America's Climate Choices

Download America's Climate Choices PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : National Academies Press
ISBN 13 : 0309145856
Total Pages : 134 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (91 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis America's Climate Choices by : National Research Council

Download or read book America's Climate Choices written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2011-06-11 with total page 134 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Climate change is occurring. It is very likely caused by the emission of greenhouse gases from human activities, and poses significant risks for a range of human and natural systems. And these emissions continue to increase, which will result in further change and greater risks. America's Climate Choices makes the case that the environmental, economic, and humanitarian risks posed by climate change indicate a pressing need for substantial action now to limit the magnitude of climate change and to prepare for adapting to its impacts. Although there is some uncertainty about future risk, acting now will reduce the risks posed by climate change and the pressure to make larger, more rapid, and potentially more expensive reductions later. Most actions taken to reduce vulnerability to climate change impacts are common sense investments that will offer protection against natural climate variations and extreme events. In addition, crucial investment decisions made now about equipment and infrastructure can "lock in" commitments to greenhouse gas emissions for decades to come. Finally, while it may be possible to scale back or reverse many responses to climate change, it is difficult or impossible to "undo" climate change, once manifested. Current efforts of local, state, and private-sector actors are important, but not likely to yield progress comparable to what could be achieved with the addition of strong federal policies that establish coherent national goals and incentives, and that promote strong U.S. engagement in international-level response efforts. The inherent complexities and uncertainties of climate change are best met by applying an iterative risk management framework and making efforts to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions; prepare for adapting to impacts; invest in scientific research, technology development, and information systems; and facilitate engagement between scientific and technical experts and the many types of stakeholders making America's climate choices.

Advancing the Science of Climate Change

Download Advancing the Science of Climate Change PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : National Academies Press
ISBN 13 : 0309145880
Total Pages : 526 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (91 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Advancing the Science of Climate Change by : National Research Council

Download or read book Advancing the Science of Climate Change written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2011-01-10 with total page 526 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Climate change is occurring, is caused largely by human activities, and poses significant risks for-and in many cases is already affecting-a broad range of human and natural systems. The compelling case for these conclusions is provided in Advancing the Science of Climate Change, part of a congressionally requested suite of studies known as America's Climate Choices. While noting that there is always more to learn and that the scientific process is never closed, the book shows that hypotheses about climate change are supported by multiple lines of evidence and have stood firm in the face of serious debate and careful evaluation of alternative explanations. As decision makers respond to these risks, the nation's scientific enterprise can contribute through research that improves understanding of the causes and consequences of climate change and also is useful to decision makers at the local, regional, national, and international levels. The book identifies decisions being made in 12 sectors, ranging from agriculture to transportation, to identify decisions being made in response to climate change. Advancing the Science of Climate Change calls for a single federal entity or program to coordinate a national, multidisciplinary research effort aimed at improving both understanding and responses to climate change. Seven cross-cutting research themes are identified to support this scientific enterprise. In addition, leaders of federal climate research should redouble efforts to deploy a comprehensive climate observing system, improve climate models and other analytical tools, invest in human capital, and improve linkages between research and decisions by forming partnerships with action-oriented programs.

Climate Change

Download Climate Change PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : National Academies Press
ISBN 13 : 0309302021
Total Pages : 74 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (93 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Climate Change by : The Royal Society

Download or read book Climate Change written by The Royal Society and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2014-02-26 with total page 74 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Climate Change: Evidence and Causes is a jointly produced publication of The US National Academy of Sciences and The Royal Society. Written by a UK-US team of leading climate scientists and reviewed by climate scientists and others, the publication is intended as a brief, readable reference document for decision makers, policy makers, educators, and other individuals seeking authoritative information on the some of the questions that continue to be asked. Climate Change makes clear what is well-established and where understanding is still developing. It echoes and builds upon the long history of climate-related work from both national academies, as well as on the newest climate-change assessment from the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. It touches on current areas of active debate and ongoing research, such as the link between ocean heat content and the rate of warming.

Global Warming — The Research Challenges

Download Global Warming — The Research Challenges PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN 13 : 1402029411
Total Pages : 180 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (2 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Global Warming — The Research Challenges by : Atsunobu Ichikawa

Download or read book Global Warming — The Research Challenges written by Atsunobu Ichikawa and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-03-19 with total page 180 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Of interest to both researchers and policy makers Suitable for course use

Global Climate Change

Download Global Climate Change PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Elsevier
ISBN 13 : 0128230975
Total Pages : 444 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (282 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Global Climate Change by : Suruchi Singh

Download or read book Global Climate Change written by Suruchi Singh and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2021-03-11 with total page 444 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Global Climate Change presents both practical and theoretical aspects of global climate change from across geological periods. It addresses holistic issues related to climate change and its contribution in triggering the temperature increase with a multitude of impacts on natural processes. As a result, it helps to identify the gaps between policies that have been put in place and the continuously increasing emissions. The challenges presented include habitability, biodiversity, natural resources, and human health. It is organized into information on the past, present, and future of climate change to lead to a more complete understanding and therefore effective solutions.Placing an emphasis on recent climate change research, Global Climate Change helps to bring researchers and graduate students in climate science, environmental science, and sustainability up to date on the science of climate change so far and presents a baseline for how to move into the future effectively. - Addresses the variety of challenges associated with climate change, along with possible solutions - Includes suggestions for future research on climate change - Covers climate change holistically, including global and regional scales, ecosystems, agriculture, energy, and sustainability - Presents both practical and theoretical research, including coverage of climate change over various geological periods

Climate Change, Air Pollution and Global Challenges

Download Climate Change, Air Pollution and Global Challenges PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Newnes
ISBN 13 : 0080983421
Total Pages : 647 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (89 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Climate Change, Air Pollution and Global Challenges by :

Download or read book Climate Change, Air Pollution and Global Challenges written by and published by Newnes. This book was released on 2013-11-19 with total page 647 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There are significant pressures from climate change and air pollution that forests currently face. This book aims to increase understanding of the state and potential of forest ecosystems to mitigate and adapt to climate change in a polluted environment. It reconciles process-oriented research, long-term monitoring and applied modeling through comprehensive forest ecosystem research. Furthermore, it introduces "forest super sites for research for integrating soil, plant and atmospheric sciences and monitoring. It also provides mechanistic and policy-oriented modeling with scientifically sound risk indications regarding atmospheric changes and ecosystem services. - Identifies current knowledge gaps and emerging research needs - Highlights novel methodologies and integrated research concepts - Assesses ecological meaning of investigations and prioritizing research need

El Niño Southern Oscillation in a Changing Climate

Download El Niño Southern Oscillation in a Changing Climate PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
ISBN 13 : 1119548128
Total Pages : 528 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (195 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis El Niño Southern Oscillation in a Changing Climate by : Michael J. McPhaden

Download or read book El Niño Southern Oscillation in a Changing Climate written by Michael J. McPhaden and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2020-11-24 with total page 528 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Comprehensive and up-to-date information on Earth’s most dominant year-to-year climate variation The El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) in the Pacific Ocean has major worldwide social and economic consequences through its global scale effects on atmospheric and oceanic circulation, marine and terrestrial ecosystems, and other natural systems. Ongoing climate change is projected to significantly alter ENSO's dynamics and impacts. El Niño Southern Oscillation in a Changing Climate presents the latest theories, models, and observations, and explores the challenges of forecasting ENSO as the climate continues to change. Volume highlights include: Historical background on ENSO and its societal consequences Review of key El Niño (ENSO warm phase) and La Niña (ENSO cold phase) characteristics Mathematical description of the underlying physical processes that generate ENSO variations Conceptual framework for understanding ENSO changes on decadal and longer time scales, including the response to greenhouse gas forcing ENSO impacts on extreme ocean, weather, and climate events, including tropical cyclones, and how ENSO affects fisheries and the global carbon cycle Advances in modeling, paleo-reconstructions, and operational climate forecasting Future projections of ENSO and its impacts Factors influencing ENSO events, such as inter-basin climate interactions and volcanic eruptions The American Geophysical Union promotes discovery in Earth and space science for the benefit of humanity. Its publications disseminate scientific knowledge and provide resources for researchers, students, and professionals. Find out more about this book from this Q&A with the editors.

Psychology and Climate Change

Download Psychology and Climate Change PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Academic Press
ISBN 13 : 0128131314
Total Pages : 313 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (281 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Psychology and Climate Change by : Susan Clayton

Download or read book Psychology and Climate Change written by Susan Clayton and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2018-06-05 with total page 313 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Psychology and Climate Change: Human Perceptions, Impacts, and Responses organizes and summarizes recent psychological research that relates to the issue of climate change. The book covers topics such as how people perceive and respond to climate change, how people understand and communicate about the issue, how it impacts individuals and communities, particularly vulnerable communities, and how individuals and communities can best prepare for and mitigate negative climate change impacts. It addresses the topic at multiple scales, from individuals to close social networks and communities. Further, it considers the role of social diversity in shaping vulnerability and reactions to climate change. Psychology and Climate Change describes the implications of psychological processes such as perceptions and motivations (e.g., risk perception, motivated cognition, denial), emotional responses, group identities, mental health and well-being, sense of place, and behavior (mitigation and adaptation). The book strives to engage diverse stakeholders, from multiple disciplines in addition to psychology, and at every level of decision making - individual, community, national, and international, to understand the ways in which human capabilities and tendencies can and should shape policy and action to address the urgent and very real issue of climate change. - Examines the role of knowledge, norms, experience, and social context in climate change awareness and action - Considers the role of identity threat, identity-based motivation, and belonging - Presents a conceptual framework for classifying individual and household behavior - Develops a model to explain environmentally sustainable behavior - Draws on what we know about participation in collective action - Describes ways to improve the effectiveness of climate change communication efforts - Discusses the difference between acute climate change events and slowly-emerging changes on our mental health - Addresses psychological stress and injury related to global climate change from an intersectional justice perspective - Promotes individual and community resilience

Informing an Effective Response to Climate Change

Download Informing an Effective Response to Climate Change PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : National Academies Press
ISBN 13 : 0309185319
Total Pages : 347 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (91 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Informing an Effective Response to Climate Change by : National Research Council

Download or read book Informing an Effective Response to Climate Change written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2010-12-07 with total page 347 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Global climate change is one of America's most significant long-term policy challenges. Human activity-especially the use of fossil fuels, industrial processes, livestock production, waste disposal, and land use change-is affecting global average temperatures, snow and ice cover, sea-level, ocean acidity, growing seasons and precipitation patterns, ecosystems, and human health. Climate-related decisions are being carried out by almost every agency of the federal government, as well as many state and local government leaders and agencies, businesses and individual citizens. Decision makers must contend with the availability and quality of information, the efficacy of proposed solutions, the unanticipated consequences resulting from decisions, the challenge of implementing chosen actions, and must consider how to sustain the action over time and respond to new information. Informing an Effective Response to Climate Change, a volume in the America's Climate Choices series, describes and assesses different activities, products, strategies, and tools for informing decision makers about climate change and helping them plan and execute effective, integrated responses. It discusses who is making decisions (on the local, state, and national levels), who should be providing information to make decisions, and how that information should be provided. It covers all levels of decision making, including international, state, and individual decision making. While most existing research has focused on the physical aspect of climate change, Informing an Effective Response to Climate Change employs theory and case study to describe the efforts undertaken so far, and to guide the development of future decision-making resources. Informing an Effective Response to Climate Change offers much-needed guidance to those creating public policy and assists in implementing that policy. The information presented in this book will be invaluable to the research community, especially social scientists studying climate change; practitioners of decision-making assistance, including advocacy organizations, non-profits, and government agencies; and college-level teachers and students.

Climate Change, Human Security and Violent Conflict

Download Climate Change, Human Security and Violent Conflict PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN 13 : 3642286267
Total Pages : 869 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (422 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Climate Change, Human Security and Violent Conflict by : Jürgen Scheffran

Download or read book Climate Change, Human Security and Violent Conflict written by Jürgen Scheffran and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-05-26 with total page 869 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Severe droughts, damaging floods and mass migration: Climate change is becoming a focal point for security and conflict research and a challenge for the world’s governance structures. But how severe are the security risks and conflict potentials of climate change? Could global warming trigger a sequence of events leading to economic decline, social unrest and political instability? What are the causal relationships between resource scarcity and violent conflict? This book brings together international experts to explore these questions using in-depth case studies from around the world. Furthermore, the authors discuss strategies, institutions and cooperative approaches to stabilize the climate-society interaction.

Solutions for Climate Change Challenges in the Built Environment

Download Solutions for Climate Change Challenges in the Built Environment PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
ISBN 13 : 140519507X
Total Pages : 369 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (51 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Solutions for Climate Change Challenges in the Built Environment by : Colin A. Booth

Download or read book Solutions for Climate Change Challenges in the Built Environment written by Colin A. Booth and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2012-03-12 with total page 369 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The multi-disciplinary perspective provided here offers a strategic view on built environment issues and improve understanding of how built environment activities potentially induce global warming and climate change. It also highlights solutions to these challenges. Solutions to Climate change Challenges in the Built Environment helps develop an appreciation of the diverse themes of the climate change debate across the built environment continuum. A wide perspective is provided through contributions from physical, environmental, social, economic and political scientists. This strategic view on built environment issues will be useful to researchers as well as policy experts and construction practitioners wanting a holistic view. This book clarifies complex issues around climate change and follows five main themes: climate change experiences; urban landscape development; urban management issues; measurement of impact; and the future. Chapters are written by eminent specialists from both academic and professional backgrounds. The main context for chapters is the developed world but the discussion is widened to incorporate regional issues. The book will be valuable to researchers and students in all the built environment disciplines, as well as to practitioners involved with the design, construction and maintenance of buildings, and government organisations developing and implementing climate change policy.

Review of the Draft Fourth National Climate Assessment

Download Review of the Draft Fourth National Climate Assessment PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : National Academies Press
ISBN 13 : 0309471699
Total Pages : 207 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (94 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Review of the Draft Fourth National Climate Assessment by : National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Download or read book Review of the Draft Fourth National Climate Assessment written by National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2018-06-18 with total page 207 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Climate change poses many challenges that affect society and the natural world. With these challenges, however, come opportunities to respond. By taking steps to adapt to and mitigate climate change, the risks to society and the impacts of continued climate change can be lessened. The National Climate Assessment, coordinated by the U.S. Global Change Research Program, is a mandated report intended to inform response decisions. Required to be developed every four years, these reports provide the most comprehensive and up-to-date evaluation of climate change impacts available for the United States, making them a unique and important climate change document. The draft Fourth National Climate Assessment (NCA4) report reviewed here addresses a wide range of topics of high importance to the United States and society more broadly, extending from human health and community well-being, to the built environment, to businesses and economies, to ecosystems and natural resources. This report evaluates the draft NCA4 to determine if it meets the requirements of the federal mandate, whether it provides accurate information grounded in the scientific literature, and whether it effectively communicates climate science, impacts, and responses for general audiences including the public, decision makers, and other stakeholders.

The National Academies Summit on America's Energy Future

Download The National Academies Summit on America's Energy Future PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : National Academies Press
ISBN 13 : 0309124786
Total Pages : 180 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (91 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The National Academies Summit on America's Energy Future by : National Research Council

Download or read book The National Academies Summit on America's Energy Future written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2008-12-03 with total page 180 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There is a growing sense of national urgency about the role of energy in long-term U.S. economic vitality, national security, and climate change. This urgency is the consequence of many factors, including the rising global demand for energy; the need for long-term security of energy supplies, especially oil; growing global concerns about carbon dioxide emissions; and many other factors affected to a great degree by government policies both here and abroad. On March 13, 2008, the National Academies brought together many of the most knowledgeable and influential people working on energy issues today to discuss how we can meet the need for energy without irreparably damaging Earth's environment or compromising U.S. economic and national security-a complex problem that will require technological and social changes that have few parallels in human history. The National Academies Summit on America's Energy Future: Summary of a Meeting chronicles that 2-day summit and serves as a current and far-reaching foundation for examining energy policy. The summit is part of the ongoing project 'America's Energy Future: Technology Opportunities, Risks, and Tradeoffs,' which will produce a series of reports providing authoritative estimates and analysis of the current and future supply of and demand for energy; new and existing technologies to meet those demands; their associated impacts; and their projected costs. The National Academies Summit on America's Energy Future: Summary of a Meeting is an essential base for anyone with an interest in strategic, tactical, and policy issues. Federal and state policy makers will find this book invaluable, as will industry leaders, investors, and others willing to convert concern into action to solve the energy problem.

Advancing the Science of Climate Change

Download Advancing the Science of Climate Change PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9780309154604
Total Pages : 391 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (546 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Advancing the Science of Climate Change by : National Research Council (U.S.). Panel on Advancing the Science of Climate Change

Download or read book Advancing the Science of Climate Change written by National Research Council (U.S.). Panel on Advancing the Science of Climate Change and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 391 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Environmental Engineering for the 21st Century

Download Environmental Engineering for the 21st Century PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : National Academies Press
ISBN 13 : 0309476550
Total Pages : 125 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (94 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Environmental Engineering for the 21st Century by : National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Download or read book Environmental Engineering for the 21st Century written by National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2019-03-08 with total page 125 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Environmental engineers support the well-being of people and the planet in areas where the two intersect. Over the decades the field has improved countless lives through innovative systems for delivering water, treating waste, and preventing and remediating pollution in air, water, and soil. These achievements are a testament to the multidisciplinary, pragmatic, systems-oriented approach that characterizes environmental engineering. Environmental Engineering for the 21st Century: Addressing Grand Challenges outlines the crucial role for environmental engineers in this period of dramatic growth and change. The report identifies five pressing challenges of the 21st century that environmental engineers are uniquely poised to help advance: sustainably supply food, water, and energy; curb climate change and adapt to its impacts; design a future without pollution and waste; create efficient, healthy, resilient cities; and foster informed decisions and actions.

Cool It

Download Cool It PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Vintage
ISBN 13 : 0307267792
Total Pages : 272 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (72 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Cool It by : Bjorn Lomborg

Download or read book Cool It written by Bjorn Lomborg and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2007-09-11 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Bjorn Lomborg argues that many of the elaborate and staggeringly expensive actions now being considered to meet the challenges of global warming ultimately will have little impact on the world’s temperature. He suggests that rather than focusing on ineffective solutions that will cost us trillions of dollars over the coming decades, we should be looking for smarter, more cost-effective approaches (such as massively increasing our commitment to green energy R&D) that will allow us to deal not only with climate change but also with other pressing global concerns, such as malaria and HIV/AIDS. And he considers why and how this debate has fostered an atmosphere in which dissenters are immediately demonized.

The Discovery of Global Warming

Download The Discovery of Global Warming PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Harvard University Press
ISBN 13 : 0674011570
Total Pages : 241 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (74 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Discovery of Global Warming by : Spencer R. Weart

Download or read book The Discovery of Global Warming written by Spencer R. Weart and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2003 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 2001 a panel representing virtually all the world's governments and climate scientists announced that they had reached a consensus: the world was warming at a rate without precedent during at least the last ten millennia, and that warming was caused by the buildup of greenhouse gases from human activity. The consensus itself was at least a century in the making. The story of how scientists reached their conclusion--by way of unexpected twists and turns and in the face of formidable intellectual, financial, and political obstacles--is told for the first time in The Discovery of Global Warming. Spencer R. Weart lucidly explains the emerging science, introduces us to the major players, and shows us how the Earth's irreducibly complicated climate system was mirrored by the global scientific community that studied it. Unlike familiar tales of Science Triumphant, this book portrays scientists working on bits and pieces of a topic so complex that they could never achieve full certainty--yet so important to human survival that provisional answers were essential. Weart unsparingly depicts the conflicts and mistakes, and how they sometimes led to fruitful results. His book reminds us that scientists do not work in isolation, but interact in crucial ways with the political system and with the general public. The book not only reveals the history of global warming, but also analyzes the nature of modern scientific work as it confronts the most difficult questions about the Earth's future. Table of Contents: Preface 1. How Could Climate Change? 2. Discovering a Possibility 3. A Delicate System 4. A Visible Threat 5. Public Warnings 6. The Erratic Beast 7. Breaking into Politics 8. The Discovery Confirmed Reflections Milestones Notes Further Reading Index Reviews of this book: A soberly written synthesis of science and politics. --Gilbert Taylor, Booklist Reviews of this book: Charting the evolution and confirmation of the theory [of global warming], Spencer R. Weart, director of the Center for the History of Physics of the American Institute of Physics, dissects the interwoven threads of research and reveals the political and societal subtexts that colored scientists' views and the public reception their work received. --Andrew C. Revkin, New York Times Book Review Reviews of this book: It took a century for scientists to agree that gases produced by human activity were causing the world to warm up. Now, in an engaging book that reads like a detective story, physicist Weart reports the history of global warming theory, including the internal conflicts plaguing the research community and the role government has had in promoting climate studies. --Publishers Weekly Reviews of this book: It is almost two centuries since the French mathematician Jean Baptiste Fourier discovered that the Earth was far warmer than it had any right to be, given its distance from the Sun...Spencer Weart's book about how Fourier's initially inconsequential discovery finally triggered urgent debate about the future habitability of the Earth is lucid, painstaking and commendably brief, packing everything into 200 pages. --Fred Pearce, The Independent Reviews of this book: [The Discovery of Global Warming] is a well-written, well-researched and well-balanced account of the issues involved...This is not a sermon for the faithful, or verses from Revelation for the evangelicals, but a serious summary for those who like reasoned argument. Read it--and be converted. --John Emsley, Times Literary Supplement Reviews of this book: This is a terrific book...Perhaps the finest compliment I could give this book is to report that I intend to use it instead of my own book...for my climate class. The Discovery of Global Warming is more up-to-date, better balanced historically, beautifully written and, not least important, short and to the point. I think the [Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change] needs to enlist a few good historians like Weart for its next assessment. --Stephen H. Schneider, Nature Reviews of this book: This short, well-written book by a science historian at the American Institute of Physics adds a serious voice to the overheated debate about global warming and would serve as a great starting point for anyone who wants to better understand the issue. --Maureen Christie, American Scientist Reviews of this book: I was very pleasantly surprised to find that Spencer Weart's account provides much valuable and interesting material about how the discipline developed--not just from the perspective of climate science but also within the context of the field's relation to other scientific disciplines, the media, political trends, and even 20th-century history (particularly the Cold War). In addition, Weart has done a valuable service by recording for posterity background information on some of the key discoveries and historical figures who contributed to our present understanding of the global warming problem. --Thomas J. Crowley, Science Reviews of this book: Weart has done us all a service by bringing the discovery of global warming into a short, compendious and persuasive book for a general readership. He is especially strong on the early days and the scientific background. --Crispin Tickell, Times Higher Education Supplement A Capricious Beast Ever since the days when he had trudged around fossil lake basins in Nevada for his doctoral thesis, Wally Broecker had been interested in sudden climate shifts. The reported sudden jumps of CO2 in Greenland ice cores stimulated him to put this interest into conjunction with his oceanographic interests. The result was a surprising and important calculation. The key was what Broecker later described as a "great conveyor belt'"of seawater carrying heat northward. . . . The energy carried to the neighborhood of Iceland was "staggering," Broecker realized, nearly a third as much as the Sun sheds upon the entire North Atlantic. If something were to shut down the conveyor, climate would change across much of the Northern Hemisphere' There was reason to believe a shutdown could happen swiftly. In many regions the consequences for climate would be spectacular. Broecker was foremost in taking this disagreeable news to the public. In 1987 he wrote that we had been treating the greenhouse effect as a 'cocktail hour curiosity,' but now 'we must view it as a threat to human beings and wildlife.' The climate system was a capricious beast, he said, and we were poking it with a sharp stick. I found the book enjoyable, thoughtful, and an excellent introduction to the history of what may be one of the most important subjects of the next one hundred years. --Clark Miller, University of Wisconsin The Discovery of Global Warming raises important scientific issues and topics and includes essential detail. Readers should be able to follow the discussion and emerge at the end with a good understanding of how scientists have developed a consensus on global warming, what it is, and what issues now face human society. --Thomas R. Dunlap, Texas A&M University