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Customer Reviews (1)

the first few chapters are completely focused on rape....
ok so we all know that he's a dirty old man, but seriously? the first chapter is completely about rape as are the next ones. for the love of jesus christ monkeyballs....
i don't even need to say more ... Read more

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How did humankind deal with the extreme challenges of the last Ice Age? How have the relatively benign post-Ice Age conditions affected the evolution and spread of humanity across the globe? By setting our genetic history in the context of climate change during prehistory, the origin of many features of our modern world are identified and presented in this illuminating book. It reviews the aspects of our physiology and intellectual development that have been influenced by climatic factors, and how features of our lives - diet, language and the domestication of animals - are also the product of the climate in which we evolved. In short: climate change in prehistory has in many ways made us what we are today. Climate Change in Prehistory weaves together studies of the climate with anthropological, archaeological and historical studies, and will fascinate all those interested in the effects of climate on human development and history. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

A great read
This book is carefully written with all of the proper citations typical of an academic text. I found the author to be straightforward about what he knows and how he knows it. Also, Burroughs is not afraid to let you know when he is speculating as opposed to interpretations based on scientific facts. In the end the book is a great read. I recommend it to anyone interested in the climate that early homo sapiens evolved in.

Prehistory is still relevant
The primary theme of this book is that during prehistory (prior to about 10,000 years ago) wild swings and unpredictability in weather patterns prevented more complex adaptations such as agriculture. It was not until there was some stability after the melting of the ice sheets that agriculture, herding, cities, and higher population densities were possible.He postulates that as our own actions destabilize the current weather patterns, we may face the possibility that we cannot maintain our adaptations.He does not address this in any detail, but his perspective should cause us to start looking at the way we live in the hopes that we can adapt our stability-dependent systems to unstable weather patterns.

A Great Introduction to climate change(s)
Read this book if you are at all interested in climate change, evolution and the forces that gave rise to modern civilized life.

A balanced account of the latest thinking
At first I thought that "Climate Change in Prehistory" was too academic and stuffed with dry facts for the non-specialist reader.I changed my mind by the end.

There are certainly lots of facts and technical jargon, but these are enlivened by occasional gems of dry humour.The author has also struck a good balance with technical jargon.

The book is easy to read, although it is not a "popular" account by any means.

The author handles controversial topics well: such as the date of human occupation of the Amercas and the extinction of megafauna in Australia and the Americas. He presents the relevant research (including the occasional crackpot theory) and indicates where consensus or controversy exist.

Readers who want to dig deeper into specific issues have plenty of references and an excellent bibliography to get them started.

The book covers a surprisingly wide range of topics.For example, the effects of changing diets (meat vs carbohydrates) as humans changed from being hunter-gatherers to farmers is

described.The author seems to come to an implicit conclusion in relation to modern diets, but I won't give the game away by revealing it here.

Ancient history is generally taught as starting with the Egyptians and Mesopotamian civilisations, so most students have never been exposed to descriptions of what came before the

evolution of large, settled societies - probably because little beyond conjecture was known until quite recently.

Books such as "Climate Change in Prehistory" show how much we have learned about climate in pre-history in recent decades - and how much a study of the remote past can illuminate current
climate debates.

I was struck by how well Burroughs integrates information from a remarkably wide range of data into his book - ice cores, linguistics, pollen studies, oceanic sediments, tree rings to name just a few.

Readers new to the subject, or who are looking for a less-technical account, might be better off reading "The Long Summer" (Fagan) and "The Little Ice Age" (Grove).These are both excellent introductions to climate and its effects on humans since the last ice age.

"Climate Change in Prehistory" is an excellent book for readers who want to know the latest thinking about how climate has varied and affected humans since the last ice age.

Climate and Sociologic Developments 20 K Years Ago
Pre-history in this case is really defined in terms of the last ice age. In the first part of the book the author talks about relatively recent research into the weather changes in the last hundred thousand or so years. This is based on things like drilling cores into the ice in Greenland and Antarctica. Trapped air in bubbles in the ice provide clues to the climate at the time.

After that the author begins to look into the effects of these changes on life at the time. This includes both plant and animal life as well as human. The author contends, and with some very good reasoning, that the climatic conditions at the time did a lot to define an awful lot of things that we take for granted today, things like the differing gender roles, color blindness (men are about 20 times more likely to be color blind than women), migration patterns (a lot of the old thinking has been revised in view of DNA studies).

One striking point is the possibility or even likelyhood that there was a migration from Europe to America in the 20,000 year ago time period. This is was suggested by the similarity of arrowheads (the Clovis points) in America and parts of Europe. Then DNA evidence of Indians living around the Great Lakes seem to have a different lineage than the rest of the American Indians.

This is a new book that reflects the new theories that result from recent scientific discoveries. ... Read more

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With increasing greenhouse gas emissions, we are embarked on an unprecedented experiment with an uncertain outcome for the future of the planet. The Kyoto Protocol serves as an initial step through 2012 to mitigate the threats posed by global climate change but policy-makers, scholars, businessmen, and environmentalists have begun debating the structure of the successor to the Kyoto agreement. Written by a team of leading scholars in economics, law and international relations, this book contributes to this debate by examining the merits of six alternative international architectures for climate policy. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Well organized book
This isn't a technical book, but it's not lazy Sunday reading either. It is a well laid out book though. There are 6 proposed "architectures" (post-Kyoto frameworks) presented-- along with 1 or 2 competing reviews are each proposal. Due to this organization, you get a total 360 view of the policy issues and trade-offs involved. Perhaps, due to the academic tone, it might be a little off-balanced away from business realities. However, this is not, in any way, a biased environmental ranting book. ... Read more

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Today's enormous development challenges are complicated by the reality of climate change the two are inextricably linked and together demand immediate attention. Climate change threatens all countries, but particularly developing ones. Understanding what climate change means for development policy is the central aim of the World Development Report 2010. It explores how public policy can change to better help people cope with new or worsened risks, how land and water management must adapt to better protect a threatened natural environment while feeding an expanding and more prosperous population, and how energy systems will need to be transformed. The report is an urgent call for action, both for developing countries who are striving to ensure policies are adapted to the realities and dangers of a hotter planet, and for high-income countries who need to undertake ambitious mitigation while supporting developing countries efforts. A climate-smart world is within reach if we act now to tackle the substantial inertia in the climate, in infrastructure, and in behaviors and institutions; if we act together to reconcile needed growth with prudent and affordable development choices; and if we act differently by investing in the needed energy revolution and taking the steps required to adapt to a rapidly changing planet. In the crowded field of climate change reports, WDR 2010 uniquely: emphasizes development takes an integrated look at adaptation and mitigation highlights opportunities in the changing competitive landscape and how to seize them proposes policy solutions grounded in analytic work and in the context of the political economy of reform ... Read more

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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

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

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

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

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It’s been nearly four decades since scientists first realized that global warming posed a potential threat to our planet. Why, if we knew of the threats way back in the Carter Administration, can’t we act decisively to limit greenhouse gases, deforestation, and catastrophic warming trends? Why are we still addicted to fossil fuels? Have we all just been fiddling for 40 years as the world burns around us?

Schneider, part of the Nobel Prize–winning team that shared the accolade with Al Gore in 2007, had a front-row seat at this unfolding environmental meltdown. Piecing together events like a detective story, Schneider reveals that as expert consensus grew, well-informed activists warned of dangerous changes no one knew how to predict precisely—and special interests seized on that very uncertainty to block any effective response. He persuasively outlines a plan to avert the building threat and develop a positive, practical policy that will bring climate change back under our control, help the economy with a new generation of green energy jobs and productivity, and reduce the dependence on unreliable exporters of oil—and thus ensure a future for ourselves and our planet that’s as rich with promise as our past. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (51)

Mediocre
As climate books go,this was nothing special. There are many better books out there. I don't trust Schneider's objectivity. I thought he was being unfair and unscentific when he blames the European heat waves and Katrina on global warming, while saying the 10 year cooling period of 1998-2008 was too short-term to be significant. That's trying to have it both ways. A three-star book, nothing more.

This book rubbed me the wrong way
If a strong sense of your own rightness makes you a good scientist, then Stephen Schneider must be a great one. I've never read a book that was quite so self-righteous. Schneider sees himself as a hero fighting against evildoers -- who are anyone who does not agree with him. As the subtitle says, Schneider thinks he is fighting a "battle to save the Earth's climate."

But who or what is Schneider fighting? That's not clear. Some of the suspects appear to be scientists, politicians, and other people who do not see things his way. Not by convincing them, but by ridiculing them. That's why this book rubbed me the wrong way.

Sport with the Earth as football
Schneider's specialty is climate modelling and he has long been a favourite target of climate change denialists but his first battles were with the scientific empiricists who were dismissive of computer modelling because it went beyond observation and measurement into the uncertainties of predictive statistical methodologies.Schneider's reply is that modelling is necessary to be able to forecast impacts of changing variables such as atmospheric concentrations of CO2.You can't measure the future - until it becomes the present and then it could be too late.

Schneider's second battle front has been opened by an altogether less scrupulous opponent - "corporate interests".The fossil fuel industry set in train a global warming denialist apparatus seeking to spread doubt about global warming and discredit a science they didn't like.Leaked documents showed their deliberately deceptive strategy was to `reposition the debate' as `theory, not fact', creating public uncertainty by pushing the minority views of contrarians.

The denialists rely on a complicit and facile media to strike a `balance' by giving equal access to both the proponents of global warming and the denialists.To the uninformed in a complex scientific discipline, the pro and con position, if treated as equals and confined to a superficial ten-second sound-bite, can be made to seem equally credible.Unlike legitimate sceptics, the denialists simply ignore the "preponderance of evidence" established by rigorous and extensive peer review, says Schneider.

The denialist aim, says Schneider, is to shift the focus from debate over what to do about global warming to whether there is a problem in the first place thus delaying any policy which might harm the "special interests vested in the status quo" (Schneider's term for fossil fuel industry profits).

Schneider's rebuttal of the contrarians is the highlight of his book, which, in other respects is not up to his usual standards as a populariser of global warming science.Despite his experience of cantankerous debates over wording into the wee small hours at various UN-sponsored forums on climate change, for example, Schneider remains hooked on their adrenalin rush and retails all their machinations at length.

Schneider's remaining set of battles are, disappointingly, with environmentalists.As an advocate of market `solutions' such as emissions trading schemes, as well as `clean coal' and "well-designed nuclear expansion", he dismisses more radical greenhouse reduction targets, timeframes and strategies.

Schneider talks the language of business and is often invited into their tent but even his `realistic' brand of politics is too extreme for the fossil fuel `special interests' who have governments is their well-funded grip.

Climate Change is Here and Now
Stephen Schneider is one of the worlds leading experts on climate change.He is the person that science reporters go to for interviews.

The first half or so of this work is biographical.It describes Schneider's career.This may not be particularly compelling for the average reader.Because of resource limitations, in terms of both people and money, scientists spend a lot of time discussing with their colleagues about what they are going to do before they do it.They then seek funding.If they are lucky enough to get support, then they do the research and present it at a conference.This is followed by more discussion with colleagues about what they are going to do next.The process repeats itself.

In the biographical part of the book, we do learn some interesting things.For instance, Schneider's early research institute was located in New York City above Tom's Restaurant, which is featured on Seinfeld.

The second half of the book is more compelling.We learn about climate change and the people who would have us believe that it is not really happening.Schneider terms George Will a distortionist for misusing information taken out of context to present a case againstthe reality of climate change.If Schneider lets us down, it is in not spending more time explaining the motivations behind people like Will.Are they acting on ideology, in the pay of the fossil fuel industry, ignorant, or perhaps all of the above?

Over the past decade, the effects of climate change have become quite apparent to me.Here in the Hudson Valley, we set more new high temperatures than low temperatures.Our local reservoir, instead of being frozen all winter, barely has ice for a few days.We are experiencing tropical diseases like the West Nile Virus.It is not just our grandchildren who will suffer the effects of climate change.It is happening here and now to all of us.

One thing that we can do as individuals is to inform ourselves.I have read several books on climate change that I can recommend.Among them are: "Six Degrees: Our Future on a Hotter Planet", "An Inconvenient Truth: The Crisis of Global Warming", "Global Warning: The Last Chance for Change", and "With Speed and Violence: Why Scientists Fear Tipping Points in Climate Change."All of these were written for non-technical readers.

We need 1/2 stars as book is 3 1/2 stars but it deserved more of a mark-up than a mark-down!!
In his book, "Science as a Contact Sport: Inside the Battle to Save Earth's Climate", Stephen Schneider provides his perspective on the climate change argument over the past 30 years or so.While Mr. Schneider is a much respected scientist, I wish he would have chosen another format for the book.This book provides his recall about what has happened on the scientific front regarding global warming.He includes conversations he had with others and this is what bogs me down about the book.Think about it:it's really difficult to recall a conversation one had last week, much less conversations going back 30 years.He does state that he sought out those whom he quoted and at times they did differ with his recollections.

In spite of this quibble, it was certainly interesting to see how the theories have changed over time regarding global warming.And it is encouraging to note that more and more scientists are convinced that we are facing a real problem before we find irrefutable proof by which time it could be too late to act anyway.Also, I take issue with Mr. Schneider because he doesn't think we can/will go extinct due to excessive warming.Now, I'm well aware that he is the scientist BUT how about a little COMMON SENSE here.Can the earth really withstand continued warming?Won't it affect all living things including crops?And how about the chain of life -- which extinct animal will cause the break-down?(Let me point out here that there is a real difference between natural extinctions and those caused by the activities of man.)Where will the water go from the melting polar ice caps?

I agree with other "lay people" that continuing to reassure us that we'll survive regardless, is to diminish the warming argument.It certainly provides deniers with plenty of ammunition with which to stop any changes.After all, if we will survive anyway, why do anything that may stop all that green stuff from flowing to our corporations, politicians and their ilk?Let's just disregard the fact that change can be good and that more money can be made being more environmental conscious.

As far as my personal perspective goes, there are serious issues (such as global warming) whereby proof is elusive and undoubtedly will remain so until it is, well, too late!!So then for an issue as life threatening to all living things on earth as global warming, again, let me offer up this:why can't we just add a little of that formerly alluded to COMMON SENSE into the mix???(By the way, chemical proliferation is another such issue.)This book will appeal to the already converted and give the deniers something to talk about.I just would have preferred a more standardized version of the battle.Less talk and more real history so to speak.I enjoyed the book nevertheless.
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What should Christians do to protect the Earth and its people?

Amounts and patterns of consumption and production in the West havereached a level that cannot be maintained. Lifestyles based on our presentway of creating and using energy are no longer environmentallysustainable--and are threatening the health and well-being of both planetand people. Our activities and the policies that shape them need to change.In light of those realities, Spencer, White, and Vroblesky offer seriousChristian engagement with the emerging issue of Sustainable Consumptionand Production. They analyze the scientific, sociological, economic, andtheological thinking that makes a Christian response to these trendsimperative and distinctive. And they offer practical conclusions thatexplore and explain what can be done at the personal, community, national,and international levels to ensure that next generations will have theresources necessary for life.

Firmly rooted in the good news of the Christian faith, this is, above all, aconstructive and hopeful book that offers a realistic vision of what thefuture could and should look like.

"This timely and well-researched book is a welcome addition tothe literature on Christianity and climate change. It offers threethings rarely found in a single volume: solid science clearlypresented, winsome Christian theology rooted in sound biblicalinterpretation, and much practical wisdom on what we individuallyand collectively can and should do. I can think of nobetter book written from a Christian perspective on this importantissue."
--Dr. Steven Bouma-Prediger, Hope College, author of For the Beauty ofthe Earth: A Christian Vision for Creation Care

This book was printed with a FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) chain-of-custody certified printer. Highest environmental and social standards are applied to forest conservation, responsible management, and community level benefits for people near the forests that provide this paper and in the printing facilities that turned that paper into this book. The cover paper is recycled, and the book is printed on 30% post consumer waste paper, using only soy or vegetable content inks.

This book is endorsed by A Rocha International and the Jubilee Centre. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

What it means to be a Christian and being environmentally wise
Christianity and environmentalism can coexist just fine. "Christianity, Climate Change, and Sustainable Living" brings the three concepts, the former not commonly found with the later two under one banner of study as the three authors craft a thoughtful analysis of global warming and climate change and what it means to be a Christian and being environmentally wise. "Christianity, Climate Change, and Sustainable Living" is a solid combo of knowledge, a top pick.

A Must Read for Christians
Christianity, Climate Change, and Sustainable Living is a relatively small book that tackles a broad range of issues. As the title implies, the authors cover everything from the science of climate change to the appropriate Christian response to climate change, and also offer some practical solutions to help both individuals and cultures to live more sustainably.

Though the flow of the book suffers a little due to the wide range of topics that are covered, I think the book is successful on all fronts. The summary of climate change is concise and accurate, giving a good overview of past, current, and projected future climate change and its many effects.

After laying out the evidence for the reality and potential severity of the impacts of climate change, the authors turn to the question of how Christians should respond. Their answers are both wide-ranging and compelling. Through a much-needed evaluation of our unsustainable (and unhealthy) consumer culture, a Biblically-based call to take care of God's creation, and a reminder of God's charge for us to care for the poor (who will be most affected by climate change), the authors articulate a vision of a total Christian response to climate change, a response that they cast as an important part of bringing God's kingdom to Earth. As Christians we are familiar with the spiritual aspects of the transformation of old to new, but Spencer, White, and Vrobleskly challenge us to think about how this applies to the whole of God's creation.

Also integrated into the book are plenty of practical principles to help guide our response, updates on national and global policies, quick analyses of alternative energy sources, and a helpful list of Christian organizations devoted to realizing the vision of responsible, sustainable living.

Christians looking for a substantive, thoughtful response to the often heated (and politicized) issues regarding climate change and what to do about it need to read this book. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

Fascinating Story, But Written in Heavy Scientific Terms
This book tells the story of the discovery of one of the most amazing aspects of our oceans...the ability of the water to circulate and transmit salinity and temperature from one area of the world to another. It also details how this movement affects air temperatures in various regions and what would happen if the system were disrupted.It describes, it detail, how the author set the hypothesis, and then went about proving that such a geologic system existed. It also details findings that contradicted the author's assumptions and how that affected the thought process. The process was a puzzle, with each new piece adding, and sometimes subtracting, from the entire end result.

The book is readable and enjoyable, but I would warn readers that it is heavily scientific and there is a lot of knowledge of geology and chemistry needed to fully appreciate the story. If you don't know your isotopes of oxygen, or have a strong feeling for geologic time, you will have a very difficult time reading this book.
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In this book the eminent authors analyse the ice cover variability in the Arctic Seas during the 20^th and early 21^st centuries. In the first two chapters, they show that multi-year changes of the sea-ice extent in the Arctic Seas were formed by linear trends and long-term (climatic) cycles lasting about 10, 20 and 60 years. The structure of temporal variability of the western region (Greenland – Kara) differs significantly from the eastern region seas (Laptev and Chukchi). In the latter region, unlike the former area, relatively short-period cycles (up to 10 years) predominate. The linear trends can be related to a super-secular cycle of climatic changes over about 200 years. The most significant of these cycles, lasting 60 years, is most pronounced in the western region seas.

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Adapting to climate change is a critical problem facing humanity. This involves reconsidering our lifestyles, and is linked to our actions as individuals, societies and governments. This book presents the latest science and social science research on whether the world can adapt to climate change. Written by experts, both academics and practitioners, it examines the risks to ecosystems, demonstrating how values, culture and the constraining forces of governance act as barriers to action. As a state-of-the-art review of science and a holistic assessment of adaptation options, it is essential reading for those concerned with responses to climate change, especially researchers, policymakers, practitioners, and graduate students. Significant features include historical, contemporary, and future insights into adaptation to climate change; coverage of adaptation issues from different perspectives: climate science, hydrology, engineering, ecology, economics, human geography, anthropology and political science; and contributions from leading researchers and practitioners from around the world.An interview with Neil Adger on adapting to climate change:

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Customer Reviews (10)

Captivating and honest
This is a thin book and a fast read for anyone with prior knowledge concerning Wally Broecker and climate science. For the rest of us, it is well worth the small effort required to embark on a fascinating journey through the geologic ages of much of North America and the Earth. It is expected that most people who have paid attention to news or science articles on climate change would have seen Keeling's CO2 (carbon dioxide) curve, which is inexorably increasing over time. Far fewer people would know of Keeling's son and his O2 (oxygen) curve, which is decreasing over time. Well, both are shown here, and furthermore, a simple but accurate explanation is given of how scientists know what proportion of human emissions of CO2 is absorbed by plants, absorbed by the oceans, and left lingering in the atmosphere.

As the reader progresses through the book, an interesting picture emerges of what it was like to be a scientist in the middle of the 20th century. The resourcefulness of the young climate scientists is deftly conveyed to the reader, and it is clear that they were primarily curiosity-driven. It certainly wasn't about grants or recognition as some people have impugned, it was the resolution of puzzles that drove the early climate scientists like Wally Broecker and his colleagues, in their work to uncover evidence about past climate changes. Indeed, Wally Broecker's strong belief was that understanding our current climate system required an understanding of past climate.

The biggest puzzle that Wally is famous for identifying and communicating is that of the global conveyor belt - the transfer of heat by thermohaline currents - of which the gulf stream is a part. His insight was to pose the question of whether the conveyor belt may be disrupted, and what would be the consequences. The shutting down of the gulf stream, for instance, would trigger a drop in temperature across western Europe, leading to harsh winters and miserable summers. It sounds improbable but the global warming currently underway might sufficiently alter the salinity (indirectly) and temperature of the surface waters crucial to the conveyor's operation, that it shuts down and consequently induces freezing winters in western Europe and elsewhere.

Aside from the first dozen or so pages which felt a bit clunky, the book hits its stride early on. I would recommend this to anyone with an enquiring mind - and especially to people who are still somewhat sceptical about the notion of humans affecting climate. You don't need to be a scientist to enjoy the unfolding story within.

Refreshing Approach to an Urgent Topic
A distillation of some hard science into a excellent read for scientists and non-scientists alike."Fixing Climate" is a rare non-politicized treatise on a controversial topic.Excellent history - excellent science - excellent presentation.The discerning reader will come away with a deeper understanding that climate change isn't necessarily a gradual walk into a garden where flowers bloom earlier and summer nights are balmy; on the contrary, change can come suddenly (geologically speaking). I recommend this book to everyone regardless of which side of the debate you support.

Excellent Introduction to CO2/Climate Science
... a wonderful balance of technical and biographical writing.I read this book in one sitting and came away with a much better understanding of what this climate change business is about.

Fixing Climate--a wake-up call
"Fixing Climate" is an eloquently written story of how a number of practical dedicated earth scientists painstakingly analyzed data which have confirmed the reality and urgency of our global warming problem.This is a startling wake-up call from knowledgeable pragmatic people--a "must read" for political decision-makers.

Inaccurate title
This book is a biography.It says very little about fixing climate or about "what past climate changes reveal about the current threat--and how to counter it."If you are interested in the details of how this particular climate scientist grew up, then read this book.If you are, as I was, looking for a book about "fixing climate," as this is inappropriately titled, then look elsewhere.I am very disappointed in the publisher for such a misleading tactic. ... Read more

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Climate change is the greatest challenge that the world has ever faced. In this groundbreaking new book, Alastair McIntosh summarises the science of what is happening to the planet - both globally and using Scotland as a local case study. He moves on, controversially, to suggest that politics alone is not enough to tackle the scale and depth of the problem. At root is our addictive consumer mentality. Wants have replaced needs and consumption drives our very identity. In a fascinating journey through early texts that speak to climate change - including the ancient Sumerian Epic of "Gilgamesh", Plato's myth of "Atlantis", and Shakespeare's "Macbeth" - McIntosh reveals the psychohistory of modern consumerism.He shows how we have fallen prey to a numbing culture of violence and the motivational manipulation of marketing. To start to resolve what has become of the human condition we must get more real in facing up to despair and death. Only then will we discover the spiritual meaning of these our troubled times. Only then can magic, new meaning, and all that gives life, start to mend a broken world. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

An unsatisfying melange of mainstream analysis and pseudo-spiritual tripe
Please don't get me wrong--I am in no way a climate-change 'skeptic' or denier.In fact I consider climate change to be the greatest global problem in the current world, beyond the persistence of mass material poverty and the development, proliferation, and use of nuclear weapons.It is for this reason, though, that I find McIntosh's take on the problem to be rather underwhelming.

To begin with, McIntosh grounds most of his argument in this book in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's 2007 report, which he concedes at points as being too conservative in its conclusions.This is undoubtedly true, for a number of reasons.First off, as Mark Lynas tells us in Six Degrees: Our Future on a Hotter Planet, the IPCC's reports exclude from consideration the number of 'positive' feedback loops that an increase in average global temperatures will set in motion that in turn stand to make the projected consequences of climate change far more dire--think of the reduced albedo effect, whereby the melting of polar/glacial ice causes substantially less solar radiation from being reflected back out into space; increased frequency and intensity of forest-fires; the acidification and concomitant death of carbon-consuming plankton and phytoplankton in the world's oceans; as well as the enormous amounts of carbon and methane that will likely be released as permafrost layers in Siberia and the Arctic more generally are dismantled by increased temperatures.That's the first problem with McIntosh's analysis.The second is that, according to Gwynne Dyer in Climate Wars, the IPCC's 2007 report is horribly outdated:due to the time-consuming nature of the information-gathering and peer-review processes, such data likely dates back to 2002 or earlier!This is a major problem, since the 7 years that have passed since then have seen far more terrifying reports than those offered in the 2007 report--e.g., the dramatically revised projections for the future date of Arctic ice-free summers and so on.

As a committed atheist (though one much more in the line of Terry Eagleton in his Reason, Faith, and Revolution: Reflections on the God Debate than that promoted by, for example, Richard Dawkins), I'm also highly uncomfortable with much of the presentation McIntosh makes of religion and spirituality in this book.He cites 'the divine' and 'God' several times uncritically, and has this somewhat hippie-ish take on the 'commonality' of the world's major religions (Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism).I'm sorry, but I highly doubt that the repressive, anti-human maxims of these religions are something that should be tapped into with regard to the struggle against climate change; a far more legitimate alternative would in my view be something along the lines of the liberation of eros along the lines advocated by Herbert Marcuse in Eros and Civilization (Ark Paperbacks).McIntosh also discusses paranormal experiences and other bizarre occurrences here...The combination of this all leads me to believe he's something more of a mystic than a rational philosopher, or that he at least has more faith in 'the soul' than strictly in reason.

This is not to say that I disagree with his critique of mainstream Western culture; I surely do share much of it, even if I think his argument was a bit light and not hard-hitting enough--I mean, Western capitalism is essentially murdering the peoples of the 'Third World,' both those who live and those who are to be expected will in the future be born, in a horrifying repetition of what Mike Davis called Late Victorian Holocausts: El Niño Famines and the Making of the Third World.This lifestyle (which, against McIntosh, I would say has been imposed by dominant, rapacious elites--ie, the materially wealthy and their defenders in government) is also essentially condemning much of life itself to extinction.As with many other books written by white Westerners on the topic of climate change that I've read (with Davis's book being a major exception), there is really very little reflection or discussion on this problem in McIntosh's book--which seems rather maddening, considering the book nominally concerns itself with the HUMAN condition.I don't know of a more serious crime that is being committed in the current world than what one Bangladeshi cited in Dyer's Climate Wars calls 'climatic genocide,' so forgive me for being disillusioned by yet another work that decries any alternative to a policy of 'incremental change' as being nothing short of "revolutionary green totalitarianism."

Soulful reading
I assume Alastair McIntosh must receive hundreds of emails appreciating his books. But maybe not so many from climate change scientists. I am of that tribe, sent him one, and feel compelled to provide this appreciation more publicly.

I read Hell and High Water in a day, and it IS - simply - the best on the topic of climate change. As a scientist, I appreciate the author's faithfulness to the science, his straight talk on the technological options, the clearer-eyed perspective on the politics surrounding energy and climate change, and Mr. McIntosh's analysis of our violent consumer culture. I also honor his utter honesty, his own story of loss and pain woven subtly throughout the book, the lack of pretense about how "clean" and green we all are (and can be) in this messy world. Maybe most of all, I appreciate his call for a return to soul. Maybe that won't save our skin - but it will save our humanity.

Read it! Then give it to your friend, your parents, your children, your boss and colleagues. Give it to everyone for Christmas and their birthdays. Give it to someone who needs to be reminded of their soul - come Hell or High Water!

Outstanding!
For those who can digest the truth about climate change if it is served on a platter of hope, here is a book which stands in a league of its own on the mountaintop. In a remarkable synthesis of science, humanitarianism and spirituality, Alastair McIntosh's Hell and High Water may well be the most holistic presentation to date on the challenges rapidly converging on our doorstep.

Knowing at least some of Alastair's activist work, in his native Scotland as well as internationally, he brings to mind a combination of Wendell Berry, Ivan Illich and Mahatma Gandhi. In addition, while writing Hell and High Water, he seems like a mad archaeologist with an oversized shovel digging for clues to help him better understand our present predicament; in the process he churned up an impressive amount of ground. The roadmap he draws for the future is a refreshing addition to other writers' proposed solutions.

A unique take...
The author adds a unique perspective to the growing publications on climate change.He begins with a summary of climate science and then moves on to a psychoanalysis of western culture and its consumptive ways.His work on interconnecting hubris, spirituality, hospice, and mythos are a fresh take on why we seem to be unable to stop emitting ghgs.Well written, poetic, full of interesting quotes (from the author and from cited sources), this is a different take on a subject that will only see more books in the coming years.Worth the read, as it opens new doors and charts new paths for trying to deal with what is coming our way. ... Read more

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

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

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

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

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

Good gracious.Life is too short!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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There are options that can be taken if we don't wish to see the planet and all of its inhabitants wasted
For many years habitat destruction due to population pressure, and the overuse or misuse of resources, and the spread of invasive species, have been the principal human-related threats to global biodiversity. Now conservation managers are faced with an even bigger menace to that biodiversity; that of human-induced climate change, a further result of overuse or misuse of the planet's resources, and one that is likely to interact unfavourably, and exacerbate the effects of, the other threats. However, this is more than just a problem for conservationists; it is a monumental challenge to human ingenuity. To the laymen climate change is synonymous with global warming and understandably most people are concerned principally with how a change in local weather is going to impact on their quality of life. Although a general increase in temperature is perhaps the most obvious manifestation of climate change a global shift of the world's weather patterns is a prediction few scientists would deny. Some places will be drier, others wetter, the majority hotter, a few maybe cooler. The changes will be unpredictable, and naturally occurring climatic phenomena like El Niño and La Niña, which have global ramifications as far afield as the north Atlantic causing droughts and storms in different places, could change in their frequency and intensity resulting in dire local consequences in some areas.

This volume considers global climate change in terms of the effects on the world's biodiversity. The specific response of biota to these changes is unknown because we do not have precise data on the direction, magnitude or longevity of climate changes and because we cannot make precise predictions about the future rate of anthropogenic greenhouse gases emissions or the consequent ecosystem changes resulting from carbon cycle feedback. Regional ecosystem changes are especially difficult to forecast because they are dependent on changes elsewhere and the world's climate is extremely complex and difficult to model with any real degree of certitude. What we do know, though, is that previous periods of global warming associated with natural climatic oscillations occurred in the presence of an undamaged ecosystem and intact habitat and that this is no longer the case. Basically, there are three responses available for a species, though manner of response depends not only on the ecology and life history traits of the species involved, but on responses by other species in the same ecosystem, especially recent invasive species:
1) Adaptation in situ to changing conditions, dependent on physical and behavioural plasticity and/or pre-existent adaptive genetic material.
2) Range migration, dependent upon species mobility and geographic limitation;
3) Extinction.

The volume is divided into six section, each containing self-contained accessible (at student and learned public level) academic texts. A number of useful case studies designed to represent specific events are intercalated between the chapters. Part 1 provides definitions and puts biodiversity and climate change into context. Part 2 looks at present climate changes and current biotic responses. Part 3 uses information from past natural climatic oscillations and makes broad comparisons to see what, if anything, can be learned from them. Part 4 attempts to understand the future and looks at what computer modelling is available to try and predict trends. Part 5 addresses the issues that require tackling immediately and considers the options open to conservation managers. Part 5 looks at policy responses and urges all stakeholders, whether corporate or government, to act now in the best interests of the planet.

In 1992 one of the editors of this volume, Thomas Lovejoy, together with R L Peters, produced one of the seminal works on the subject: Global warming and Biological Biodiversity. Climate Change and Biodiversity is really an update in the light of much more - and much more alarming - new information. But at least there is more information, and there are options that can be taken if we don't wish to see the planet and all of its inhabitants wasted. This could turn out to be a landmark volume and should be read by a wider audience than to whom it is possibly addressed. There is great scope for an even more accessible résumé.

Must read...
I originally used parts of the book for a research project, but after reading portions I decided that I must have the book and reread it from cover to cover. It has great concepts and it is well edited for a nice flow. If you like wildlife and climate change interests you this is a must read. ... Read more

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The first book to comprehensively assess anthropology’s engagement with climate change, this pioneering volume both maps out exciting trajectories for research and issues a call to action. Chapters in part one are systematic research reviews, covering the relationship between culture and climate from prehistoric times to the present; changing anthropological discourse on climate and environment; the diversity of environmental and sociocultural changes currently occurring around the globe; and the unique methodological and epistemological tools anthropologists bring to bear on climate research. Part two includes a series of case studies that highlights leading-edge research—including some unexpected and provocative findings. Part three challenges scholars to be proactive on the front lines of climate change, providing instruction on how to work in with research communities, with innovative forms of communication, in higher education, in policy environments, as individuals, and in other critical arenas. Linking sophisticated knowledge to effective actions, Anthropology and Climate Change is essential for students and scholars in anthropology and environmental studies. ... Read more