likely to ever teach one of those again.

Looking for a read to see you through the next business trip? This is not it.

Good Basic Info
If you have a casual interest in science but would like to learn more about the process and how to evaluate research you hear in the news, this is a great guide.It's well written and action-oriented, being a quick read that doesn't feel padded.

I give it 4 stars instead of 5 only because more advanced readers may not learn anything new.They'll still enjoy the read and it will serve as a good refresher, though.

Good introduction to the world of science
The author begins by noting that (Page xvii): "My goal in writing this book is to help people make sense of the science-related issues that impact their daily lives." The following ten chapters try to show how science as an enterprise works, how disagreements develop, and how they are resolved. The book also addresses how to make sense of scientific disagreements. The conclusion notes 20 applications of what went before.

Among examples: Legitimate criticism can be distinguished from science bashing; Beware of the self-declared revolutionary who claims to be unappreciated by the scientific community; The meaning of statistics can be distorted by the data collection procedures.

The book provides grist for thinking about science in chapter 10, by providing case studies of claims, who is making the claim, clues as to whether the claim is scientifically based or not, caveats regarding the findings, and an evaluation of the piece of research mentioned. In short, the chapter provides test cases of the reader's ability to apply lessons to concrete examples of research.

At any rate, a useful volume that helps readers make sense of the enterprise of science and evaluate scientific debate. Well written. . . .
... Read more

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Customer Reviews (39)

Scientifict Dishonesty -
"Merchants of Doubt" tells how a few scientists and advisers with strong connections in politics and industry have run campaigns to undermine well-established scientific findings linking smoking to lung cancer, sulfur emissions to acid rain, CFCs to the ozone hole, and CO2 to global warming. Their tactics include false accusations of expunging the views of those who don't agree, using political contacts to try and have proponents fired, and blatant deceit. They also deny the reality of the problem - eg. global warming isn't happening, the data just reflects natural variation, and it could easily be adapted to.

Fred Seitz, Fred Singer, Robert Jastrow, and William Nierenberg, all physicists, are the most notorious at this. All served in high levels of science administration, and had dealt extensively with the media. Over 20+ years they did almost no original research in any of the areas they weighed in on with doubts. Tobacco companies funded research that hopefully would demonstrate other causes for the outcomes it was accused of - stress, genetics, and some others. Seitz had previously participated in the development of the A-bomb, he then went on to become science advisor to NATO, the president of the National Academy of Sciences and an ex officio member of the U.S. President's Science Advisory Committee. After that Seitz became president of Rockefeller University - while there R.J. Reynolds funded $500,000 in research for 5 years, and in 1979 upon retirement Seitz became and advisor to the RJR Board. Defending RJR wasn't hard for Seitz because he was a a bit of a genetic determinist.

Legal cases typically foundered on the difficulty proving that a specific case was caused by smoking, and the fact that not everyone who smokes gets cancer. Eventually the industry was found guilty per RICO because documents showed it knew the dangers of smoking as early as 1953 and conspired to suppress that knowledge. It was not until the 1990s that the industry began to lose court cases, and it took the FDA until 2009 to get authority to regulate tobacco as an addictive drug (took 15+ years).

Side Note: Since nuclear weapons decay over time, agreement to stop building new ones is tantamount to disarming.

Acid rain harms plant growth, fish, and structures.

a must read
Just finished reading this book and enjoyed it very much. I found it well researched and bringing up numerous points that need to be discussed.I liked their explanation of how science works via peer review, validation of test results etc. and feel that information should be taught to every civics class in America that proper reading of science papers could be done by all.If we had that, much of this debate of the reality of global warming (and it is real and man causes it)would never have happened and the real discussion we need of what to do about it would be in full swing, if not resolved.The chapters on smoking, acid rain, DDT and global warming are excellent and knowing how certain scientists not versed in those fields can obfuscate the debate was eye opening.The chapter on SDI, not so much.That SDI is a pipe dream seems little reason to berate those pushing it.That SDI is far fetched and seems impossible to achieve is normally cause to try harder to overcome the obsticles.
Last, I am not sure they were right about the motivations of the scientists they show as the biggest blocks to all the findings of the various chapters.I think a main problem of both extremes, the right and the left is a disdain/disbelief of the vast middle.The right seems to believe we are too quick to just want the government to solve things via more regulation and the left seems to believe we are not active/aware enough for our own good and we must be regulated by the government to save us from ourselves. In that case, science matters little except how it helps your cause and you do what ever it takes for your side to win at the expense of the good of the people.

sometimes you can tell a book by its cover

When I first picked up this book and read the jacket, I thought
it would be about global warming. It is not. There is no scientific inquiry,
and no balanced views. The authors intent is to create some bogey men and
beatify others, notably Michael Mann who wrote one of the worst scientific papers
ever (the hockey-stick tree-ring fiasco). There is only one graphic in the entire
book (on page 188). That said, one may still judge this book by its cover.
The picture on the cover is about blowing smoke. That is the content of this book.

Cold War warriors find a new enemy
It's easy to understand - if not condone - the behavior of politicians who are financed by tobacco and oil companies. They oppose the regulation of smoking or pollution because they benefit from the financial contributions of those industries. But what motivates certain scientists to relentlessly cast doubt on peer-reviewed scientific evidence that's inconveniently contrary to financial interests? Merchants of Doubt attempts to answer this question.

To some extent, the motivation for certain scientists is the same as that of politicians. Those who opposed the issues covered by this book - nuclear winter (could we survive a nuclear war), Star Wars, acid rain, the ozone hole, global warming, DDT, cigarette smoking and second-hand smoke - are frequently members of "institutes" or think tanks heavily funded by tobacco and "dirty" energy donations. The answer is much more complex than money, however. And much more interesting.

It turns out that a handful of scientists - mostly physicists -- are behind all of these issues. Their names - except for Dixy Lee Ray and Robert Jastrow - are not overly familiar: Frederick Seitz, Fred Singer, Bill Simon, Bill Nierenberg. This in itself is somewhat surprising and is a major contribution uncovered by the extensive research of the authors.

The scientists who led all of these campaigns of doubt are primarily of a certain age. Many of them were involved in secret research projects during World War II, such as the Manhattan project. They were all vehemently anti-Communist and anti-Soviet. They thrived on Cold War rhetoric. In their eyes, regulation of the free market economy was equivalent to socialism, which was the same as the archenemy, Communism.

When the Cold War ended and the Soviets were no longer a threat, these scientists sought a new target - a new enemy -- for their philosophical beliefs. These beliefs were informed by the neoliberal economics of Milton Friedman: Free markets must be defended as vigorously as the freedoms of speech, religion, or assembly. Anything that threatens free markets is an enemy of Liberty.

The new enemy that received the wrath of these scientists was the environmental movement and the science that supported its claims. If the destruction of the environment calls for regulation of the free market, then the scientific research supporting those claims must be discredited.

As we now know, the industrial revolution has had side-effects that are damaging to the planet and to human health. Science was the messenger that brought the bad news. These Cold War scientists attacked science because they didn't want to hear this message. To accept the findings of science would mean accepting the truth that there were limits to industrial capitalism and that the free market system was a failure.

The authors do an excellent job of presenting an enormous amount of information in a highly readable style. A must read for anyone who wants to understand why it's so difficult for governments to act in the interests of the public good.

Excellent well written look into the actions of the uninformed
This is a well written book, exposing the crippling actions of the uniformed, uneducated ludittes, who are behind most of what is destructive to our country, it's citizens, and our earth.
The way that the devious and the stupid have coluded todestroy our earth, in order to buy a bigger yacht, or a drive a bigger car, and add a couple of dollars to their already stuffed bank accounts.
Great book.
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IS GLOBAL WARMING A HOAX?Isn't it time you read the facts?The propaganda of man-made global warming has been promoted by those with a political agenda by suppressing the truth and spreading fear. In this effort they have recruited academics, media, environmental groups, governments, the United Nations, even religions. Scientific evidence supporting man-made global warming has now been investigated by scientists and found to be baseless. Examination of the data has revealed the theory of climate change for the propaganda it is, derived from erroneous data, junk science, even scientific fraud.Now, for the first time, the American people have available to them an honest discussion of man-made global warming and climate change that is easily understood by those without a scientific background. The Layman's Guide describes in easily understood language the science refuting claims of climatic catastrophe resulting from the burning of fossil fuels. Using well-documented scientific facts, the Layman's Guide exposes the global warming hoax as an authoritarian assault on individual freedom. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

actually...
this book is full of hoaxes of it's own. The talking points in it have been debunked. Don't waste your time on this one.

You're being lied to, America.
Yes, we're being lied to again. This little book lays it all out: how we're being lied to and manipulated to steal more of our freedoms and more of our money. The myths are explained one by one. No PhD required. Read it and learn.

Global Warming Hoax
This is a must read for anyone that thinks that global warming is a fact, or that if it is, it is caused by man.This is more of a reference book, but in Q and A form gives a "quick and dirty" solid refutation of what Al Gore and his minions want you to believe. ... Read more

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Why is news about global warming always bad? Why do scientists so often offer dire predictions about the future of the environment? In Meltdown, climatologist Patrick J. Michaels says it’s only natural. He argues that the way we do science today--when issues compete with each other for monopoly funding by the federal government--creates a culture of exaggeration and a political community that then takes credit for having saved us from certain doom.

Michaels starts with a succinct discussion of climate-change science and then unrolls a litany of falsehood, exaggeration, and misstatement. He cites hundreds of errors and exaggerations in scientific papers, news reports, and television sound bites--from the "National Assessment" of global warming, a Clinton-era document that used computer models that its authors knew did not work, to the infamous New York Times story about the melting of the North Pole, published in September 2000 and halfheartedly retracted three weeks later.

An eminently readable and often humorous critique, Meltdown explains why these exaggerations persist and what to do about them. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (51)

Patrick Michaels is himself a distorter of science
In 1988 James Hansen testified in front of the US Congress about global warming.

He included in his testimony a graph with three possible scenarios on it - three lines on a graph.

The top and bottom lines were said by Hansen to be the least likely scenarios. The middle line was the most plausible scenario, according to Hansen.

Ten years later, Patrick Michaels testified to the US Congress. In this testimony, he produced Hansen's graph, but with the bottom two scenarios totally deleted, thus leaving only the most extreme top scenario. Patrick Michaels then argued that his doctored graph, with the "most plausible scenario" deleted by Michaels, showed that "the forecast made in 1988 was an astounding failure".

Patrick Michaels has a cheek trying to lecture anyone on the distortion of science, after his deliberate distortion of Hansen's views.

Very professional, but funny, dismantling of Al Gore and his crew
I have been trying to educate myself about this very complex topic.I have at this point read four books on it, two pro and two con.Thus far, the con books are making more sense to me.I found Singer & Avery's book, Unstoppable Global Warming: Every 1,500 Years to be very good.

I think this book is even better.Singer & Avery argue that the slight level of global warming which we have seen thus far is more compatible with a natural 1,500 warming and cooling trend than it is with the theory of it being caused by greenhouse gases.They make a good case, but they leave two questions in my mind.First, their 1,500 cycle seems rather unpredictable and variable.How do we know that it is happening now, this end of the century?Second, it is clear that the amount of CO2 in the air is increasing.What effect has this had, and what effect is it likely to have?Singer & Avery do not address that point, which leaves me wondering about it.

Micheals has a very different argument than Singer & Avery.First, Micheals is a very different kind of guy.He is a working climatologist.He actually studies this stuff for a living, and he knows the details of this stuff, backwards and forwards.Here is his take, in a nutshell.Increased levels of CO2 have lead to a modest increase in temperature, which will largely be beneficial.From past trends, we have a very good idea how much global warming will increase due to CO2, which is, not much.In short, nothing to worry about here.

Stated baldly like that, there is no reason to believe or disbelieve Micheals' conclusion.But he is not stating an unsupported personal opinion.He gives chapter and verse.He cites study after study, and he methodically takes apart the Al Gore crowd.Micheals' great joy in life is vigorous mockery of unscientific nonsense, and he gives himself free rein in this book.He is actually quite funny; he gets a great deal of humor out of making fun of this stuff.

He also has a long discussion on exactly why science has gotten this whole thing so wrong.HInt: follow the money. There is huge money in scaring the hell out of the taxpayer.Global warming climate modeling has extracted $20 billion from the US taxpayer so far, with no end in sight.That gravy train would end if the public accepted Micheals' view.

I am not 100% persauded, as yet, simply because I do not feel that I have read the A Team from the other side.I have read Al Gore's book and Elizabeth Kolbert's book.Neither one of them struck me as the best work that their side can do. Given what I have seen thus far, Micheals is winning this argument, but I would like to see somebody of his ability and knowledge on the other side before I make up my mind.

Meltdown brings Facts to light
As the media and global warming alarmists are changing the term to "climate change" this book captures many scientific facts that clear up the "distortion" presented by greedy government grant scientists who make money off of this so-called crisis. A book well worth reading and easy to understand even for the novice who doesn't know much about the weather.

Great Book, Very Informative
This is a very thorough, objective analysis of global warming science and the forms of bias that exist within politics and the media.Anyone who is honestly interested in the facts on this subject should read this book!

Outstanding analysis of global warming
This is an impressive, well-researched book.Meltdown is an excellent counterpoint to all the Chicken Little books on global warming. Warning: this is not an easy read, as there are many graphs and charts throughout the books. Michaels shows that while the planet is warming, we are not headed to the end of civilization. I also recommend, as a calm, rational alternative, Bjorn Lomborg's more recent book, Cool It. I especially like the last chapter, as it strongly criticizes the peer-review process that has corrupted science. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (2)

Interesting, useful, and highly readable
This wonderful book is equally useful for those who are just beginning to learn about Global Warming and for those who are are already activists.The first couple of chapters give a clear and persuasive explanation of what is causing climate change and the impact these changes will have in the future.The balance of the book offers specific and helpful advise to those who want to do something!

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

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Customer Reviews (5)

Probably better for advanced readers
The author focuses on the intersection between politics and science.He covers both areas well; the politics is interesting and the science is accurate, if my understanding of the subject is correct.

I originally wrote a review that criticized the book for favoring one solution, a solution I consider to be futile, over all the others.After an exchange of comments with the author, I concluded that the problem was only that I hadn't understood the text.Perhaps his intent was to collate all the strengths and weaknesses of the various solutions available.I can imagine that any study like that would contain any number of internal counter-arguments that might appear to be contradictions.Even after dialoging with him I still am unclear what his intent was.It could be that my intellect does not grasp the nuances of the manuscript.

I think a reader would gain some good information.I don't think he would come away with a clear road map of how to solve this important problem.

So I think the book is an interesting read, but only one of many.If you're trying to choose from among the spate of books on this subject, I'd recommend either Whole Earth Discipline by Stewart Brand or Storms of My Grandchildren by James Hansen.

A refreshing new approach to a tired problem
Starting on this page Amazon lists 38 books about climate change.Five of these, (3 of which were written by scientists), support the hypothesis of carbon dioxide induced global warming.Thirty one, (17 of which were written by scientists), are skeptical of that hypothesis and present several alternative viewpoints.There certainly is no consensus nor "settled science" here.After twenty years the orthodoxy remains the same, one knob controls the whole immensely complex system known as climate.Occam smiles at his razor. Common sense weeps.Billions of research dollars have been spent on building a monument, a virtual Tower of Babel clad in silicon and engraved with fallible algorithms.After all of this time and money,we have only the elegance of our ideas and astonishing tools to show for it.Meanwhile heresies have spread; atheists are speaking louder, and an audience of agnostics grows.

Mike Hulme broke the climate war monotony last year when his book," Why We Disagree About Climate Change", did not try to convince anyone of the rightness of any argument but instead examined the unique human psychologys behind all of it.Nordhaus and Shellenberger in "Environment 360" argued that efforts to use climate science to justify decarbonization should cease and a divorce arranged.Roger Pielke Jr. walks farther down this road examining the issue from a sociological and political standpoint.That is key.We who have been arguing the science for twenty years need to listen when Pielke says this is really a political issue not a scientific one.Forget arguing about the science.Nothing will be settled until some hypothesis is confirmed by empirical confirmation in the real world and that is not likely to happen.Meanwhile the climate science budget would be better spent on observational science examining regional climate.We know regional climate exists; that it directly affects mankind and vice versa in several ways. It is time to leave the virtual world where the arctic and the desserts share the same climate and return to reality.

Reality is what politics is all about.Pielke convincingly illustrates the coming reality of enormous energy demand emanating from increasing living standards and increasing population.We either cross our fingers and let the cards fall as they may (with all the risks that entails) or we get governments involved in an overall planning posture. He builds his political solution on two solid pillars.First man-made carbon dioxide in the air is not a good thing says a huge segment of the population.Whether this is true or not is beside the point; It has become axiomatic and there is widespread support for action to limit it.But that support disappears when it runs into Pielke's iron law of climate policy which is that there is a "deeply held global and ideological commitment to economic growth" that trumps any climate program.These undeniable facts need to be reconciled.

Getting climate science out of the picture is important if the atheists and heretics are to remain calm.Going after carbon dioxide is what matters most to the orthodox; they won't miss the science.Is there a way to limit carbon dioxide in the atmosphere without it being part of a costly climate program?Can it be done without competing with economic growth?The answer is not to be found in science or in some ideological commitment.It is found in good politics.Pielke saves the how and the best for the last chapter and I will not spoil your suspense by describing it here.The book is well written and fun to read as he takes you on several interesting and enlightening side journeys.It is a climate book far different from the same old routine.The logic is impeccable and Pielke does not scream like his critics which means that politicians will probably never get behind his ideas.

no energy breakthrough = no decarbonization progress
For three decades, I had a ringside seat to some of the events in the book.As a young post-doc at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in 1982, I recall a seminar in which we were shown a plot of average global temperature for the past century, and then a modeling effort that included various combinations of three forcings: volcanic aerosols, solar variability and rising CO2 concentration.Good agreement with the rising trend of temperature was obtained only with the inclusion of CO2 (and presumably the feedback processes in the model).We were invited to conclude that the model was pretty good, and that the forecast for the future increase of temperaturewas credible.

Fast forward to 2010.We can now read a widely publicized article in the Journal of Climate titled "Why Hasn't Earth Warmed as Much as Expected?" written by top-notch atmospheric scientists(look for the Brookhaven National Lab press release).The article is premised on the conclusion that the Earth hasn't warmed as much as expected, and asks why.Recent data and analysis now discount a global-warming "time-bomb", ascenario by which the global temperature lags behind the equilibrium value for the current concentration of carbon dioxide, because of the large heat capacity of the oceans. The "time-bomb" provides a nice exercise in ordinary differential equations, an exercise that I have taught in class.If CO2 is frozen at the current value, a further doubling of global temperature increase could still occur, if the time-bomb parameters are stretched to the upper bound.But in light of recent data and analysis, the actual time-bomb scenario for Earth appears closer to the lower bound.So at least two other possible answers to the posed question invite reconsideration.One possible answer is that positive feedback processes in the prognostic models are too large, a second possible answer is that anthropogenic haze could be offsetting the enhanced greenhouse effect.Both of those answers are in fact allowed by IPCC-endorsed science, as is the possibility that thenet anthropogenic effect has actually been close to zero, and thus global temperature change observed in the last century was largely a natural fluctuation, driven by mechanisms unappreciated back in 1982.All this uncertainty about what has been happening in the past century contributes to uncertainty about what will happen in the next, and, as Pielke points out, research in the coming decade is likely to reveal more uncertainly, not less.

Now on to Pielke's book. In writing my above paragraphs, highlighting the state of the science the way I did, I have positioned myself as a borderline "skeptic" within my academic community.I would go over the borderline if I characterize as ludicrous Al Gore's statement that "We have at our fingertips all of the tools we need to solve three of four climatecrises - and we only need to solve one" and go on to characterize our Senator Inhofe's statement thatthe threat of catastrophic global warming is the "greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people" as entirely reasonable, given the energy and development advocacy that his detractors use global warming science for.At that point I would be in trouble with a crowd of advocates that doesn't really know how the Kyoto treaty works (doesn't know who receives the penalty fines), doesn't know that a capacity factor of at most 30% needs to be figured into a news story about a wind farm and its cost,and is clueless about the watts per square of meter of photosynthesis in agriculture. The academic zeitgeist is that the iconic Socolow "wedges" would happen if the naysayers would just stop detracting from the public will to mitigate global warming.The crowd's lack of understanding of energy technology leaves them oblivious to Pielke's iron law of climate policy(contemporary economic well-being trumps global warming mitigation at all times and at all places, regardless of the extent of thepublic's acceptance of the "majority view" about global warming) so the advocates mistakenly engage in a "vicious battle with those who express minority views about climate science" (page 44). And more on page 44: "Further, efforts to intensify public opinion could indeed have the opposite effect if they are perceived to be misrepresenting the scientific and policy arguments for action.In fact, as I will show in Chapter 7, that is exactly what has happened."

After reading page 44, an eager reader, if already savvy about renewable energy (on the level of Mackay's book, rather than Gore's) and the science-fiction geoengineering ideas (such as adding aerosols to the stratosphere), may then want to go straight toChapter 6 an page 143 titled "How Climate Policy Went Off Course and the First Steps Back in the Right Direction" (it doesn't blame the skeptics). Chapter 7: "Disasters, Death and Destruction".(For that chapter, I not only had a ringside seat but also occasionally jumped into the ring to give a couple of whacks).A title of a subsection is "Untangling a Decade of Misrepresentation of Disasters and Climate Change"(the malfeasance did not originate from the deniers).And Chapter 8:"The Politicization of Climate Science" (with recent headlines of Climategate, IPCC scandals, Copenhagen breakdowns and vindication of hurricane skeptics,Senator Inhofe is no longer noteworthy).Pielke hits three home runs with these chapters.Pielke is thorough in his research and his outstanding quotes all have citations. Here is one of my favorites, a segment of a quote from Sarewitz on page 212: "Value disputes that are hidden behind the scientific claims and counterclaims need to be flushed out and brought into the sunlight of democratic deliberation".

When public presentations of climate science willfully conflated bad science with the good science, the silence in my scientific community was indeed noteworthy,as if all could be forgiven if the conflation helped focus the public on properly rearranging their values.But nowadays, thanks to books like Pielke's, it is bit easier for members in my community to claim that they were skeptics all along too,and even to claim that they were speaking out, but just doing so softly so as not to jeopardize (or appear jealous of) funding streams, or inadvertently to be abetting conservative causes.Roger Pielke Jr. has a long record of wisdom and integrity on climate and energy issues, and deserves the accolades for his book.

On page 50 we read 'Similarly, Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) promised that "any kind of cap-and-trade system that comes forward will not raise energy and gas prices." ' Of course, given the iron law,Congress will only be able to enact such token gestures.Without a breaktrough in energy technology (say in photovoltaics or advanced nuclear fuel cycles), decarbonization policies can expected to do nothing more then nudge a gentle shift away from coal to natural gas for electricity generation, in regions that have a plentiful and secure natural gas supply.In his final chapter Pielke argues for a modest carbon tax, and then mustering the political will to keep the revenue stream targeted at energy R&D.

A masterful analysis
Pielke is a expert on science policy from the University of Colorado. He runs a popular and often controversial blog. He should not be confused with his father, with the same name, who is an important climate scientist.

Pielke's style is soft spoken but he is not afraid to make strong judgements. He proposes an "iron law of climate policy" that basically says that no climate policies that cause substantial, immediate economic pain will ever be implemented. If you accept his iron law (and I do) then it is clear that all the CO2 control efforts that are supposed to be implemented via cap and trade or other unpleasant government mandates or taxes will never see the light of day. Yet Pielke believes that CO2 control is important and he proposes solutions that don't violate his iron law.

The book is filled with well-presented useful information. His discussion of climategate, the publication of numerous private emails exchanged between important climate scientists, is the best I've ever seen.

Pielke's strength is illuminating politicized debates with facts and logical analysis. Obviously climate or global warming is one of those. Because he grew up in the important climate science community centered in Colorado and started his career in science, he knows many of the important players personally.

A Thoughtful Approach to the Next Round of Climate Policy
(This reviews the pre-release version.)

After a tumultuous year in climate policy - from Climategate to the failure of the Copenhagen talks and the probable death of cap-and-trade - Pielke's book offers the most thoughtful approach to climate policy, taking honest stock of both the current state of science and politics. It is excellent for those who are familiar with the debate as well as those new to the issue.
Pielke is one of the few experts willing to critique those he agrees with, and he spends a fair amount of time highlighting the politicization of climate science by both sides. While arguing that climate change presents real risks, he is effective at noting the unscientific excesses of advocates of aggressive climate policy. Several anecdotes tell the story of how noted scientists used their credentials to make claims they admit are unscientific. These exaggerations, Pielke argues, have increased public skepticism about the science, making it more difficult to come to policy agreement.
The book does an excellent job explaining the basics of climate science, offering some good guidelines for what is known and where the scientific uncertainty lies. It is one of the few books I've read recently that offers both clear explanations and the complexity involved in understanding climate science. Most effective is the way he uses this solid scientific foundation to characterize the size and nature of the challenge of reducing carbon emissions. Perhaps the best insight, however, is that while many who debate climate policy focus on debating the details of climate science, Pielke argues an effective policy approach can be found even without certainty regarding the exact nature of the risks from climate change.
Finally, he argues for a technology-centered approach to decarbonizing. He also keeps in mind something that sometimes gets lost in the traditional climate debate -- the dignity of humans that obliges us to respect individual choice and help those in poverty improve their lives. Although I am not as confident that political leaders can determine how to effectively or fairly invest in technology solutions as Pielke, this is a narrow area of debate. For those trying to understand what is next for climate policy, "The Climate Fix" is simply a must read.
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In this well-informed and hard-hitting response to the scaremongering of the climate alarmists, Nigel Lawson, former Chancellor of the Exchequer and Secretary of State for Energy, argues that it is time for us to take a cool look at global warming. Lawson carefully and succinctly examines all aspects of the global warming issue: the science, the economics, the politics, and the ethics. He concludes that, contrary to the deeply-flawed Stern Review, the conventional wisdom on the subject is suspect on a number of grounds; that global warming is not the devastating threat to the planet it is widely alleged ot be; and that the remedy that is currently being proposed, which is in any event politically unattainable, would be worse that the threat it is supposed to avert.All this is argued with logic, commmon sense, and even wit, and thoroughly sourced and referenced. The book concludes by outlining the form a rational response to global warming should take, and explains why the mistaken conventional wisdom has become the quasi-religion it is today, and the dangers that this presents.Lord Lawson has written a long overdue and much needed corrective to the barrage of spin and hype to which the politicians and media have been subjecting the public on this important issue, which affects us all. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (25)

An excellent overview of Climate Policy considerations
Not an especially technical tome, Lawson does an excellent job of asking some fundamental questions about the rationality of our current approach to Climate Policy and our announced reasons for it.

It would be advisable for those who are convinced urgent action, even if costly, should be directed toward altering human impacts on Climate to read this book.If for no other reason, to consider whether or not the questions and concerns raised by the author have been considered and should be.Those who do so and conclude these concerns do not justify less reckless urgency will at least do so with an improved understanding of the objections of many who do not agree.

Lawson, as always, is an excellent writer and his material is concise, coherent, approachable, and even entertaining.

I'd recommend this one in particular to 'convinced' climate activists and advocates of urgent action on climate matters.

Concise and Well-Reasoned
Mr. Lawson admits that he is not a scientist, and therein lays his greatest strength in writing this book.Although he points out several flaws in the research supporting global warming, he spends most of the book assuming that the data as presented is true.From there he takes a rational look at exactly how much global warming we are told to expect, how much the damage is predicted to be, and how much it would cost the world to implement plans to reduce carbon emissions (which is a goal distinctly different from reducing global temperatures).One doesn't have to be a scientist to understand the questions he raises; and these are reasonable questions we should all be asking before committing to the path of increased regulation and taxation proposed by the proponents of climate change.At just over a hundred pages, this book is a short but essential read.

An Inconvenient Truth Or An Inconsistent Theory?
Nigel Lawson (or Lord Lawson of Blaby, as he now is) is probably more well known on the American side of the pond for being the paterfamilias of a family which spawned a certain voluptuous celebrity television chef; In the UK however, he was a well-known figure in his own right in his respective capacities as a parliamentarian, chancellor of the exchequer and secretary of state for energy in Margaret Thatcher's cabinet during the nineteen eighties.

His book, "An Appeal To Reason" is an excellent, incisive and purely pragmatic look at the controversial subject of anthropogenic global warming and I defy even the most ardent exponent of the theory that man is contributing in any significant degree to climatic change to tell me that they're not even slightly worried that they're backing the wrong horse, after reading it.

Lawson's book is eminently accessible, blessedly brief (the essay itself runs to 106 pages - the rest is given over to footnotes and a scrupulously indexed bibliography of research materials) and takes a long, pragmatic and even-handed look at the alarmist conclusions of the IPCC/Stern reports and then sets about them with an incisive logic which reveals that many of the conclusions reached are erroneous, incorrect, politically motivated and based on extremely questionable science and test cases. More alarming still is the fact that it is these extremely unlikely "worst case scenario" conclusions which are being used to shape the social, financial, industrial and economic policies which will shape the 21st century - most likely to the detriment to much of the developing world. Lawson's keen economic insight into the inherent un-workability of "emissions trading schemes" should be a wake-up call for many of the governments of the world who have put so much stock into them. He also rather cannily describes the newly adopted 'carbon offsetting' policies undertaken by many companies as being little more than a contemporary revision of the mediaeval religious practice of buying and selling "indulgences".Similarly, Lawson's argument that the world's time and energies would be far better served by embarking on a policy of adapting to a climate which has always been subject to inevitable (non-anthropogenic) variation, rather than attempting to stave off the inevitable through "mitigation", smacks of the kind of refreshing common sense that you never hear from the AGW proponents such as Al Gore (whose notorious "Hockey Stick" graph has since been widely discredited) and German chancellor, Angela Merkel(who rather definitively put her foot in it at the G8 summit when she suggested a 50% global reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Bearing in mind that water vapour is generally agreed to contribute to roughly two thirds - to carbon's one third - of the greenhouse effect, Lawson is given to wonder, quite properly, how Merkel is going to fit a dimmer switch to the sun in order to achieve this?)

I can't recommend "An Appeal To Reason" enough. If you, like I, have more than a few misgivings about questionable science and dubious prognosticative climate modeling being used to determine the social, economic and industrial future of our planet, I highly recommend you pick it up, read it and make up your own mind before politicians are allowed to do it for you based on the prevarications of politically motivated alarmists or lazy soundbite media.

Brief but effective
An Appeal to Reason is a devastating critique of global warming alarmism. Lawson makes a number of legitimate points, to mention just three: global warming isn't going to be a catastrophe, large CO2 cuts won't happen because of China and India's desire to grow their economies, and the science of global warming has been politicized and corrupted (and this book was published before Climategate). Lawson argues, the warming that has happened has been moderate, mostly confined to certain areas of the world, and has not increased in the last ten years. Lawson takes apart the unjustified alarmism of the mainstream media, the Stern Report and the IPCC, among many others. For another rational evaluation of global warming, see Bjorn Lomborg's Cool It.

Ammunition for climate change sceptics
Depite having a hard time finding someone prepared to publish this book Lawson has prepared a very readable and logical summary of the limitations of climate change science and the damaage that could be caused by many of the proposed policy changes.And it has been updated for 2009 - and his message hasn't changed. ... Read more

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This is nonfiction commentary.Chapters: The Great Global Warming Swindle, an Inconvenient Truth, Waterworld, the Day After Tomorrow, the Age of Stupid, Are We Changing Planet Earth?, Not Evil Just Wrong, Everything's Cool, Clouds of Smoke. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 113. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: The Great Global Warming Swindle is a polemic documentary film that argues against the scientific consensus that global warming is "very likely due to the observed increase in anthropogenic (man-made) greenhouse gas concentrations". The film, made by British television producer Martin Durkin, showcases scientists, economists, politicians, writers, and others who are sceptical about the scientific theory of anthropogenic global warming. The programme's publicity materials assert that man-made global warming is "a lie" and "the biggest scam of modern times." Its original working title was "Apocalypse my arse", but the title The Great Global Warming Swindle was later adopted as an allusion to the 1980 mockumentary The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle about British punk band The Sex Pistols. The UK's Channel 4 premiered the documentary on 8 March 2007. The channel described the film as "a polemic that drew together the well-documented views of a number of respected scientists to reach the same conclusions. This is a controversial film but we feel that it is important that all sides of the debate are aired." According to Hamish Mykura, Channel 4's head of documentaries, the film was commissioned "to present the viewpoint of the small minority of scientists who do not believe global warming is caused by anthropogenic production of carbon dioxide." Although the documentary was welcomed by global warming sceptics, it was criticised by scientific organisations and individual scientists (includi...http://booksllc.net/?id=9869126 ... Read more

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The forecasts are grim and time is running out,but that’s not the end of the story. In thisbook, Fred Krupp, longtime president ofEnvironmental Defense Fund, brings asurprisingly hopeful message: We can solveglobal warming. And in doing so, we willbuild the new industries, jobs, and fortunes ofthe twenty-first century.In thesepages the reader will encounter the boldinnovators and investors who are reinventingenergy and the ways we use it. Theseentrepreneurs are poised to remake the world’sbiggest business and save the planet—ifAmerica’s political leaders give them a fairchance to compete. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (59)

My review for the American Physical Society
This is directed at professional, typically Ph.D., physicists. Your mileage may vary...

"Earth: The Sequel, The Race to Reinvent Energy and Stop Global Warming" Fred Krupp (President of Environmental Defense Fund) and Miriam Horn, W. W. Norton & Company, New York (2009). ISBN-13 978-0393334197.

The US Federal government spends about $1 billion each year on research and development in renewable energy. That's less than ExxonMobil's daily revenue. And each year the oil and gas industry spends about $60 million lobbying. What are the results of that lobbying? About $6 billion per year in benefits accrue to the oil and gas business. Those simple facts underlie any discussion of American energy use, now or in the near future. Krupp's book also begins with this gap between our present energy basis and any future energy basis, expressed in these stark economic terms.

Of course, a discussion of energy and the environment could instead start with an examination of the size and reliability of estimates of the world oil reserves, the current and predicted energy needs of the world, and efficiencies of energy transport. This approach is likely to be closer to the way we as physicists examine and catalog the world. However, the decision-making powers in the United States, and other developed nations, are tied into economic and business logic (or more cynically, purely political concerns) nearly exclusively. So a book, to have political impact, needs to be directed in this way.

That said, the science implicit in "Earth: The Sequel" is essentially sound, with the possible exception of a few of the "world of possibilities" long-shot options near the end of the book. (And those are well marked as to their lower respectability.) The economics are more debatable; carbon credits make a brief (positive) appearance and carbon taxes are casually dismissed as "not enlist[ing] the full range of human potential." Contrast that with James Hansen (NASA's chief climate scientist) comment on carbon credits. "This is analagous to the indulgences that the Catholic Church sold in the Middle Ages. The bishops collected lots of money and the sinners got redemption."

The technologies addressed in the book include solar photovoltaic, solar thermal, biofuels, ocean energy extraction, geothermal, "clean" coal, so called "Solutions for Today" (e.g., stopping deforestation & increasing energy efficiency), and the more speculative "World of Possibilities" (which include fusion, high altitude power kites, undoing the global environmental damage via geoengineering with "proper caution," and nuclear fission). The general approach is to discuss the current state of the art technology in each area and then note a small start-up with a plan to push beyond the current limits and make the technology more efficient or cost-effective. Some of these ventures will surely fail, Krupp notes, but not all of them, and there are a lot of hopeful enterprises on tap here. That tone of optimism pervades the two hundred and seventy pages of text. It is an optimism that science and technology will solve, or rather is right now solving, the horrible mess of global warming.

That sort of scientific utopianism is rare in discussions of the current state of the environment. The closest other book treatment to this one is probably the recent Ayres & Ayres, "Crossing the Energy Divide" which has a similar, and optimistic, business-oriented analysis of energy technology. I'd wholeheartedly recommend "Earth: The Sequel" to the physicist who is willing to push through the business and financial envelope surrounding the technical topics presented by Fred Krupp. You may disagree in places, but there's a lot of valuable insight into the firms pushing for the energy solutions of the twenty-first century.

Michael DuVernois
University of Hawaii
duvernois@phys.hawaii.edu

An aspirin for all the gloom and doom
This is an uplifting and hopeful book.It details how entrepreneurs rise to the occasion when the conditions are right.Global warming has awakened the creative drives of companies and scientists and individuals, on an international scale.

The need for carbon caps and carbon trading are well documented in this work. It becomes abundantly obvious (reading this very informative treatise) that legislation that deals with any given process (such as corn derived ethanol) is doomed to failure and backlash and that legislation that deals with results (profits) has a much better chance of doing actual good. Carbon caps and carbon trading are essential to averting the "perfect storm" of a looming ecological disaster.

We have, in this significant book, a readable and positive guide to the future of safe and renewable energy sources!

Kudos to Krupp and Horn and their insight and research to offer us a chance to read about a doable and sustainable future.

good stuff
I was impressed with the book and it came in great shape so im pleased

Earth: The Sequel
If you vote or want to be an informed citizen, you must read "Earth: The Sequel" by Fred Krupp and Miriam Horn. I thought that I was up to speed on renewable energy, alternate energy, or global warming, but my eyes were opened wider from reading this book. It is written in a interesting style, making personal the success stories of inventors and entrepeneurs. The same material could make your mind wander without the human interest approach. Fred Krupp is a strong advocate of "cap and trade" legistration. Our government is trying to pass such legistration this summer of 2009. Krupp makes strong arguments for it. Advancements will not be made without a level playing field. The coal and other carbon burners have used our atmosphere as their personal sewer for too long. The free enterprise system will kick in under "cap and trade" and radically reduce greenhouse gases and the need to purchase vast amounts of oil from arab countries. Our oil purchases make our enemies stronger and richer.
Please read this book and help nudge our politicians in the right direction.
Ralph Hermansen July 14, 2009

Informative Up-to-date ideas
This book was made into a special shown on the Discovery Channel in March 2009. It is the most uplifting look at what we can do to save our planet by using renewable energy technologies. There are new ideas blossoming every day ~ and not just in large companies, but, in backyards and small businesses ~ by every-day people. ... Read more

Product Description
As capitalism continues with business as usual, climate change is fast expanding the gap between rich and poor between and within nations, and imposing unparalleled suffering on those least able to protect themselves. In THE GLOBAL FIGHT FOR CLIMATE JUSTICE, anticapitalist activists from five continents offer radical answers to the most important questions of our time:** Why is capitalism destroying the conditions that make life on Earth possible?** How can we stop the destruction before it is too late? "In 46 essays on topics ranging from the food crisis to carbon trading to perspectives from indigenous peoples, they make a compelling case that saving the world from climate catastrophe will require much more than tinkering with technology or taxes. Only radical social change can prevent irreversible damage to the earth and civilization."Essential reading for everyone who is serious about confronting the climate emergency." -Emma Murphy, co-editor, Green Left WeeklyEDITED BY IAN ANGUSIan Angus, who wrote several of the articles in this book and selected the others from a wide range of authors and movements, is one of the world's best-known ecosocialist activists. He is editor of the online journal Climate and Capitalism, which has been described as "the most reliable single source of information and strategic insights for climate justice." Ian is also Associate Editor of Socialist Voice, an Advisory Editor of Socialist Resistance, and a founding member of the Ecosocialist International Network. He lives in Ontario, Canada.THE GLOBAL FIGHT FOR CLIMATE JUSTICEEditor: Ian AngusPublisher: Resistance Books (London)ISBN: 978-0-902869-87-5Publication Date: July 2009Trade paperback: 6" x 9" (15cm x 23cm)284 pages"At last, an absolutely indispensable guide to the debate on climate change, a sourcebook that makes the case for anti-capitalist action as the only effective way to stop global warming. Of course the powers-that-be don't agree - after all, who else is responsible for the current crisis? But we all need The Global Fight for Climate Justice if we are to fight for a liveable world." -Joel Kovel, author of The Enemy of Nature; founding member of the Ecosocialist International Network"A wonderful collection of articles from across the world by climate change activists, from governmental leaders such as Evo Morales to trade unionists like Tony Kearns. This book will inform, excite and energise those who see the need to fight both the impact of climate change and the political systems that have produced it." -Jane Kelly, editor (with Sheila Malone) of Ecosocialism or Barbarism"Everyone who wants a better world should read The Global Fight for Climate Change, to understand the economic, social and political causes of the climate crisis, and the sweeping changes that are needed to save the Earth." -Suzanne Weiss, Socialist Voice contributing editor; author of Anti-Semitism, Zionism, and the Defense of Palestinian Rights"'Socialism or Barbarism' is no longer (if it ever was) an abstract theoretical proposition. This comprehensive collection of essays focused upon the climate and food crises, the responses of capital and socialist alternatives, draws upon both global social movements and leading advocates of an alternative to barbarism to demonstrate that the choice before us is an immediate one, not one to be put off to the future." -Michael A. Lebowitz, author of Build it Now: Socialism for the 21st Century and Beyond Capital: Marx's Political Economy of the Working Class"The most reliable single source of information and strategic insights for climate justice is Climate and Capitalism, the website Ian Angus edits, and it is a tribute to the movement's development that demand has arisen for this book." -Patrick Bond, director of the Centre for Civil Society, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (3)

Heatstoke is a great read!
Heatstroke reveals in very understandable terms the impacts of change on the natural world.It was a compelling read that was both very personal, based on Dr. Barnusky's research, and global, the author presents climate changes in the context of planet Earth. I learned a great deal and appreciated the author's science-based findings. Dr. Barnusky stays on message, and without being alarmist or speculative, he lays out the status of the world in which we find ourselves.I've ordered the book for friends and family and would urge those who are interested in the evolution of the planet and climate change through the ages to read this book.

Compelling.
This book kept me engaged throughout. Gives a very thorough explanation of why the warming we are experiencing now is different from other global warming events in the past. Instead of just throwing scary statistics at you, this book does a great job of describing the painstaking processes used to come up with those statistics, without making it too complicated for someone, like me, who does not have a strong science background.

Eye and Mind opening reading
This was an engaging and compelling book.Dr. Barnoski describes the impacts that global warming are having on plants and animals around us and in places far from human activity. I never realized that the human-accelerated warming is too fast for nature to adjust and that many species will be unable to cope.While other books address CO2 and global warming, this book talks about the effects on nature and the large-scale consequences we need to be prepared for. ... Read more

Product Description
If you follow just the no-cost and low-cost tips in this book, you will save over $2,000 and prevent the emission of 25,000 pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2) every year!

A new edition of our classic book with updated information on hybrid cars and a bold new cover.

Gallup polls indicate that 70 percent of Americans are concerned about global warming. You Can Prevent Global Warming converts this public concern into positive action, providing simple, everyday things you can do to minimize global warming--and save money at the same time!

The book contains 51 topics, but there are actually hundreds of tips and suggestions within the book that will help you address this global problem. Whether you are one of the nearly three-quarters of Americans who consider themselves environmentalists or you're interested in practical ways you can save money each year, these straightforward tips will make this one of the most important and useful books on your bookshelf. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (15)

Library reject
Quite apparently, this was a library book.There are four large labels on the outside, including a large, white label for when the book was stamped out and one on the spine.Also, the edge of the pages are stamped with the library's name and address.While the interior of the book is in "very good" condition, the exterior was certainly a surprising disappointment. Looks like it was taken/stolen from a library.

Helping the planet and your wallet at the same time
The problem of global warming can seem daunting.What difference can one person really make?This book provides 51 easy ways one person can make a difference.

Each chapter starts with an overview of a specific problem, explaining how this problem contributes to global warming, and then provides easy steps you can take to minimize or even eliminate the problem.

What I liked about this book is that it's straight to the point.There's no having to weed through many lengthy chapters to get to the info you need.Each point is bulleted making them easy to find.This way, you can quickly find what you're looking for and get to work.

What's nice, too, is that these steps accomplish two things at once -- you get to help the planet and your wallet at the same time.

Practical, Helpful, Worth Buying
When I first picked up this book I was pretty overwhelmed with all the changes the authors recommend -- some of them are fairly significant alterations to my everyday life. But all in all, I think even starting with just a few of them and working your way up can be a great way to help the Earth, which is something we all want for our kids and grandkids. I'd definitely recommend buying this book.

Practical, Thrifty, and as committed as you want
This is an update to a book issued in 2003. It has 51 chapters, one for each tip, plus summaries at the end of the tips, the science, and the politics.

Each chapter is clearly written, organized with an Overview, What You Should Know, Easy Ways You Can Help, a summary box, and Search for More Info.The summary box tells you clearly what your personal savings are likely to be if you implement these, the annual amount of CO2 that will not be put into the atmosphere, and sometimes the dollar savings over the life of the product.

Each of the bulleted paragraphs in the What You Should Knowand the Easy Ways You Can Help lead with a bold-faced short sentence encapsulating the enformation. The rest of the paragraph expands on it.

The whole is presented clearly, enthusiastically but not intimidatingly, and with sound advice that saves you money, and the environment from more harm.

This book provides you, the reader, with the tools to look deeper into each topic, but it doesn't guilt you into it. It tells you exactly how thrifty you are being, and how much difference one person or household can make.

Recommended.

Choose your level of commitment
Rather than trying to explain all the science behind global warming or politics behind the Kyoto Protocol, the authors present simple, clear, and easy-to-implement suggestions on how the average consumer can make significant reductions in his impact on the environment. Even for those who think global warming is "junk science," this book provides tips on how to lower gas and electric bills-and how can that be a bad thing?

You can Prevent Global Warming provides 51 tips for lowering carbon emissions and conserving energy. Almost every tip presented is completely free and every tip saves money. Many of the suggestions are not new-putting a milk jug full of water into the toilet tank to reduce the flow of water, lowering the thermostat just a bit-however, the authors also include exactly how much money and energy it saves by doing something simple. They also provide tips for people with varying levels of commitment. Already doing the toilet tank thing? They give you links to reviews of low-flow toilets. Is that still not enough for you? They explain composting toilets!

There were a few features I particularly enjoyed and appreciated with this book. First, I liked the list at the end of the book that placed each suggestion in an easy-to-follow format of which tips to do first and how often. I also really liked the useful links included. Rather than actually getting bogged down in science and mechanics, they provide web links to [...] and other useful sites. A major barrier in me doing some of the suggestions before (like vacuuming heater and fridge coils) is that I had no idea how to do these things and was (frankly) too lazy to look it up. The authors provide a link with pictures on how to do these things. Some of the links also take you to sites on how to contact Congress if an issue is important to you if the way you want to lower man's impact on nature is to become politically involved.

I was walking around my house implementing many of these suggestions as I was reading because of how simple they are. The authors never take a strong-armed tone, never guilt you into trying something they suggest. Every suggestion felt like they were saying "Good for you for doing so much! Want to try more? Keep reading!"

I strongly recommend this book to any home-owner (though it also has awesome suggestions for renters!). I have a number of family members who are always trying to be as green as possible without seriously changing their lifestyles, a few who cringe (or cuss) at the very mention of Al Gore but who are still committed to the Biblical mandate to be stewards of the Earth, and a few who are trying to do more and more-and they are all on the receiving list for this book. ... Read more

Product Description
How will global warming affect developing countries, which rely heavily on agriculture as a source of economic growth? William Cline asserts that developing countries have more at risk than industrial countries as global warming worsens. Using general circulation and agricultural impact models, Cline boldly examines 2070-99 to forecast the effects of global warming and its economic impact. This detailed study:outlines existing studies on the agricultural impact of climate change; estimates projected changes in temperature, precipitation, and agricultural capacity; and concludes with policy recommendations. Cline finds that agricultural production in developing countries may fall between 10 and 25 percent, and if global warming progresses unabated, India s agricultural capacity could fall as much as 40 percent. Thus, policymakers should address this phenomenon now before the world s developing countries are adversely and irreversibly affected. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The human impact of global warming
Too often global warming is discussed in abstract terms.This book gets down to business.If the crop damage predicted here takes place, we are going to be talking about hundreds of millions of people dead.It's that basic.Be aware that most of the predictions here are on the optimistic side of estimates.Check this book out.You might also want to read Plan B 3.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization, Third Edition which discusses global warming and agriculture.I also have a Listmania list on agriculture.
... Read more

Product Description
Global warming has become established as the major environmental issue on the international political agenda. It is also commonly understood to be the most difficult politically to solve. The entrenched interests of powerful industrial corporations as well as those of many nation-states are severely threatened by attempts to implement reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

Matthew Paterson provides the first systematic account of the politics of global warming. He examines the major theories within the discipline of international relations, and how they might be able to provide accounts of the emergence of global warming as a political issue, and of the negotiations leading up to the signing of the Framework Convention in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, and beyond. ... Read more

Product Description
The science is in: Global warming is for real. But what does it all really mean, and what can or should we do about it? This clear, fluid narrative by a leading scientist and educator takes a scrupulously balanced approach in explaining for the reader the history of global climate monitoring and change, and the who’s, how’s, what’s, when’s, where’s and why’s of the interaction between human activity and recent trends in the Earth’s climate.
Global Warming For Beginners is organized into five compelling sections:
Global Warming, An Introduction
The Cause
The Consequences
The Solutions
What Steps Can I Take?

Working from the premise that no one can do everything but everyone can do something, Goodwin challenges readers with experiments they can conduct to gain a better understanding of the science underlying the problems facing our planet, and concludes with a list of fifty easy actions people can choose from to start doing their part in the effort to slow or stop global warming.

As with all For Beginners titles, this volume is illustrated throughout with entertaining drawings that help readers understand and retain the information in Goodwin’s lively and comprehensive text. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Outstanding manner of looking into Global Warming for Beginners and all students.
Just an excellent manner in which Global Warming is introduced.
The illustration were also very good and entertaining. ... Read more