What We Know About Climate Change

Kerry Emanuel

ISBN 10: 0262018438 / ISBN 13: 9780262018432

Published by MIT Press Ltd, 2012

About this Item

An updated edition of a guide to the basic science of climate change, and a call to action.The vast majority of scientists agree that human activity has significantly increased greenhouse gases in the atmosphere--most dramatically since the 1970s. Yet global warming skeptics and ill-informed elected officials continue to dismiss this broad scientific consensus. In this updated edition of his authoritative book, MIT atmospheric scientist Kerry Emanuel outlines the basic science of global warming and how the current consensus has emerged. Although it is impossible to predict exactly when the most dramatic effects of global warming will be felt, he argues, we can be confident that we face real dangers. Emanuel warns that global warming will contribute to an increase in the intensity and power of hurricanes and flooding and more rapidly advancing deserts. But just as our actions have created the looming crisis, so too might they avert it. Emanuel calls for urgent action to reduce greenhouse gases and criticizes the media for downplaying the dangers of global warming (and, in search of balance, quoting extremists who deny its existence). This edition has been updated to include the latest climate data, a discussion of the earth's carbon cycle, the warming hiatus of the first decade of this century, the 2017 hurricanes, advanced energy options, the withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement, and more. It offers a new foreword by former U.S. Representative Bob Inglis (R-SC), who now works on climate action through his organization RepublicEN.

Seller Inventory # CIN0262018438VG

Bibliographic Details

• Title: What We Know About Climate Change
• Publisher: MIT Press Ltd
• Publication Date: 2012
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0262018438
• ISBN 13: 9780262018432
• Binding: Hardback
• Edition: 2nd Edition
• Condition: Very Good

About this title

Synopsis

A renowned climatologist—and political conservative—assesses current scientific understanding of climate change and sounds a call to action.

The vast majority of scientists agree that human activity has significantly increased greenhouse gases in the atmosphere—most dramatically since the 1970s. Yet global warming skeptics and ill-informed elected officials continue to dismiss this broad scientific consensus.

In this new edition of his authoritative book, MIT atmospheric scientist Kerry Emanuel—a political conservative—outlines the basic science of global warming and how the current consensus has emerged. He also covers two major developments that have occurred since the first edition: the most recent round of updated projections from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change climate simulations, and the so-called “climategate” incident that heralded the subsequent collapse of popular and political support in the United States for dealing with climate change.

Reviews

At just 128 pages, Emanuel's book clearly and succinctly explains the current state of the science of climate change. —Coral Davenport