Product Description
This lab manual’s 18 exercises encourage readers to review important ideas and concepts through problem solving, simulations, and guided thinking. The graphics program and seven computer-based simulations and tutorials help to convey key concepts. Designed to accompany any meteorology book, it features a two-column format with perforated pages for easy use in the lab. Interactive computer modules are presented as Flash applets, examining topics such as Earth-Sun geometry, radiation fluxes, moisture, hurricanes, and climate controls. A CD containing seven modules of simulations and tutorials has been completely revised to run in with Flash, offering a more user-friendly interface and a higher degree of interactivity. This software is bound into every new copy of the Exercise manual.
Vertical Structure of the Atmosphere; Earth-Sun Geometry; The Surface Energy Budget; Simulating the Earth's Energy Budget; Atmospheric Moisture; Saturation and Atmospheric Stability; Cloud Droplets and Raindrops; Atmospheric Motion; Weather Map Analysis; Mid-Latitude Cyclones; Thunderstorms and Tornadoes; Hurricanes; Climate Controls; Climate Classification and World Climates; Climatic Variability and Change; Simulating Climatic Change; Dimensions and Units; Earth Measures; GeoClock; Weather Symbols.
A useful reference for anyone interested in learning more about weather and climate.

... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Too long to arrive !!
The book is just a regular text book manual, BUT the company took too long to send me it. This company, as well as others on line, are more than happy to charge us money for them to send us our ordered products BUT then they send them at the cheapest postal rates where, often, they become lost, and it takes many more weeks to arrive to us, as was the case here.
This company is a cheap one and did just that. I wont use them ever again.

too many errors
This book is an adjunct to a meteorology class I am taking.It is full of errors, mathmatical ones, graphics, even page numbers. I expect better from Pearson.I don't know who edited this book but they did a poor job.
Also the labs do not flow particularly well, and some things don't make sense.Not the greatest teaching tool I have ever seen, even with the cool CD.
... Read more

Product Description

Governing Climate Change provides a short and accessible introduction to how climate change is governed by an increasingly diverse range of actors, from civil society and market actors to multilateral development banks, donors and cities.

The issue of global climate change has risen to the top of the international political agenda. Despite ongoing contestation about the science informing policy, the economic costs of action and the allocation of responsibility for addressing the issue within and between nations, it is clear that climate change will continue to be one of the most pressing and challenging issues facing humanity for many years to come.

The book:

• evaluates the role of states and non-state actors in governing climate change at multiple levels of political organisation: local, national and global
• provides a discussion of theoretical debates on climate change governance, moving beyond analytical approaches focused solely on nation-states and international negotiations
• examines a range of key topical issues in the politics of climate change
• includes multiple examples from both the north and the global south.

Providing an inter-disciplinary perspective drawing on geography, politics, international relations and development studies, this book is essential reading for all those concerned not only with the climate governance but with the future of the environment in general.

Product Description
From agaves to ice plants, and from sedums to sempervivums, hardy succulent plants bring beauty, versatility, and intrigue to perennial gardens in every hardiness zone. No longer relegated to desert climates, succulents offer extraordinary color, texture, durability, and ease of care. It's no wonder succulents are some of the hottest plants to capture the attention of enthusiastic growers in all zones.

Hardy Succulents gives gardeners everything they need to know to select, grow, and maintain these dazzling, low-fuss plants. With step-by-step growing instructions, practical care tips, creative ideas for use, and stunning photographs from acclaimed garden photographer Saxon Holt, this book is as beautiful as it is practical — one that will appeal to novices and experienced gardeners alike.

Gwen Kelaidis, an avid horticulturist and garden designer, provides a comprehensive overview of these unusual beauties, including tips for purchasing, planting, weeding, and dividing. She encourages gardeners to consider the plants when searching for autumn color and explains how succulents can solve common, and confounding, garden problems.

Presented alongside Holt's captivating, cover-to-cover images, her insights are sure to inspire growers of all levels and climates. Readers will delight in succulents' unexpected colors — bronzes, grays, greens, and blues — as well as their distinct shapes.

The first book dedicated to bringing succulents to every North American hardiness zone, Hardy Succulents holds intriguing possibilities for gardeners looking for dramatic ways to make bold statements. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Very happy!
This book is exactly what I was looking for!I own a small teak shop in the Pacific Northwest, and decided to supplement my inventory with succulent container gardens. I needed something to tell me what, where and how.This is it!

My product was exactly as represented, and I received it in a very short time.No problems.

Thank you!

Great information in this book!My Favorite of 3.
This is a very good book.It has a bunch of reading information that helped me in raising succulents.
It has a recipe for mixing your soil for succulents and
making your own containers of a cement mixture.I have made 6 so far.
Check it out!My favorite of the 3 I bought.

A Real Eye Opener
Not only does this book open your eyes to the true beauty of the succulent in the COLD climate, but also how to incorperate it into new and existing perennial beds...I cant wait to plant these amazing jewels this Spring!

Good photos of succulent plants
This book was not as informative about the care of succulents but lots of nice photos with names of plants.

Great Book
I love succulents. Before buying this book I did not relize the diversity of Sempervivums. ... Read more

Product Description
This comprehensive, current examination of U.S. law as it relates to global climate change begins with a summary of the factual and scientific background of climate change based on governmental statistics and other official sources. Subsequent chapters address the international and national frameworks of climate change law, including the Kyoto Protocol, state programs affected in the absence of a mandatory federal program, issues of disclosure and corporate governance, and the insurance industry. Also covered are the legal aspects of other efforts, including voluntary programs, emissions trading programs, and carbon sequestration. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Good synopsis
Very good overview-level synopsis of the legal landscape as it shapes regulation of greenhouse gases in the U.S.Unfortunately, it was published just before the 2007 Massachusetts decision, so it does not address these implications directly.

Global warming hype meets environmental ambulance chasers
The premises of this volume rest upon the intellectual and scientific quicksand which underlies the entire phenomenon of "global warming" hysteria. Like the vast majority of those who have jumped onto the "global warming" bandwagon, the editor and contributors to this volume bring no scientific expertise to the project, being content to blindly accept the extreme hypotheses of some scientists on the federal grant gravy train and run with them. But this will make little difference to those lawyers who are looking for new avenues in which to peddle their "services," just as they sign up for the latest specialized conferences on Vioxx litigation and the like. Cap and trade, however, will provide a virtual goldmine to litigation-happy lawyers for years to come as it drives a stake into the heart of the American economy. It will, in its dire effects, constitute the most far-reaching, and totally unecessary, case of economic masochism in American history.

Nevertheless, it's astounding what a negligible increase of 0.8 degrees Celsius in the world's temperature over the past 150 years, coming at the end of the Little Ice Age, will do to fuel the collective, and collectivist, mindset among the nations and citizens of the world.These temperatures have variously risen and fallen for eons. Indeed, some of the most highly qualified climate scientists have painstakingly documented the existence of a 1,500-year climate cycle over the entire globe. In a monumental 1983 study of mile deep Greenland ice core samples by Denmark's Willi Dansgaard and Switzerland's Hans Oeschger (results confirmed a few years later on Antarctica, and by scores of proxy studies) revealed a 250,000-year world climate history which reflected the moderate climate cycles of the sun.What characterizes the present era, however, is a lot of bad science anxious to tap unlimited sources of government funding for climate research, a gullible media, quasi-religious environmental organizations, and the nefarious influence of politics upon the scientific enterprise. The fruits of that "research" include Michael Mann's now thoroughly debunked "hockey stick" representation of the most recent 1,000 years of climate history, which, nevertheless, became a prominent feature of Al Gore's global warming sideshow, and which finds naïve acceptance by the editor of this volume (see Figure 1-1). The "presentist" mindset, which interprets the current climate experience as a unique and threatening phenomenon, reveals a sorry lack of historical perspective. Most significantly, the carefully documented climate record reveals that temperatures were 2-4 degrees higher in the medieval warm period (900-1300 A.D.) than they are today, when CO2 levels are higher, and that CO2 levels are actually an 800-year lagging indicator of global warming, not a causal factor.Many of the scientists who contributed to the 1996 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) documented these findings, concluding that no such "human fingerprint" had been found in the recent global warming, but their statements were shockingly removed from Chapter 8 of the IPCC's 1996 report by U.N. bureaucrats and U.S. politicians in the Clinton administration anxious to manufacture "consensus" regarding anthropogenic global warming.This is the context in which books like the Global Climate Change and U.S. Law are produced.Regardless of the flawed presentation of the science presented in this volume, however, lawyers stand to make a good living off the complex legal and regulatory schemes detailed in this book, including the implementation of an elaborate system of emission cap and trade programs, as well as the more benign efforts to conserve energy, and develop renewable energy sources.

Building upon this flawed scientific analysis, Part I of this volume describes the national and international framework of climate change regulation, the impact of the Kyoto Protocol on U.S. business, clean air regulation, civil remedies, climate change in facility permitting, and international trade and development. Part II describes the emerging regional, state and local actions, together with a 50-state survey of state responses to climate change. Part III examines a variety of corporate actions, including disclosure issues, fiduciary duties, insurance and climate change, and subsidies, tax policy and technological innovations. Part IV examines the legal aspects of efforts to reduce greenhouse gases, such as voluntary efforts, emissions trading, and carbon sequestration. It also includes a list of important resources, a glossary of climate-related terms, a list of acronyms; endnotes, and index. Twenty-four authors contributed to this volume under the editorship of Michael Garrard, a partner in the New York office of Arnold & Porter LLP, where he heads its environmental practice group. The views of the individual authors stand alone, irrespective of the views of the other contributors.

For more authoritative and balanced views of the science of global climate, see Fred Singer and Dennis Avery's Unstoppable Global Warming: Every 1,500 Years (Rowman & Littlefield, 2007); Lawrence Solomon's "The Deniers" (Richard Vigilante Books, 2008);" Iain Murray's "The Really Inconvenient Truths" (Regnery, 2008); Roy Spencer's "Climate Confusion" (Encounter Books, 2008); and Henrik Svensmark and Nigel Calder's The Chilling Stars: A New Theory of Climate Change (Icon Books, 2007), which argues that the interplay of clouds, the sun, and cosmic rays has a far more profound effect of climate than carbon dioxide.Readers are also directed to Willie Soon and Sallie Baliunas' metanalysis of studies related to the existence of the climate cycle, the Medieval Warming Period, and Little Ice Age (see "Reconstructing Climatic and EnvironmentalChanges of the Past 1000 Years: A Reappraisal," Energy and Environment 14, no. 2/3 (March 2003), 233-296.They discovered 112 studies about the Medieval Warming Period, 92% of which showed evidence of warming, 124 studies from around the world addressing the existence of the Little Ice Age, 98% of these confirming the era's cooling.Finally, they examined 102 studies containing information on the question of whether the 20th century was the warmest on record, 78% of which found earlier periods lasting at least 50 years that were warmer than any period in the 20th century.

Ironically, despite all the hoopla about "global warming" or, as it isincreasingly called as temperatures have fallen, "climate change," global mean temperatures are now at roughly their 3,000-year average.

The EPA, led by Lisa Jackson and its socialist "global warming" czarina Carol Browner,has now declared carbon dioxide to be a "pollutant."This is surely the most scientifically unfounded decision and the most damaging to our economy and freedom in the history of that agency. And, if implemented, it will rank with the banning of DDT as the most deadly action every perpertated by the U.S. government on the world's poor.But that won't stand in the way of thousands of lawyers trying to make a buck off their, and our, misery.

**Since this review was written, the so-called "Climategate" scandal has implicated the Hadley Centre's Climatic Research Unit at the University of East Anglia in the UK, a leading source for the U.N.'s climate data, in an orchestrated effort to fudge climate data and impugn the integrity and publication efforts of those who fail to toe the alarmist line.Among those exposed by more than a thousand e-mails were the Center's director Phil Jones, and Michael Mann, author of the infamoushockey stick graph.As a result of the fallout, many scientists have admitted a much higher degree of uncertainty in the climate record than previously acknowledged.Thus, this review, which was written before the scandal erupted, has been largelyvindicated by subsequent events; and public concern for the alleged threat of "global warming" or "climate change", has declined significantly. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (32)

The Great Global Warming Blunder
This book should be read by all of those who think that increasing concentrations of CO2 in the atmosphere is causing global warming.It is a rational review of the current science of why and how the climate changes. It shows that natural changes in the climate are not caused by humans releasing CO2 into the atmosphere but by Nature itself.

Spencer takes another crack
The book is wonderfully short, only 162 pages.It would have been much shorter if the author had left out all the whining about people who agree with the mainstream scientific view.But the whining is the reason for the high ratings from his fellow skeptics, and I suppose that without it Encounter Books, a non-profit that specializes in right-wing polemics, wouldn't have published it.

Spencer promises to prove that the mainstream view is wrong, but he doesn't deliver.Instead, he offers a hypothesis.It could be, he says, that a particular weather system, the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (not the much stronger El Niño/Southern Oscillation) is a random self-energizing force that drives the climate of the whole planet.To support the hypothesis he shows that carefully tweaking the model parameters allows a near fit to measured temperatures.Even a non-specialist like myself can see the error in logic.If the PDO is a response to whatever is driving the climate, then obviously it would have some relationship to global temperatures.To infer that the PDO is driving the climate is to have the very confusion between cause and effect he attributes to mainstream scientists.To postulate that a random self-energizing force dominates over a clear and powerful known driving force requires that we ignore the overwhelming evidence that greenhouse gases overcame solar activity and aerosol pollution as the main driving force in the last thirty to forty years.

In his earlier book, Spencer displayed a loathing for political views that differed from his in all aspects of public policy, not just environmental concerns.I'm pleased to report that careful editing has minimized the animus in this one to mere complaining.The rest of the writing is downright affable.So I think two stars is appropriate.

The Empiricist View
I especially appreciated Dr. Spencer's excellent presentation of the empiricist viewpoint on the climate change debate, approaching the subject from the point-of-view of the measurements.This is a complex subject and I applaud his effort to bring it to a non-technical audience. He keeps the focus on the most representative data set - temperatures and radiation measurements from polar-orbiting satellites.Through both analysis and a simple model calculation he demonstrates the role water vapor plays as both a forcing and feedback agent in climate change.Yet, he does not minimize the complexity of the climate issue, (The cover illustration is very descriptive of our current understanding.).

Nevertheless, the book has short comings, thus the 4 star rating.In my opinion the text is excessively verbose and redundant, spending too much time criticizing the IPCC report.The reader would be better served by a more through discussion of the important climatic cycles and the feedback processes.This said, "Blunders..." is an improvement over Dr. Spencer's first book, "Climate Confusion", in that it makes a strong case for natural forcing and it contains references and endnotes. (I am not really convinced Mother Nature fooled the modelers,they need positive feedbacks to get the desired results.)

"Blunders..." presents the climate change problem, in all its complexity, from the viewpoint of the measured data base, giving water vapor due consideration.It should be on the reading list for all those in graduate programs of "Environmental Management" (Well, at least Ch, 4-6 and the Summary and Conclusion).I am reminded at this point of the answer given by the prominent climatologist, Henry van Loon, to a question concerning AGW, "Climate changes on all time scales, because a particular change happens on our watch doesn't necessarily mean we are responsible."

A Moses in need of an Aaron
The content is excellent, and it convincingly argues that the measurements going into the calibration of IPCC models are deeply flawed. This is a quick read for someone with the required quantitative literacy. It loses two stars for lack of accessibility to the general public.

Outstanding reading!A must read regarding climate change!
This book really openned my eyes on the truth about "man made" global warming!I consider it a must read for all who want to learn the truth about "man made" climate change!Excellent book!!! ... Read more

Product Description

A non-heated discussion on global warming and climate change

Interested in getting to the core of the reasons for the Earth's changing climate? Want an accurate reading on the science behind global warming? Here's your gauge! This easy-to-follow guide offers a temperate view of this hot topic.

Global Warming & Climate Change Demystified starts by looking at scientific data gathered from weather instruments, satellite telemetry, ice cores, and coral sections that reveal how the Earth's temperature is changing. The book goes on to examine the causes of climate change, including both natural processes and human-generated greenhouse gases. Finally, the consequences of global warming are discussed and a wide variety of viable solutions that can be implemented by individuals as well as society as a whole are presented. Complete with end-of-chapter quizzes and a final review to test your knowledge, this book will teach you the fundamentals of global warming and climate change in an unbiased and thorough manner.

This fast and easy guide offers:

• A thorough review of scientific data
• Details on the evidence of global warming worldwide
• Information on the origin and impact of greenhouse gases
• Explanations of alternatives to carbon-based energy sources
• Suggestions for local and global solutions

Simple enough for a beginner, but challenging enough for an advanced student, Global Warming & Climate Change Demystified is your shortcut to understanding this important and timely issue.

Customer Reviews (2)

The most factual and understandable book on global warming.
Many books written on the topic of global warming and climate change. However, this one stands out as being especially helpful in understanding this complex issue that I think has confused a lot of people. For one thing it lays out the science in a clear and understandable way. It can be read by someone who does not have a strong scientific backgroud or interest. But it can also gives a reader enough detail to go beyond the simple assertions of fact found in other books and articles. The book is honest and direct with the facts. It does not over-dramatize the problem as some other books have done. It retails a lot of crediblity by stating but not overstating the scientific data that has been gathered in recent years. The reader is given the opportunity to respond to the issue without being beaten over the head with a political agenda. The case for global warming caused by humans burning fossil fuels however is made clear to the reader. Its effects in terms of impact on the planet are also spelled out in convincing detail. What I like best is the section on solutions. This is not a lets-be-green for a day feel good book. The solutions go well beyond just screwing in more efficient light bulbs or everyone doing their part. Specific changes to how we generate energy and transport people are spelled out. Coal will be a dominant and unavoidable source of electric power for the next several decades. This book provides a very practical and realistic insight into what needs to be done to reduce the impact of coal on climate while searching for longer term renewable sources of power. I also like the fact that this book is up to date in that it includes the most recent results from the IPCC and the Bali confernece held this year. There are several good books coming out on the subject of climate change (and some not so good ones), but I think this one should be on everyone's list.

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

Product Description
When the weather changes daily, how do we really know that Earth's climate is changing? Here is the science behind the headlines - evidence from flowers, butterflies, birds, frogs, trees, glaciers and much more, gathered by scientists from all over the world, sometimes with assistance from young "citizen-scientists." And here is what young people, and their families and teachers, can do to learn about climate change and take action. Climate change is a critical and timely topic of deep concern, here told in an age-appropriate manner, with clarity and hope. Kids can make a difference!

This book combines the talents of two uniquely qualified authors: Lynne Cherry, the leading children's environmental writer/illustrator and author of The Great Kapok Tree, and Gary Braasch, award-winning photojournalist and author of Earth Under Fire: How Global Warming is Changing the World. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

read the book and decide for yourself
)."Global warming" and "climate change" are terms related to a subject that has been in the news quite a bit lately.After a brief discussion of "What is Science?" with an explanation of hypotheses, theories, facts, and belief, authors Lynne Cherry and Gary Braasch present evidence from birds, flowers, butterflies, tropical rain forests, trees rings, boreal forests, the tundra, the North and South Poles, glaciers, the ocean, coastlines, carbon dioxide measurements, mud layers, and ice cores, gathered by scientists all over the world, sometimes with assistance from young "citizen scientists," regarding our changing climate.Subsequent sections present what can be done to learn about climate change and to take action to make a difference.
In doing some background research for this book review, I found that there really is no argument regarding the evidence so ably presented in How We Know What We Know About Our Changing Climate.The facts are there for all to see.It is hard to deny that our climate is somewhat warmer right now than it has been at various times in the past.The debate rages over the interpretation of the evidence.Many scientists believe that our current climate change is the result of human activity and must be reversed by taking steps to lower our "carbon footprints."Other equally qualified, reputable, and serious scientists are convinced that the present "global warming" is simply part of a natural cycle of earth's meteorological patterns and there is really not much that we can do to alter it.Whatever one's opinion of global warming is, the book does raise some important questions, so each person can read it and decide for himself.

This book is an AAAS top pick for 2008
b.elsewhere,

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), publisher of the prestigious peer-reviewed journal Science, strongly disagrees with your opinion.The AAAS just released its list of top science books for children and teens, and this book was on it.
See http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-12/aaft-aat120508.php

A book that's good enough for the AAAS is good enough for any kid interested in science.I'm ordering this one for my niece.

Global Warming for Kids
This is a great book for kids, especially, but for adults as well; I read it and enjoyed it and learned some things I didn't know about our changing climate. It is loaded with facts and information about climate change and global warming. The tightly written text is accompanied by a host of beautiful, glossy photographs as well as numerous charts and graphs. Science terms are both italicized and well defined in the text.

The book is set up in four sections. "Section one: Where We Find Clues About Climate Change" shows how data has been collected and research is being done about the changes in bird, butterfly and penguin populations as well as the changing tundra and landscapes in different parts of the world. "Section two: Fitting the Clues Together" tells how the facts and data collected in Section One are used to create models and computer programs showing changes that have already occurred and modeling and predicting what other changes will take place if the trend in global warming continues. "Section Three: What Scientists and You can Do" lists a whole array of things that can be done to reduce our "climate (carbon) footprint". "Section Four: Resources" gives all the resources used in the book and tells where readers can go for more information.

A Teacher's Guide is available from the publisher for teachers who would like to use this book in their classrooms. I believe this book would make an excellent classroom resource. There's lots of information about student groups worldwide that are helping scientists with their data collections.

There are so many good things to say about this book I hate to even mention the bad ones. But, alas, almost every book seems to have at least one thing about it that could be improved; this book has three. Let's not call them bad things, though; let's just say there are a couple of things I would do to improve the book.

First, I would correct the typo on page 39. (See if you can find it!). Then, I would add a glossary to the end of the book. There are a lot of science terms that are used throughout the book that are both italicized and defined in the text, keeping the text flowing and the narrative going. But, I think a glossary would be an added bonus for both students and teachers. If you want to find the meaning of a term, say tree cookies, you could leaf through the pages until you came to it on page 22; but, wouldn't it be easier to just go to a glossary at the back of the book and find the term listed there? Just a thought. . .

Even if you don't believe in global warming, you should appreciate the beautiful photos and the rich text of this fact-filled book. I give it 4 stars.

A little balance, please
Very nice composition, art work and presentation.A beautiful book.

Unfortunately, herein is a lot of valid science that is irrelevant to the central thesis.Yes, climate change is probably real.Yes, humanity is contributing to the concentration of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere.However, together these observations do not scientifically demonstrate that humanity is destroying the earth and must retrogress civilization or die.In fact, there are other potentially valid explanations and possible outcomes.

I wish all the kids subjected to this stuff had the insight to parse it properly.Without that, charting when the leaves turn, or when birds migrate, could make many young minds paranoid.

(real name withheld to avoid the inevitable "Denier" flaming)

Science, Service, Global Warming
One of the worst things about reading global warming books is that feeling of helplessness that sets in as statistic is added to statistic. Now, at last, Lynne Cherry has produced a well illustrated text that tells us how we can help by observing and documenting changes in the world around us. There are no grand claims, no easy solutions, but the hope that as we know more about what is happening, the better we will know what to do. At the back of the book, Cherry lists where we can submit our observations. As one who works in community service, I am impressed at how this book takes education into the real world. I have given it to our 5th grade faculty for service learning.

How We Know What We Know About Our Changing Climate is highly recommended. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (3)

Smartest book about the smart grid
This is the densest book on this subject. It is loaded with facts and solid analysis. If you are looking for substance. this is the one.

An excellent overview
For energy policy wonks, this is an excellent overview. It has breadth and depth. Two aspects stand out: His dissection of the business model of utilities, and his detachment. I mean that in a good way. This is neither a polemic nor fluff, but a reasoned, knowledgeable analysis.

Book Review on Smart Power
(For a complete review, see bit.ly/cIG16J)
I have heard bits and pieces of information about how power was generated and transported, with problems like deregulation, in the past. I always wanted to read a book that provides a comprehensive view of the present and the future power industry with their new challenges. I think I finally have found it. Fox-Penner's book is so well organized that those who are not familiar with the power industry can understand where it was, where it is now, and where it is going. This naturally leads to the discussion of smart grid and how it relates to the new challenges in the power industry. The author's description and opinions are very convincing, and his view serves as a good guide to the future of the power industry, not only in the U.S. but also in the world.

The U.S. power industry is very complex. The main players are federal, state, and local regulatory agencies; investors; utilities of several kinds; transmission and distribution companies; retailers; and, of course, consumers. Those players' interests are intertwined in a complex fashion. Their relationships are sometimes positive and sometimes negative. The complexity comes from several problems of significant magnitude. The author discusses those problems and presents a lot of information and statistics, to my satisfaction. Then on the basis of the vast amount of data and information he collected and analyzed, the author predicts two types of future utilities, namely, SI and ESU. I particularly liked the way he explained smart grid in the context of smart power. ... Read more

Product Description
Existing climate change governance regimes in the US and the EU contain complex mixtures of regulatory, market, voluntary, and research-based strategies. The EU has adopted an approach to climate change that is based on mandatory greenhouse gas emission reductions; it is grounded in 'hard' law measures and accompanied by 'soft' law measures at the regional and Member State level. In contrast, until recently, the US federal government has carefully avoided mandatory emission reduction obligations and focused instead on employing a variety of 'soft' measures to encourage - rather than mandate - greenhouse gas emission reductions in an economically sound, market-driven manner. These macro level differences are critical yet they mask equally important transatlantic policy convergences.

The US and the EU are pivotal players in the development of the international climate change regime. How these two entities structure climate change laws and policies profoundly influences the shape and success of climate change laws and policies at multiple levels of governance. This book suggests that the overall structures and processes of climate change law and policy-making in the US and the EU are intricately linked to international policy-making and, thus, the long-term success of global efforts to address climate change. Accordingly, the book analyses the content and process of climate change law and policy-making in the US and the EU to reveal policy convergences and divergences, and to examine how these convergences and divergences impact the ability of the global community to structure a sustainable, effective and equitable long-term climate strategy. ... Read more

Product Description
For more information on this title, including student exercises, please visit , http://www.people.ex.ac.uk/DAColey/

Energy and Climate Change: Creating a Sustainable Future provides an up-to-date introduction to the subject examining the relationship between energy and our global environment. The book covers the fundamentals of the subject, discussing what energy is, why it is important, as well as the detrimental effect on the environment following our use of energy. Energy is placed at the front of a discussion of geo-systems, living systems, technological development and the global environment, enabling the reader to develop a deeper understanding of magnitudes.

Learning is re-enforced, and the relevance of the topic broadened, through the use of several conceptual veins running through the book. One of these is an attempt to demonstrate how systems are related to each other through energy and energy flows. Examples being wind-power, and bio-mass which are really solar power via another route; how the energy used to evaporate sea water must be related to the potential for hydropower; and where a volcano’s energy really comes from.

With fermi-like problems and student exercises incorporated throughout every chapter, this text provides the perfect companion to the growing number of students taking an interest in the subject. ... Read more

Product Description
Encyclopedia of Weather features:
• Spectacular color photographs, detailed diagrams, beautiful graphics, and maps
• Easy-to-understand text that is packed with enough detail for scientists yet accessible in classrooms from the junior high school level (and up)
• The most up-to-date information based on the most recent scientific findings
• Succinct explanations of climate change, the enhanced greenhouse effect, global warming, and ozone depletion
• "Fact files" that put information at readers' fingertips
This beautiful, comprehensive, and up-to-date volume covers in amazing depth all aspects of the world's weather. Liberally illustrated with more than 2,000 color photographs, supplemental maps, diagrams, and other images, The Encyclopedia of Weather and Climate Change takes the reader beyond simple definitions to explore where weather comes from and the roles played by oceans and water cycles, and explains such related phenomena as the shaping of landforms, the creation of biological provinces, and the lasting ramifications of climate change. It also discusses how humans have survived and adapted in extreme climates like deserts, jungles, and icy regions. Each of the book's six sections is written and vetted by a different expert. "Engine" discusses what weather is, the solar powerhouse that supplies it, and Earth's atmospheric systems and seasons. "Action" delves into the dynamics of various weather forms. "Extremes" covers blizzards, heat waves, wildfires, and more. "Watching" tracks how weather is measured, mapped, monitored, and forecast. "Climate" delineates the continental climate zones and describes the plant, animal, and human adaptations for each. "Change" considers the history of climate change--ice ages, dinosaur extinction, melting glaciers, human impact, and more--and what we can expect in the future. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Excellent reference and great for the coffee table too!
Honestly, I haven't found weather/atmospheric science books very interesting - but this is a great book! The authors do an excellent job covering a huge variety of topics related to climate and weather while providing stunning and detailed visual models so that non-scientists (like myself) can actually understand what they are talking about!I highly recommend this book and wish that Amazon would give more peeks of the inside pages.The price is also incredible.This is a hardbound high quality book that I would usually expect to pay at least $150 for - no kidding. ... Read more

Product Description
Decisively cutting through the hyperbole on both sides of the debate, distinguished NASA climatologist Claire L. Parkinson brings much-needed balance and perspective to the highly contentious issue of climate change. Offering a deeply knowledgeable overview of global change past and present, the author lays out a compelling argument that our understandings and models are inadequate for confident predictions of the intended and unintended consequences of projects now under consideration to modify future climate. She places current climate change in the perspective of the past 4.6 billion years and delves into the bases of our understandings and their limitations. While clarifying some of the most contentious points in the climate debate, the book treats the reader to a fascinating discussion interweaving Earth history, science, the history of science, and human nature. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Calm reason on global warming, but overwritten, among other flaws.
This book explains the state of global warming science, and along the way the author addresses many of the contentions of global warming skeptics, objectively and without being defensive.It's a brave and good thing to do.But the book also has a lot of faults.
She discusses frankly the fallibilities and strengths of climate models.She discusses the views of the scientists who are global warming skeptics, as well as the skeptic claims that aren't credible (the climate IS warming, she says).
She talks about pressures on scientists to conform to belief in global warming, like the difficulty a skeptic would have getting funding.
She extensively discusses various schemes to counteract global warming.Some are very alarming:like covering the Sahara, Arabian and Gobi deserts with white plastic,or even pushing Earth farther away from the Sun!She has a long discussion of attempts to change the weather in the past, like seeding clouds for rain and preventing hail.
She talks about evidence that the climate has changed quite suddenly in the past - a scary prospect!
It's written at a fairly sophisticated level.I was charmed to be sent scurrying to the dictionary by "orographic" and "thermokarst".
The book may not be read by many people, because it's full of long and short verbal harrumphs.Short verbal harrumphs - meaning wordy and repetitious writing.Long verbal harrumphs - meaning long passages that are tangential or just plain irrelevant to global warming.The book starts with a long description of the evolution of the atmosphere, the climate, and life.Both the atmosphere and climate have been radically altered by life.That is maybe tangentially relevant to global warming.The evolution of the atmosphere and chemicals like iron in the earth is interesting in a way.But since it's not about global warming, one tends to skim over it.Then, there's a long and conventional description of the evolution of life, huge amounts of irrelevant detail. Some people would just quit during this part.A long digression is no way to start a book!At the start, the author needs to involve people in the subject of the book - not wander from it!
I could see starting it by making a frame for the subject:How was the carbon that's now being released into the atmosphere (as CO2 and methane) originally sequestered in the earth?Where does oil come from?Whence the natural gas in the shale?And maybe a *short* history of the atmosphere's evolution.
She talks about rain dances - early attempts at modifying the weather.She talks about what causes ice ages.That may be relevant, but why does she tell us about the *history* of the theories of what causes ice ages???And so on.It calls for much skimming by the reader.
The "What are the Alternatives?" chapter, which is about what we can do as individuals and as societies to prevent global warming, is not very good at all!I would have liked to see a discussion of the role of natural gas and nuclear energy, which are mentioned only in passing.Natural gas only produces about 60% as much CO2 for the energy as coal does, so some see it as a bridge energy source, as we work towards a sustainable energy future.Nuclear power may be our only practical way of averting global warming.And what are the prospects for fusion energy?
She gives us many anecdotes about how towns and corporations have tried to save energy:lots of mostly symbolic actions that generate goodwill for the town or company, but don't cause a significant change in their energy consumption.She says that Iceland has managed to satisfy its electricity needs with geothermal and hydroelectric energy.So what?The rest of the world doesn't have the geothermal power sources that Iceland does.
The suggestions for individuals are just as lacking.She tells us a lot about her personal frugal habits, such as not cooking much in the summer to avoid using air conditioning, and reusing paper that's 1/3 written on.Do those things significantly reduce her contribution to global warming?Probably not!The average person in the United States uses 250 kWH per day - that's the per capita energy consumption, and it includes industrial and government as well as personal consumption.She suggests buying energy-efficient appliances.If your appliance uses only 1 kWH per day, it isn't worth worrying about, compared to 250 kWH.People only have limited time to devote to environmental concerns, so mentioning little ineffective steps crowds out the more effective actions.One really effective thing a person can do is to install a heat pump, which she doesn't mention. They help even in northern states:I live in New York State, and a heat pump reduced my winter energy bill to 25% of what it was!
She does say that not having too many children and reducing plane travel are the most important things an individual can do.Apparently plane travel causes much more global warming than you would expect just from the CO2 released.
She's just wrong on global warming and diet.She says, "meat-eating individuals could help the environment by lowering their meat consumption or ... switching to a vegetarian diet ... and I am certainly not recommending that everyone become a vegetarian".The only reference she gives for this is the paper "Diet, Energy and Global Warming" by Eshel and Martin.That's not what that paper says!
What Eshel and Martin's paper (full text online) actually says is that the less animal-source food a person eats, the less global warming is caused.In terms of the total greenhouse gases caused, eating poultry is better than being a vegetarian who eats dairy and eggs, for the same percentage of calories from animal food.Eating fish is worse, and eating red meat the worst of all.So if you want to cause less global warming, going vegan (i.e. no animal food) and eating locally grown food would be best; and certainly eat less red meat (beef, lamb, pork).Large animals are generally less energy efficient to raise than small animals.
There was an article in the Feb 2009 Scientific American, which said basically the same thing:per pound, beef is terrible for global warming, but chicken is much better, and plant foods are even better.It's too bad this information got left out, because the average beef-loving American, who's dead set against being vegan, might make a real contribution by switching to chicken.People's diet apparently IS a significant contribution to global warming, although different authors differ on how much it contributes.
David MacKay's book "Sustainable Energy without the Hot Air", which is available online, takes a much-needed rational, quantitative look at sustainable energy.He comes out in favor of:bicycles, veganism, nuclear power, heat pumps.As she suggests, his book can help individuals prioritize what they can do to avoid both global warming and energy crises, because he has charts showing how much energy people use in different sectors:heating, diet, electronic gadgets, etc.
She needed a good editor very badly.And perhaps she could have learned more about our energy future, or collaborated with someone who could write better about that.

Temperate analysis of climate change crisis
Coming Climate Crisis is a dispassionate,scientific assessment of climate change and man's role in its changing; it has also has the added merit of being a very enjoyable read.Parkinson believes humans are responsible for climate change and argues the future is potentially dangerous for all of us on Earth. But she is no alarmist who accuses skeptics of being hacks for the oil industry. Skeptics will also find a lot they will like in the book. Among the major concessions Parkinson makes to global warming skeptics in the book include:

1.there is much about the atmosphere's processes we do not understand,
2.climate models are flawed and easily manipulated,
3.the peer-review process is useful but not perfect,
4.and the scientific consensus throughout history is often wrong.

Parkinson dislikes the name-calling between believers and skeptics, as do I. (Often believers accuse skeptics of being Exxon shills, and skeptics accuse the believers of distorting findings to get government money).

My only criticism of the book was Chapter 12, where she mentions some of the alleged solutions. A lot of them were at the level of "no air conditioning , newer lightbulbs and less air travel," which really aren't going to make any significant difference. Still, if you can get a book with 12 really good chapters out of 13, you don't have to be a mathematician to realize it's probably worth buying.

Good advice on the "Climate Crisis".
I have just finished reading Claire Parkinson's book "Coming Climate Crisis?" and I am very impressed with it. Her grasp of the principles of scientific investigation and the uses of scientific and "scientific?" information is both broad and deep.She has done a great job of outlining the background of climate science and climate change, what people can do right and do wrong, and the perils of jumping to conclusions and basing actions on inadequate data, imprecise and incomplete analyses, and media hype that takes the place of reasoning. Her conclusions on the dangers of geoengineering are cautious and sound and I hope that she will be listened to, both by the climate community and, the public and the press. Unfortunately, because she are both right and quiet, she may well become a Cassandra in the climate community.
She states (p. 338) "I have no confidence that objectivity and levelheadedness will prevail." Exaggeration, the desire for fame, and the need to do something "now" will always overwhelm clear thinking, the need to wait for the right answer instead of the quick one, and the desire to make a quick buck from a supposed crisis.
I am not an expert in the climate field but I am a scientist with a lot of experience. She is correct in doubting the integrity of some scientists who are quick to jump on a bandwagon and even quicker to jump off it when the tide of informed opinion turns.
Her chapter on "Compounding Social Pressures" is about the best that I have read on the relationship between science and society and it should be required reading for university science students. And her "Closing Plea" should also be read and heeded by any and all of those who raise their voice in the climate debate, whether scientists, laymen, or politicians.
Charles J. Robinove (USGS, retired)

Informative and Credible -
NASA climatologist Parkinson contends that our understandings and computer models are inadequate for confident predictions of the consequences of various projects being considered to modify our future climate. Parkinson also provides readers with a summary of 4.68 billion years of earth's climate change history and confirms that global warming is real. Earth has already undergone massive natural large-scale climate change in response to changes in the sun, the amount of volcanic dust in the atmosphere, El Nino, and sea ice. Human factors include greenhouse gas emissions and land use changes.

We should avoid paralysis from uncertainty; the best solutions will be win-win - eg. adding alternative energy sources. The earth's major greenhouse gas is water vapor, then CO2, methane, nitrous-oxide. Without any greenhouse gas, however, the average Earth's surface temperature would be 0 instead of the 60 degrees now.

The ocean conveyor flow can take 1,000 years to return to the northern North Atlantic once leaving there. Our potential future global warming of 5 degrees C. is equal to the change from the height of ice-age conditions to today. About half the CO2 emitted by humans in the past few decades has stayed in the atmosphere, 30% has gone into the oceans, and 20% into the land biosphere. The average rate of CO2 increase from 2000-08 was 2.1 PPM, 4X the rate of the prior 200 years. Our CO2 was 280 PPM at the start of the Industrial Revolution, and hit 386 in 2008. Methane is the #2 human-induced greenhouse effect. Natural sources account for about one-third (anaerobic decomposition in wetlands), and two-thirds is man-made (rice fields, coal mining, landfills, livestock. The amount has gone from 730 PPB in 1750 to 1,800 in 2006. Partially decomposed organic matter has resided for thousands of years in permafrost that covers 25% of the Earth's land area; it is ready to release CO2 and methane.

Sulfur emissions can act as cloud condensation nuclei and increase cloud reflectivity; they also create acid rain. Atmospheric levels have stabilized and somewhat declined since 1989 because of international efforts and regulation. Thus, clean air efforts have increased global warming. Parkinson says the best estimates are that net ground use changes are thought to have also contributed to cooling.

Earth's ten warmest years (measured overall) in the years 1880-2006 are all within the last 12 years. Adding CO2 to the oceans increases their acidity, which impedes calcification (coral reef and shell formation) and is a contributor to species extinction. Warmer water compounds the problem - about 30% of our warm-water coral has disappeared since 1980. Ocean surface pH has fallen from 8.18 to 8.07 over the last 200 years. Mainstream expectations are that in this century sea level will rise 0.18 - 0.59 meters; others project an increase of 0.8 - 2.0 meters. A one meter rise would wipe out 21% of Bangladesh's land area, now holding 15 million. A total melting of land-based ice would raise ocean levels 70 meters.

There is no likelihood that the Gulf Stream would shut down, bringing a new Ice Age to Europe. About 200,000 die/year in Europe due to excessive heat, and 1.5 million due to excessive cold.

The good news is that the ozone hole in the Antarctic is expected to close this century - again, due to international agreements and regulation.

Author Parkinson is leery of well-intentioned climate-engineering efforts that could go awry. Examples in other areas include introducing rabbits, foxes, and prickly-pear cacti into Australia, and U.S. former forest fire management policy of putting out all fires as soon as possible. Cloud-seeding in a more benign example - it generally hasn't worked as hoped for. Injecting sulfate particles into the air is not recommended - existing levels are estimated to cause 500,000 deaths/year, would make solar power as much as 20% less efficient, and possibly reduce ozone-layer protection.

Other proposals are to release about one million tons of small hydrogen-filled aluminum balloons (airplanes?), pump CO2 into the ocean (more acidity), block 3.5% of the sun's radiation (requires 4.5 million square-kilometer surface, weighing 4.5 million tons, and cost 6% of the world's GNP), disperse buoyant reflective particles over the ocean, add iron to the ocean (increase algae growth to absorb CO@ - it may not be retained). Parkinson recommends that we commit to reducing emissions. ... Read more

Product Description
Interest in climate change has generated a mountain of literature leaving many floundering in the sheer flood of information, commentary, claims and initiatives. This highly accessible book assumes no prior knowledge and cuts through the confusion to explain the key economic and policy issues related to climate change in simple language and with only a few statistics. Coverage slices across the breadth and depth of climate change, providing short summaries of the most relevant research and conclusions from various disciplines. The authors highlight where economists and policy makers generally misunderstand the science of climate change, underestimate the risks of runaway warming and exaggerate the costs of radical measures to stabilize the climate.

A key focus is the impact of climate change on world agriculture, the world's most important activity. The authors provide a critical examination of how current policies that promote poor water usage and soil erosion are risking a catastrophic collapse of agriculture in the poorest and most populous countries in a warming world. They look at the solutions such as how no-till, conservation farming, third generation biofuels from waste land, alternative energy, and bio-char production to raise sustainable yields, reduce emissions and sequester carbon in soil.

The second, crucial thrust is a critical examination of the growth economy paradigm of rich countries that is driving climate change. The authors look at economic measures to control climate change including switching taxes from labor to carbon and subsidies from fossil and nuclear energy to renewable alternatives as well as demand management and energy saving.

Overall the book provides a comprehensive, critical introduction to the issues and highlights the main policies that are needed to initiate the transformation to sustainability and avert the worst risks of climate catastrophe.
... Read more

Product Description
While changes in emissions and atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases are generally projected to be slow and smooth, there are increasing indications that the intensity and impacts of climate change on the environment and society could, at least on a regional basis, be abrupt and bumpy. Surprising and nonlinear responses are likely to result as warming exceeds certain thresholds, inducing relatively rapid changes in, for example, the Greenland and West Antarctic ice sheets, atmospheric wind and precipitation patterns, coastal inundation, the occurrence of wildfire, and the ranges of plant and animal species.

Written and edited by a transdisciplinary group of internationally respected researchers, this book explores the possibilities of such changes and their significance for our society. In addition to covering the status of the science in a number of the critical areas, it also provides indications that there is a significant potential (and need) for action to limit human-induced perturbations, which can occur more rapidly than governments are currently moving. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Best Comprehensive Book Available on Climate Change
I have read several books on climate change and the Cleantech industry and I think this is the best one out there.It includes various perspectives of top environmental experts and offers solutions to some of these challenges.If, in your lifetime, you read just one book on Climate Change or the environment, this should be it. ... Read more

Product Description
There is now clear scientific evidence that emissions from economic activity, particularly the burning of fossil fuels for energy, are causing changes to the Earth's climate. A sound understanding of the economics of climate change is needed in order to underpin an effective global response to this challenge. The Stern Review is an independent, rigourous and comprehensive analysis of the economic aspects of this crucial issue. It has been conducted by Sir Nicholas Stern, Head of the UK Government Economic Service, and a former Chief Economist of the World Bank. The Economics of Climate Change will be invaluable for all students of the economics and policy implications of climate change, and economists, scientists and policy makers involved in all aspects of climate change. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Great book but could be better
This is a great book for a Ph.D. econometrician, but it sucks big time for the typical reader. Reading it is like plowing a field of rock with a horse drawn plow with a dull blade.

However, for Ph.D.s and Master degreed researches it is wonderful because it is data-filed and does the best job with the science at hand. It shows how climate change can impact the world more than all the wars in history put together.

But someone needs to write this book for the typical interested reader. The Plan B book does a better job in this regard, but Plan B is not as valuable for egg-heads.

This is not a book you will enjoy reading, it will be a pain in the neck and you will put it down over and over and need to come back to it. But it has such valuable information you will find the need to return to it over and over if this is your field.

A very important and useful report on climate change
This is a very important document on climate change and has won the respect of experts around the world.It was commissioned by the British government in 2005.It took two years to complete and was headed by Nicholas Stern, the former Chief Economist of the World Bank.You may or may not agree with all its findings but it remains one of the most professional studies of whole climate change situation, integrating global economic realities withscience.Stern has written a less expensive book of his views that came out in 2009 The Global Deal: Climate Change and the Creation of a New Era of Progress and Prosperity.I would also recommend Lester Brown's Plan B 3.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization (Substantially Revised).

Unconvincing
Dr Nicholas Stern was formerly the World Bank's chief economist, so he has huge experience of faulty forecasts. His 2006 review has become the most influential global warming report, embraced by the Blair and Brown governments. He appeared to bring hard-sounding economic calculations into the world of scientific predictions and guesses.
Yet his report is now wholly discredited. Dr. Richard Tol, Principal Researcher at the Institute for Environmental Studies at Vrije Universiteit, and Adjunct Professor at the Center for Integrated Study of the Human Dimensions of Global Change, at Carnegie Mellon University, called it `preposterous'.
Crucially, Stern estimated the cost of additional carbon emissions as $29 a ton, as against Tol's conclusion that the costs were `likely to be substantially smaller' than $14 a ton. Tol said, "In sum, the Stern Review is very selective in the studies it quotes on the impacts of climate change. The selection bias is not random, but emphasises the most pessimistic studies ... Results are occasionally misinterpreted. The report claims that a cost-benefit analysis was done, but none was carried out. The Stern Review can therefore be dismissed as alarmist and incompetent."
... Read more

Product Description
Spectacular state-of-the-art imagery and the latest scientific knowledge highlight a breathtaking guide to natures most cataclysmic forcesEncyclopedic in scope and visually stunning, this is the most comprehensive work ever published on the earths climatean awesome force that, at different points in time, has wiped out 95 percent of all living creatures, plunged the world into ice ages, and played a leading role in every stage of human evolution. Climate: explains extreme weather-related events, from the destruction of coral reefs in Belize to eroding coastlines in the South Pacific presents expert predictions about what is in store for the worlds climate in the short- and long-term future demonstrates climates devastating force through 630 full-color illustrations, including digitally generated imagery, graphs, diagrams, geographical maps, and satellite photosExplaining how our modern lifestyles shift the earths climate, the authors sound a warning bell: We may be witnessing the beginnings of a mass extinction, caused not by an ice age, asteroids, or volcanoes, but by what might be an even more destructive forceourselves. And they offer steps we can take before its too late to avoid a global disaster. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Climate is a Good Visual Guide to Climate Science
Climate gets five stars because it's the best visual guide to basic climate science available.Great photographs, good artwork, and simple diagrams. Would be appropriate for middle school and high school readers, and anybody else wanting to learn more about our earth's climate.The book takes a complicated subject and simplifies it, but not too much.Lots of global warming theory and explanation, again made simple.

beautiful !
A nice, easy-to-read, breakfast table book that contains a tour-de-force of the world history juxtaposed with advances in human civilization and how all these affect the climate and in turn gets themselves affected. It shows how civilizations get wiped off by severe climate changes. Miseries, famine, drought etc affect human endeavours and this book shows in easy terms how this is done. Sometimes it exagerates climatic changes affecting human history, but, given the facts in the book, it seems wise to be watchful as we are seeing a global warming.

A Beautiful Book
"Climate," a large-format coffee table book, has hundreds of top quality photographs, graphics, and maps related to climate and climate change. In 288 pages the book offers a history of climate from the formation of the earth until the present day and a gloomy perspective of the future when rising temperatures and irregular weather will affect our daily lives. The authors suggest ways and means by which we as individuals might help to reduce man-caused climatic change.

The book is published by Rodale, the organic gardening gurus whose publications are noted more for earnestness than dispassionate inquiry.A statement up-front says that "human activity is contributing" to global warming.That's probably true, but I would like to be persuaded rather than instructed.It would be interesting to learn more about the differing scientific views on the subject of climate change and its impact on man. There's quite a debate going on out there, but you would never know it from this book.

I also must complain about the small size and inadequate text of what should be the most interesting part of the book: "Charting Climate Change."Here's where the rubber meets the road: how much warmer is it going to be one hundred years from now?Unfortunately, the answer is relegated to a brief appendix and the world maps showing projected changes in temperature and precipitation are approximately two inches by four inches and unreadable without a magnifying glass for somebody who wants to know how much warmer it is going to be in Muskogee, Oklahoma, USA.

The beautiful illustrations capture your attention and hold it --but much of the text does not. It will look good on your coffee table, but most people will probably thumb through the book rather than reading it cover to cover.

Smallchief ... Read more

Product Description
7.2 million YouTube viewers can't be wrong: A provocative new way to look at the global warming debate.

Based on a series of viral videos that have garnered more than 7.2 million views, this visually appealing book gives readers-be they global warming activists, soccer moms, or NASCAR dads-a way to decide on the best course of action, by asking them to consider, "What's the worst that could happen?" And for those who decide that action is needed, Craven provides a solution that is not only powerful but also happens to be stunningly easy. Not just another "change your light bulb" book, this intriguing and provocative guide is the first to help readers make sense-for themselves-of the contradictory statements about global climate change.

The globe is warming! or The globe is not warming.

We're the ones doing it! or It's a natural cycle.

It's gonna be a catastrophe! or It'll be harmless.

This is the biggest threat to humankind! or This is the biggest hoax in history. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (37)

Why we need to veer away from the cliff of climate chaos!
Greg Craven's book is just the one to share with your doubter friends.It examines, in a folksy and modest manner, why even if one disputes the likelihood of human-caused global climate change, we need to take action anyway.I read it after viewing all of his Youtube videos that began with "The Most Terrifying Video You'll Ever See."These are funny and perfect for a high school student.He presents a simple 4-square graph with his main thesis, which is that the risks are far too great to assume that climate change won't happen, so we had better prepare for it.Lots of excellent information, especially on the issue of who can you trust to have accurate information.I bought a bunch of copies and gave them to my relatives and even my local state representative.Who can you share it with?

The one book on climate change you MUST read
I just finished reading this book and I daresay it's even more fun, energetic, and insightful than the viral videos that preceded the book.The first few chapters were a little slow for me, perhaps because they overlap so much with the videos.But last night I got past that and just couldn't put it down till I finished.

I have been reading many books on climate change recently by both warmers and skeptics to try to figure out what to believe.It can be very infuriating because most of the books are written as if the authors are so certain about what they are saying (particularly the ones by skeptics, which is kind of ironic).But clearly certainty is not a useful criterion for judging truth.It doesn't matter how certain they all are -- they can't all be right!For every damning quote I found, I was finding plausible rebuttals.Then rebuttals to the rebuttals, and so on.

Eventually I just decided that even if you can decide for yourself what you believe to be the most credible position by sifting through the arguments, there is absolutely no way to convince someone *else* of that if they don't want to be convinced.Greg makes this point in his book -- you can always find some evidence that supports your view if you look hard enough. And people who want to be convinced one way or the other will typically rest their case when they find that evidence.So no matter what you say there's always some rebuttal someone can make to refute the point and you're left just staring at each other saying "oh yeh? well you're wrong", "no you are", "no I'm not" ... and not getting anywhere.

And then I realized that you don't really need to know for sure if the warmers are right.The only question that really matters is are they at least credible? Do they genuinely believe what they say?Do they have evidence to back it up?Are they not idiots?Are there a significant number of them? I find the answers to all those to be yes.So I made my conclusion.The risk is significant enough to warrant taking it seriously.

Then I saw Greg Craven's viral video.His little 2x2 grid encapsulated the same basic idea so charmingly that I was hooked at once. Yes!Finally someone not trying to prove which side is right!!That's exactly how you avoid getting sucked in to the endless quagmire.I bought the book at once just as a way to vote with my wallet for Greg's great video.Didn't get around to reading till months later.Didn't think I really needed to read it after seeing the videos, frankly.

But I'm really glad that I did read it.Greg's perspective is such a breath of fresh air (so to speak) in this stale debate about CO2.Having read a number of books on climate change, and having waded through their scientific (and oft not-so-scientific) claims, for the most part I couldn't see myself recommending any of them individually to my friends.You really need to read them all for yourself to get a good picture, and that's a hard sell to someone who's not that interested in the climate debate to begin with.And even if you do slog through them, I don't think that most of what I read would be useful for someone without a science background.But Greg's book cuts through all that in a really nice way. He comes across as an impartial guide to the landscape (ok somewhat partial, but he acknowledges that and tries really hard not to let it get in the way).He doesn't claim to be any sort of expert, or try tell you what to think. He just guides you through his risk analysis idea that tells you how to decide for yourself.

Anyway, the book is great.It's the first book on climate change I've read that I'd wholeheartedly recommend to anyone.Skeptic or warmer, young or old, interested in climate or not.It doesn't matter.This book is well worth the read for all.I just can't say enough nice things about Greg or his book.Watch the videos.Buy the book.And do as he says, and go ahead and buy one for a friend too.I did.At this price you might as well.This would be a great first book to read as an introduction to the issue, before going on to read books by Hansen, Michaels, Singer, Gelbspan, Schneider.Or you know, if you're not that interested in the details, just read this book and leave it at that.

Full of "Confirmation Bias"
Read the Appendix first to understand this authors "Confirmation Bias". This is his global warming activist manifesto. The book claims to be a new method for the layman to sift through and evaluate the several sides of the global warming debate, and then rate the risks of taking action. The problem is that his new methods rely on the reader to rank order the credibility of sources of material while being mindful of the readers own "Confirmation Bias". Since I believe such objectivity is virtually impossible, I consider these methods to be as bogus as the conclusions of the author's manifesto in the Appendix.

This book was written before the Climategate scandal in which the Warmers were exposed falsifying the core temperature data used in the IPCC reports and succeeding in undermining the peer review system, the very things that are supposed to give reputable experts and institutions their credibility. Without these standards of credibility applying to the question of global warming there remains little basis to rank sources using the authors methods.

I thought I would find in this book something new about risk analysis. It does mention some of the big name skeptics but then dismisses them for what I think are silly reasons. (I have read many of the references of the book, both warmer and skeptic). However, I found just anotherglobal warming activist with more pseudo scientific methods, pretending to draw the only logical conclusion that going green is the way to save the planet.

The YouTube spot goes viral.Now we need to get people to read this book!
Millions have viewed the short video, "The Most Terrifying Video You'll Ever See," by science teacher Greg Craven.In it, he posits a 2 X 2 grid:the 2 rows are "global warming is false," and "global warming is true."The 2 columns are "take significant action now," and "take little or no action now."Then he goes through this decision grid analysis, and decides that reasonable people ought to understand that this simplistic analysis makes it crystal clear that "we" need to take significant action now to combat global climate warming/weirding.

In his book, What's the Worst That Could Happen?: A Rational Response to the Climate Change Debate, he reviews that decision grid and his analysis.Then, using an example involving giant mutant space hamsters, he explains the error of his analysis.

This book is his careful, methodical rebuilding of his argument, with you, the reader.More than three-quarters of this book is preparing you to build your own case, to develop your own conclusion.He discusses our inherent biases, the issue of evaluating credibility, and the nature of science.He gives us anexample of how he evaluates the credibility of both the "warmers" and the "skeptics."And then he asks you, the reader, to come to a conclusion.In the penultimate chapter, he discusses his conclusion (it's not a mystery).

I really like this book for its clear approach to thinking about complex issues outside our individual areas of expertise.After all, what percentage of the world's population, your state's inhabitants, or your city or town's population is a bona fide climate scientist? One thousand of one percent?So it really isn't an issue of you understanding the detailed science.Instead, it is all about how you evaluate credibility, how you tolerate and assess risk, and what you do or don't do.

And the first thing I've done, after reading this book, is order three more.Time for this information, Craven's message, to go viral again, just like the video.Well, "viral" is really not the word here.I'll use "bacterial" instead... slower, but hopefully just as exponential in its growth.

Note: in today's newspaper, there is an article that Lord Christopher Monckton (mentioned on page 145, and labeled as low on Craven's credibility scale), is not a member of the British House of Lords as Monckton claims.The British House of Lords writes "Christopher Monckton is not and has never been a Member of the House of Lords.There is no such thing as a 'non-voting' or 'honorary' member."Perhaps future of editions of this book will make note of this.

The man that want to anounce WW3
Mr. Craven said in a YouTube video (channel wonderingmind42) at 'Utopia Konferenz' in Germany we should announce WW3. Other interesting statements are that WW2 was helping the economy and advancements in technology like nothing else, not even a single critical remark. He goes on with, and I quote here: "You don't even have to believe in global warming but you should better do something about it." In the web videos, there is no single measure though of how to tackle the problem of CO2, if it was one. He is referencing a Prof. Hansen from NASA who is highly controversial and of whom colleagues say that he is exaggerating and lobbying.
Same thing goes for the IPCC and it's falsification of climate data which as it came out struck the Copenhagen clime conference. Also noteworthy is that Mr. Al Gore and Mr. Pachauri (head of the IPCC) are both heavily invested in companies which will profit massively from the CO2 'trading scheme' that they propagate. I do not say that Mr. Craven is a mouthpiece of those individuals but I think he clearly has been fed with wrong data and actively fears the masses with the doom and gloom scenarios we know all to well from Hollywood movies. To be a bit scientific here, think of this: If CO2 was responsible for 'global warming' how can it be than that in 1000 A.D. it was on average one degree Celsius warmer on the planet. What about other planets like Mars that are heating up and 'ice caps melting' there. Could it not be the sun and it's cycles which are mainly responsible for 'our climate' considering also that the sun has 99 per cent of all the mass in the solar system. Just think for yourself and then consider if you want to buy the book or not. ... Read more

Product Description
Over the next half century, the human population, divided by culture and economics and armed with weapons of mass destruction, will expand to nearly 9 billion people. Abrupt climate change may throw the global system into chaos; China will emerge as a superpower; and Islamic terrorism and insurgency will threaten vital American interests. How can we understand these and other global challenges? Harm de Blij has a simple answer: by improving our understanding of the world's geography.
In Why Geography Matters, de Blij demonstrates how geography's perspectives yield unique and penetrating insights into the interconnections that mark our shrinking world. Preparing for climate change, averting a cold war with China, defeating terrorism: all of this requires geographic knowledge. De Blij also makes an urgent call to restore geography to America's educational curriculum. He shows how and why the U.S. has become the world's most geographically illiterate society of consequence, and demonstrates the great risk this poses to America's national security.
Peppering his writing with anecdotes from his own professional travels, de Blij provides an original treatise that is as engaging as it is eye opening. Casual or professional readers in areas such as education, politics, or national security will find themselves with a stimulating new perspective on geography as it continues to affect our world. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (22)

Interesting and Informative
Though this book can be a little tedious (it's rather technical; I did have to read it for a class), it is actually quite informative and interesting. The author generally does a good job of avoiding touchy political demonstrations, however his opinions regarding global warming and evolution are there if you are looking hard enough. It is not in your face in any way; he offers strong evidence and insight into matters of geography that I never knew before. An enriching and interesting book.

A very well written book
that provides not just food but rather a feast for thought.This book will vastly improve one's understanding of the world today.

Somewhat Interesting, but No New Insights
Blij tells readers that improving our understanding of the world's geography is key to understanding the key challenges of the next half-century:Population growth to nearly 9 billion, climate change possibly causing chaos, China's emergence as a superpower, and Islamic terrorism threats for America.Unfortunately, Blij's efforts to convince us of the need to re-emphasize geography fails.

A globe tells us that most of the earth's surface is water or ice, and much of the land is mountains or desert.It also tells us that the Northern Hemisphere countries dominate the world because most of the habitable territory is north of the Equator.

All titles and other legal documents in the U.S. have been expressed in English measures - converting to metric would be impractical.

Assuming you are in North America, the room you are in will move about 1/2" in the next year; over a geologic time of 1 million years it will move 8 miles.

About 200 years ago the Earth's population was only about 900 million, reaching 1 billion in 1820.Another 110 years was required to double (2M), and only 45 more years to double again (4M in 1975).Blij anticipates doubling again by 2035, reflecting a slower growth rate.However, Blij reports that it is important to look at the data for individual countries.

Increasing lifespans adds another important dimension.Currently 35 of every 100 in Europe are of pensionable age, and this will rise to 75 by 2050.

Blij sees Sunni Muslims as a greater potential terrorism problem due to their decentralized nature, vs. Shiites (ayatollahs, imams).Haiti and Paraguay in South America, and Sudan and Somalia in Africa are potential future terrorist hotbeds - large Muslim population, weak states.

Russia remains the largest territory, almost twice the size of #2 Canada.Having 13 neighbors, and lying roughly entirely north of Boston are problems for it.If trends continue it will have a mere 100 million population by 2050.

Good read for anyone
I teach AP Human Geography and every time I pick this book up I find a little more to share with my students. Of course, I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the world today.

Geography Does Matter
Why Geography Matters is a well-researched and written book by an expert in the field, but the subtitle is a bit misleading. Sure, the book covers the three threats the author claims are confronting the United States, namely climate change, a growing China and global terrorism, but it also covers geology and the history of the world from the beginning of time. The author also spends considerable amounts of time with chapters on the European Union, Russia as well as Africa. While there are some insights and useful information contained in the book, the arguments tend to be articulated better in other sources. I wholeheartedly agree that geography is a critical discipline that does not often get the respect it deserves, but this book is not the final authority when it comes to geo-politics and the current state of the world. ... Read more

Product Description
Richard Alley, one of the world's leading climate researchers, tells the fascinating history of global climate changes as revealed by reading the annual rings of ice from cores drilled in Greenland. In the 1990s he and his colleagues made headlines with the discovery that the last ice age came to an abrupt end over a period of only three years. Here Alley offers the first popular account of the wildly fluctuating climate that characterized most of prehistory--long deep freezes alternating briefly with mild conditions--and explains that we humans have experienced an unusually temperate climate. But, he warns, our comfortable environment could come to an end in a matter of years.

The Two-Mile Time Machine begins with the story behind the extensive research in Greenland in the early 1990s, when scientists were beginning to discover ancient ice as an archive of critical information about the climate. Drilling down two miles into the ice, they found atmospheric chemicals and dust that enabled them to construct a record of such phenomena as wind patterns and precipitation over the past 110,000 years. The record suggests that "switches" as well as "dials" control the earth's climate, affecting, for example, hot ocean currents that today enable roses to grow in Europe farther north than polar bears grow in Canada. Throughout most of history, these currents switched on and off repeatedly (due partly to collapsing ice sheets), throwing much of the world from hot to icy and back again in as little as a few years.

Alley explains the discovery process in terms the general reader can understand, while laying out the issues that require further study: What are the mechanisms that turn these dials and flip these switches? Is the earth due for another drastic change, one that will reconfigure coastlines or send certain regions into severe drought? Will global warming combine with natural variations in Earth's orbit to flip the North Atlantic switch again? Predicting the long-term climate is one of the greatest challenges facing scientists in the twenty-first century, and Alley tells us what we need to know in order to understand and perhaps overcome climate changes in the future. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (24)

Not a boring science book!
Compared with other books on global warming, I like how informational this book is along with its cleverly organized content. It keeps the reader engaged and in thinking-mode throughout each chapter till the end. Its worth the buy. It presents very convincing data about the global warming issue.

A balanced view of climate change
No one can dispute Alley's credentials in climatology.He is one of the most experienced in glaciology which is where most of what we know about the history of climate comes from.Here in plain language he describes how climate works and how drilling into ice tells us about climate's past.That past reveals larger and faster changes than civilized man has ever seen.The causes are many and complex.But we are far from knowing all of those causes and how they react with each other.We can be certain, however that significant climate change is not the result of a simplistic phenomenon.

Alley writes as a scientist, not as a politician or advocate.He welcomes dissent and like all good scientists realizes that it is the road to progress. Try this. "What are the odds that natural or human activities will trigger an abrupt climate change big enough, fast enough, and soon enough to matter in economic discussions?The simple answer again is that we do not know." ...."Much knowledge is needed before we can begin to predict the known light switch, and it remains possible, though unproven, that "chaos" in the system will render such predictions difficult or impossible"."Nature certainly can start the climate jumping again.But can humans?The answer is 'maybe".

I have read dozens of books on climate change and have studied it for nineteen years.If you want the best general book on this subject, one that tries to make a complex science understandable, that even uses real humor, then read this.It is a book that is clear on its science.That is so because it is not dirtied up with politics, social advocacy or secular religion.After reading it, think for yourself.Then you will realize thatscientific forecasts for the future of climate are merely the opinions of some scientists and those opinions are all over the place.

Opinions are not science.Clear, falsifiable conclusions based on real evidence are.Such does not exist for the future of our climate.One should not confuse the elevation of some scientific opinion to authority with science itself.Science arose in opposition to authority. If you are truly interested in the real nature and status of the science of climate, read this.

Excellent introduction to climate change
If you're interested in reading about the history of climate changes on this planet, and the many causes of it, this is a good book to start with. It's written by Richard Alley, an expert in reading climate history from ice-cores, particularly from central Greenland, data that go back more than 100,000 years and record things like temperature, moisture, and atmospheric content in great detail. Alley first describes how climate history is inferred from ice-cores, and then goes on to give a description of the climate system more generally. Some notable things I learned from this book:

* The past 10,000 years have been an unusually stable and warm period in Earth's geologically recent history. Abrupt, and wild, climate swings have been the norm. And there's no reason to think the climate won't return to that "staggering drunk" state.

* Taking an even larger view of climate change, and looking at changes over hundreds of millions of years, we are actually in a relatively cold time. One hundred million years ago, while dinosaurs roamed the Earth, the climate was quite a bit warmer than now.

* One "climate switch" is well-documented: the shutting down of the world ocean conveyor belt in the North Atlantic, which happened several times over the last 100,000 years. There are likely many other switches yet to be discovered, so put your thinking caps on.

* Carbon dioxide is not the most important greenhouse gas. Water vapor is. But human-introduced carbon dioxide is important in the sense that we have control over it.

* Any near future abrupt climate changes will affect the northern hemisphere much more than the southern hemisphere. But there's no reason to pack up for South America just yet.

* Since traditional economic analysis takes a short-term view, it would say that since climate change is so slow, we shouldn't do anything about it now, we should put resources into adaptation rather than prevention. Some non-traditional economic analysis has challenged this view, but because there's so much uncertainty regarding climate change and the human influence over it, it's not clear what we should do.

I like the author's style. And he's able to honestly admit when he "looks into his ice-crystal ball" and says he doesn't know what the full result of climate change will be and what we should do about it.

Informative, but not a great read.
The author, a scientist, actually did of OK job of keeping me interested in the book.The thing is...the discussion wasn't technical enough to warrant considering on that level.And perhaps it's just me, but it the author didn't provide any strong opinions or speculation of what may have happened and what may happen...just "layman" (weak) facts about how the tests were performed and what it probably means.

I think it would have been much better if the author would have included an extra couple chapters in the end with just some interesting ideas in a story form of "what happened and what's going to happen."

As it is, if it wanted to be a technical book, it's not technical enough.For entertainment, it's not entertainment enough.In the middle without any strong points in either direction is a bad place to be.

A perfect example of why you need a good editor
I found this book unreadable.

I don't often say that about a book.I can slog through the Code of Federal Regulations with the best of them.I've edited fiction for publication, and scientific reports. Alley's prose is some of the worst I have ever read. After 41 pages, I gave up.I was nauseated.

Technically, Alley makes some good points.His knowlege is first hand and primary observations. However, his prose is stilted and right out of the 17th Century.I got the impression he tried to make a travel memoir out of his scientific investigations.If he really wanted to make a true memoir, he should have split the scientific from the experiential, either as discrete sections or entire books.The down side to that, he would have be more sophisticated with his writing methods, possibly including other people's observations and dialog in his memoirs and less preachy in his science.No such prose appears in this book.Barf!

This book is a waste of my time and good paper.Shame on Richard Alley, Princeton Press, and most of all his editors!Um, well if had any editors, that is . . . ... Read more