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Essential Reading 

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Essential reading

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USA

A great introduction to the science of climate change and the history behind the science. Reads like a detective story.

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 here. Spencer R. Weart explains the emerging science, introduces to us the major players, and shows us how the Earth's irreducibly complicated climate system was mirrored by the global scientific community that studied it. 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.

This is the classic text, and covers everything from the science to the likely impacts, to potential mitigation strategies.

Global warming and the resulting climate change is one of the most serious environmental problems facing the world community. Global Warming: the Complete Briefing is the most comprehensive guide available to the subject. A world-renowned expert, Sir John Houghton explores the scientific basis of global warming and the likely impacts of climate change on human society, before addressing the action that could be taken by governments, by industry and by individuals to mitigate the effects. The first two editions received excellent reviews, and this completely updated new edition will prove to be the best briefing the student or interested general reader could wish for.

An in-depth, but somewhat less complicated text that discusses climate change science and the implications.

Climate Change: Causes, Effects, and Solutions, is divided into three main sections: Climate Change: Past, Present, and Future; Ecological Effects of Climate Change; Human Dimensions of Climate Change. It presents an accurate account of what we do and do not know about climate change. Key features of this book include:

• A comprehensive analysis of both the science and policy issues of climate change
• A clear description of the causes of climate change
• Documentation of the predicted effects of climate change on ecosystems, agriculture, sea level, human health and infrastructure
• A range of case studies from North America, Europe, Australasia, and elsewhere
• A discussion of proposed actions at the individual, national and international levels to reduce climate change or its impacts

This book is an ideal text for courses in global climate change, or as a supplement to courses in environmental studies, natural science, climatology, or physical geography. Additionally, it is essential reading for journalists, environmental policymakers, and everyone who seeks to understand the consequences of climate change and the steps we must take to sustain a livable planet.

An introductory book, ideal for school kids.

Discusses scientific evidence that indicates Earth's heat is increasing and the consequences of that warming trend to life, agriculture, and lands.

USA

A great overview not only of what the Ice Ages were, how they happened and how life on earth responded, but also of how scientists have unravelled the past.

The Great Ice Age is also our age. The four and a half billion year evolution of the Earth and its biota culminated in the appearance of a life form capable of studying and manipulating the planetary systems. With human consciousness focusing as never before on the world around us, we are now beginning to realize the enormity of the global experiment we are conducting as the conscious forcing function in the evolution of the Earth System. This text documents and explains the natural climatic and palaeoecologic changes that have occurred during the past 2.6 million years, outlining the emergence and global impact of our species during this period. Exploring a wide range of records of climate change, the authors demonstrate the interconnectivity of the components of the Earths climate system, show how the evidence for such change is obtained, and explain some of the problems in collecting and dating proxy climate data. One of the most dramatic aspects of humanity's rise is that it coincided with the beginnings of major environmental changes and a mass extinction that has the pace, and maybe magnitude, of those in the far-off past that stemmed from climate, geological and occasionally extraterrestrial events. This book reveals that anthropogenic effects on the world are not merely modern matters but date back perhaps a million years or more.

USA

Initially proposed by the Global Commons Institute back in 1991, Contraction and Convergence is considered to be many the only rationale framework of climate change policy

The global climate is now visibly changing because of human pollution of the atmosphere. According to eminent scientists and businesspeople, its 'devastating trends' are the greatest challenge ever to face humanity.

This Briefing describes the global policy framework of 'Contraction & Convergence' (C&C), developed by a small organisation called the Global Commons Institute (GCI) to avert these trends. The C&C framework, which has been pioneered and advocated by GCI at the United Nations over the past decade, is based on the thesis of 'Equity and Survival'. It seeks to ensure future prosperity and choice by applying the global rationale of precaution, equity and efficiency in that order.

Many leaders from government, business and environmental organisations now support C&C as a realistic framework within which the international community can take the necessary action to solve the critical problem of climate change.

Few public policy issues seem as hopeless as global climate change. Mounting evidence shows that accumulating levels of greenhouse gases are already beginning to alter climate patterns, and this only intensifies concerns about long-term dangers. In turn, potential policy remedies appear feckless. Prospects for implementation of the Kyoto Protocol are highly uncertain even among nations that have ratified the accord. At the national level, the United States, which is the leading source of greenhouse gases, remains completely disengaged from the Kyoto process. Increasingly, other developed nations severely criticize the United States for its perceived failure to engage this issue. But a quiet yet growing trend for the state governments to assume a leadership role in reducing greenhouse gases suggests that a far more robust process for American policy development is under way. Conventional analyses assume that climate change can only be addressed by international regimes and national governments. However, many states have developed active multifaceted programmes to address carbon dioxide, methane and other greenhouse gases within a diverse array of policy sectors, including energy, environmental protection, transportation, natural resources and agriculture. In this book, Barry G. Rabe examines this evolving policy process. He devotes particular attention to the factors prompting so many states to take significant steps toward greenhouse gas reduction. These states cut across regions and traditional partisan divides; agency-based policy entrepreneurs appear to be central players in developing policy ideas and forming viable coalitions. Rabe argues that this recent flurry of experience can move the debate over climate change from hyperbole to the realm of what is politically, economically and technically feasible. He also offers alternatives for future policy development. These would build on recent state initiatives and actively engage them in long-term policy formation and implementation.

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Are the oceans warming?
Are the corals dying?
Is the sea level rising?
Is the rise in sea level normal?
Is the North Atlantic (Arctic) Oscillation behaving normally?
Are precipitation patterns changing?

What is causing the increased warmth?
Is there a natural greenhouse effect?
Is water vapour the most important greenhouse gas?
Are greenhouse gases increasing?
What is causing the increase in CO₂ and other greenhouse gases?
Is the Earth absorbing more radiation than it emits?
Is the recent warming caused by changes in solar activity?
Is the recent warming caused by changes in volcanic activity?
What caused the global temperature changes of the 20th century?

What are the predictions for the future?
Are climate models accurate?
Will increased plant growth absorb the excess CO₂?