Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, humans have become weather makers. As we fuel our activities, we create ozone-destroying chemical...
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Jul 29, 2010
James
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Heatwaves, hurricanes, flooding, drought, extinction. No-one can accuse Tim Flannery of understating the effects of global warming. And there's no doubting his passion for the subject. Once sceptical about climate change, he's now a fully-paid up member of the global warming warning brigade. His chapter headings alone - "Peril at the Poles", "The Carbon Dictatorship", "Boiling the Abyss" - signal that he's nailed his colours to the mast. And those colours are all gr
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Jan 05, 2009
Mike
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Although the last thing most people need is another 'downer' book about how the climate is spiraling out of control towards disaster, this book manages to deliver more science than opinion and actually offers some reasonable tips on how we can still make a difference if we take the right steps.
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Mar 31, 2009
Steve
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This book is excellent and terrifying. Tim Flannery is a working Australian scientist (mammologist & paleontologist) -- not a journalist -- who lays out the history and science of climate change, likely scenarios for the future, the politics of climate change (both good and bad), and at the very end, provides a manifesto for ways to reduce our carbon output individually. The species he studies have been deeply impacted by climate changes to date, which means that global warming is not just some
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Feb 05, 2009
The arguments, evidence, and conclusions should surprise few readers in Kolbert's Field Notes from a Catastrophe and Flannery's The Weather Makers. Given existing scientific knowledge, neither author (and no critic) doubts that global warming is real, with terrible consequences looming ahead.<P>The difference between the books largely comes down to tone and style. Kolbert, a reporter for the New Yorker, provides an excellent primer on climate change. Praised for her elegance and accessibility, s
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Jan 24, 2012
Ted
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Humanity is at (or has already passed) an historical crossroads. By the end of the 21st century (possibly by the middle of it) enormous changes in the earth's climate and ecosystems will have precipitated equally momentous changes in human society, our economic systems, and in civilization itself.
My personal list of writers who have made significant contributions to the scientific, environmental and societal aspects of what we are heading for include people such as Lester R. Brown, Bi More...
My personal list of writers who have made significant contributions to the scientific, environmental and societal aspects of what we are heading for include people such as Lester R. Brown, Bi More...
Aug 02, 2011
I learned one thing from this book - that humans have a great capacity to mess up the environment through their actions. Two examples from the book stand out, the first is the depletion of the ozone layer from CFCs. Flannery states that if action hadn't been taken when it was, then we would be in far worse shape then we are now. He mentions that we were lucky bromine was not used in air fresheners and whatnot as it has a far greater rate of destroying ozone. Gave me chills. The other example was
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Jun 03, 2010
Guy
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If, like most people, you have been drifting along, vaguely aware that there might be something called global warming and that it might have some not so good consequences, but you haven't really taken the time to work out how serious it is and whether or not it is something that you could or should do something about... then do yourself, the rest of us, and the animals and plants with which we share the world a favor and read this book. It is short, easy to understand, based on personal experie
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Jul 11, 2009
Peter
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A lucid overview, though it definitely zooms around a lot, in time, space and in its considerations of the different facets of the climate change problem. Two specific comments:
Was interesting to see how much Flannery quotes Alfred Russel Wallace, of The Malay Archipelago The land of the orang-utan and the bird of paradise a narrative of travel with studies of man and nature. I've never read later Wallace, understanding that his later works devolve into weird late-Victorian spiri More...
Was interesting to see how much Flannery quotes Alfred Russel Wallace, of The Malay Archipelago The land of the orang-utan and the bird of paradise a narrative of travel with studies of man and nature. I've never read later Wallace, understanding that his later works devolve into weird late-Victorian spiri More...
Mar 07, 2009
Sheila
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Thought provoking, easy to read book with a compelling history of the climate changes around the globe. This book was more comprehensive than I thought it would be.
I am not a scientist. Before reading this book I kind of understood the terms “greenhouse effect”, “global warming”, etc. After reading this book I feel like I truly understand these terms and so much more about our climate and all the factors that influence it.
Flannery notes what is being done now and by whom More...
I am not a scientist. Before reading this book I kind of understood the terms “greenhouse effect”, “global warming”, etc. After reading this book I feel like I truly understand these terms and so much more about our climate and all the factors that influence it.
Flannery notes what is being done now and by whom More...
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Jan 25, 2010
Edward
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Parts of this book were fascinating - the disappearance of the "golden toads" in Costa Rica, for example. Or that the United States has the most varied weather of any country on earth, and India the least varied. but like Al Gore, a little goes a long way, and by the end of the book, while I found myself totally convinced that man is indeed changing the climate of the earth and not for the better, I felt frustrated, too. How will all of this global warming and weather-changing turn o
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Jul 23, 2011
Dhitri
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This book should be considered a climate change "classic": it excellently elaborate the science behind the climate-regulating functions of the Earth's atmosphere, the delicate balance of it and how human's thirst for growth is threatening to destroy that balance, with catastrophic consequences. The book covers many facets of the issue, from the science to the politics, which makes it a one stop shop for all things climate change.
Flannery's writing is beautiful and lucid: i More...
Flannery's writing is beautiful and lucid: i More...
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Mar 23, 2010
Dana
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Fairly decent book on climate change. At least this book had some actual scientific discussions on the indicators of global warming. The initial chapters seem to be written in a fairly objective fashion but towards the end things get a bit more emotional. I have been searching for information on climate change that sticks to facts and really defines what is speculation and what is known. This book does a decent job in that regard, particularly at the beginning of the book. I am now going back
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Feb 24, 2009
Emily
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Covers an astonishing breadth of scientific information, mostly fairly well explained for the layman without being condescending. I felt it was somewhat scattered in its presentation and occasionally crossed the line into sensationalism. Would have liked a more thorough section on what actions individuals can take (besides writing our elected representatives) - it seemed like the book set us up for all these horrible things that can happen because of climate change, but all the things that nee
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Feb 23, 2011
Mark
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This book has given me nightmares twice. Not like, wake up crying run to mommy nightmares, but dark things, like oceans filled with shiet and dark skies that never brighten.
That's not a great recommendation, but I do highly recommend this book because it finally puts all the pieces of the puzzle together in a way that the layman like myself can readily grasp -- you no longer have to take their word for it that CO2 is rising and driving global warming (like in "An Inconvenient Tru More...
That's not a great recommendation, but I do highly recommend this book because it finally puts all the pieces of the puzzle together in a way that the layman like myself can readily grasp -- you no longer have to take their word for it that CO2 is rising and driving global warming (like in "An Inconvenient Tru More...
Jan 11, 2011
Troy
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The Weather Makers is a great read and an important book for people who wish to gain a little more insight into the details of climate change. Flannery does a wonderful job separating topics into short, interesting chapters that hold the reader's attention throughout the book.
This was especially interesting to read 6 years after it was published because Flannery does make some short term predictions about the state of the Earth's climate. He notes the current (2005) price of oil at $4 More...
This was especially interesting to read 6 years after it was published because Flannery does make some short term predictions about the state of the Earth's climate. He notes the current (2005) price of oil at $4 More...
Sep 04, 2008
Ron
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In 2006 I decided to do a little reading on the concept of global warming and chose two books - The Weather Makers and Elizabeth Kolbert's Field Notes from a Catastrophe (the latter I discuss in a separate review). My overall verdict for the Weather Makers: it helped me understand some complex subjects on which I am generally ignorant, such as climatology, but it was ultimately an unsatisfying experience.
I found the information presented sketchy and scattered, and put more to politic More...
I found the information presented sketchy and scattered, and put more to politic More...
Apr 22, 2008
Jeanne
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Flannery wrote The Weather Makers to address three main issues. He wanted to give an overview of the history of climate change, illustrate how it will continue to change over the next century and discuss what we can do to affect those changes. In this well-developed and accessible book, Flannery lays out his claim and issues a challenge to his readers.
Divided into five main sections, Flannery uses short chapters to advance the reader’s understanding of climate change. While the la More...
Divided into five main sections, Flannery uses short chapters to advance the reader’s understanding of climate change. While the la More...
Aug 27, 2007
Jenwah
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A well written, scientifically-based description of climate change. Flannery writes beautifully, keeping the reader engaged as he explains some of the science, uncertainties and dangers of climate change. Definitely a nice way to digest the info if you're a non-scientist. A nice reminder to scientists on how to communicate the science to others. And--EVERYONE should be familiar with these issues, the first environmental problem on a truely global scale. A scary issue because we don't see all th
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Oct 29, 2007
Amanda
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I read this book for the Common Reading Experience Committee, and I think it's a great book selection for the common read and one that I would recommend to readers interested in the environment.
Like Field Notes by Kolbert, this book tackles the issue of global warming by providing background info, but Weather Makers is much more personable. Flannery gives his own impressions on global warming and its history AND proposes possible solutions to global warming. Kolbert's Field Notes More...
Like Field Notes by Kolbert, this book tackles the issue of global warming by providing background info, but Weather Makers is much more personable. Flannery gives his own impressions on global warming and its history AND proposes possible solutions to global warming. Kolbert's Field Notes More...
Nov 03, 2009
I won this book as a door prize. The main novelty is that the Southern Hemisphere is not terra incognita to the author, although Northern Australia is not as well covered as it might be. As a result of reading this book, I not only caught up on events from an area I lived in in my late teens, I also got information that enabled me not to be perennially surprised to hear about drought in Australia, bad fire seasons, mouse plagues, etc.
Dec 15, 2009
Teresa
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Tim Flannery is an Aussie scientist and committed climate change and environmental science thinker, especially of anecdotal observations and predictions in a similar vein to the Inconvenient Truth. Good to see an easily readable enthusiastic account of climate change, with imagination mixed into science. Good for statistics, ideas to reduce emissions and fuel against sceptics but I felt that the whole story is not told here.
Oct 21, 2011
Vilo
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Clear, detailed information on how humans have affected the climate since humans began and why the current crisis is serious and how it can be addressed. Flannery points out that the ban on CFCs was effective in stopping the damage to the ozone layer. Detailed explanations of processes I've heard on the news but wasn't quite sure how exactly they functioned. The narrator's Australian accent was a bonus.
Aug 10, 2011
A much less biased book about the environment than i was expecting. I guess a scientist did write it... A lot of media reports about the environment have quoted the content from this book and it's easy to see why once reading it. It's very educational but can get a bit tiresome, especially after getting bombarded with Global warming topics on tv for the last several years.
Feb 22, 2010
Matt
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I think I read the 2005 version of this book, and I am chewing my nails off to see what has changed since then. Very clear, readable, neccessary book which should be taught in school science.
Strangely reminded me of reading The Road or even Libra, these were not easy books and disappointment lurked on every page. But at least we don't know how Weather Makers ends.
Strangely reminded me of reading The Road or even Libra, these were not easy books and disappointment lurked on every page. But at least we don't know how Weather Makers ends.
Aug 03, 2009
Idiosyncratic
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I read this several years ago. I can hardly say I 'really liked it" (in spite of giving it 4 stars), as it was the most distressing book I'd ever read. Nonetheless, it was the rude awakening I needed - the springboard from blithe ignorance to climate change, peak oil and the harsh reality of what likely awaits our descendants. I am now reading "The Long Descent".
Feb 20, 2008
Thomas
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[excerpt from review of "The Winds of Change" by Eugene Linden and "Field Notes from a Catastrophe" by Elizabeth Kolbert:
Tim Flannery's The Weather Makers, which also came out at the same time, is way more interesting, way more original, and way more inflammatory to boot. Amusingly, given that he's a scientist and the other two are writers, Flannery's book is much better written, but also plays more loosely with the line between what is known and not known. I'd r More...
Tim Flannery's The Weather Makers, which also came out at the same time, is way more interesting, way more original, and way more inflammatory to boot. Amusingly, given that he's a scientist and the other two are writers, Flannery's book is much better written, but also plays more loosely with the line between what is known and not known. I'd r More...
Aug 02, 2011
Rob
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A good general introduction to climate change. Even though it is now a few years old it still holds up well. Flannery writes succinctly and well about a difficult scientific subject.
His section on the sheer impossibility on carbon sequestration for instance is a joy to read. Not a word wasted and the coal industry fantasy is shot down in flames.
His section on the sheer impossibility on carbon sequestration for instance is a joy to read. Not a word wasted and the coal industry fantasy is shot down in flames.
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Jun 09, 2007
This book is scaring me, as it should be! It is about the end of the world as we know it with out ducking any punches or taking shortcuts. The author lays each piece of the puzzle about global warming out brilliantly, succinctly and in layman's terms. Clearly, nothing else is going to matter if we don't do something. All of us should know these facts, for all of us will pay the price. More than that, those without a human voice will pay as well, many species, the most vulnerable, already have pa
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Apr 09, 2009
Sam
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An accessible account of global weather and how this will be affected by climate change. Based on science rather than opinion this book is depressing to certain degree given the scale of the issues raised however it does provide ways for everyone to reduce their carbon footprint and thus their contributions to climate change. Flannery even goes on to discuss the success of the global CFC ban and how this success can be used as a template through which the global community can tackle climate ch
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Jun 04, 2007
Jason
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Just read this book for a secon time. It isn't often that a book truly honestly frightens you. This book is a little terrifying. I am a fan of gothic horror... I likr that element of psychological terror where the protagonist is in a situation they can't control and has to muddle through.
This book illustrates the current state of our world's ecology and gives a realistic sense of the looming train wreck ahead of us. That sense of fear one gets from gothic horror fiction permeates th More...
This book illustrates the current state of our world's ecology and gives a realistic sense of the looming train wreck ahead of us. That sense of fear one gets from gothic horror fiction permeates th More...
