Climate Change, second edition: What It Means for Us, Our Children, and Our Grandchildren

by Joseph F.C. DiMento (Editor), Pamela Doughman

Most of us are familiar with the term "climate change" but few of us understand the science behind it. We don't fully comprehend how climate change will affect us, and for that reason we might not consider it as pressing a concern as, say, housing prices or unemployment. This book explains the scientific knowledge about global climate change clearly and concisely in engaging, nontechnical language, describes how it will affect all of us, and suggests how government, business, and citizens can take action against it. This completely revised and updated edition incorporates the latest scientific research and policy initiatives on climate change. It describes recent major legislative actions, analyzes alternative regulatory tools including new uses of taxes and markets, offers increased coverage of China and other developing nations, discusses the role of social media in communicating about climate change, and provides updated assessments of the effects of climate change. The book first explains the basic scientific facts about climate change and its global impact. It discusses the nature of scientific consensus and the strong consensus of mainstream science on climate change. It then explores policy responses and corporate actions in the United States and the rest of the world, discusses how the communication of climate change information by journalists and others can be improved, and addresses issues of environmental justice -- how climate change affects the most vulnerable populations and regions. We can better tackle climate change, this book shows us, if we understand it.

Genres: Science, Climate Change, Nonfiction

368 pages, Paperback

First published August 3, 2007

About the author

Joseph F. C. DiMento is Professor in the School of Law and former Director of the Newkirk Center for Science and Society at the University of California, Irvine. He is coeditor of Climate Change: What It Means for Us, Our Children, and Our Grandchildren (MIT Press).

Reviews

[Niranjan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good overview for someone who wants to start investigating climate change and why it matters . The book focuses on multiple aspects : 1) the basics of global warming : how different gases cause it and what’s the definition of climate change and the scientific consensus about it 2) focuses on how climate change will affect different regions and why sometimes the effects are so hard to quantify and attribute directly to climate change 3) talks about different strategies for mitigation and how countries like us , China , Japan , Europe are adapting them . 4) why public opinion is still not overwhelming strong about climate change issues and what can be done to address that gap .

The author explains all these concepts in a very layman understandable fashion without losing nuance of the whole topic. One thing I didn’t like much was this could as well be compressed down to 1/2 or 2/3 rd it’s size with more concise language

[Michael Gerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a presentation on the political economy of climate change last week as part of my class on International Political Economy, so I borrowed this book from the DLSU library for my primer on climate change. Easy to read even for the lay person, this book is a good start for those who don't know much about the subject.

My presentation was a success and I now know more about climate change. Not bad.

[Timothy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Published in 2007, this nice collection of scholarly-style papers is by now somewhat out of date. The situation, in my opinion anyway, is more dire than it was; the commitment needed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and stave off the worst effects of climate change never materialized.

Now that having been said, this formed a decent introduction to the science, history, and policy of climate change, with more of an emphasis of that policy and how it got to its (then) current state, than on the science. I would have liked more of the latter than the former, but do not feel cheated for either my time or my money.

Whether you read this, or any other of a number of works on the subject, the things any reader needs to remember are these: Climate change is happening all around us, it is going to get worse, and the time to act is now-not later. There is no debate on these points by any reputable source and the only reason people think there is, is because scientific literacy is low and the unscrupulous (or at least financially motivated) continue to push an unrealistic and unscientific agenda.

My advice? If someone tells you that climate change isn't real, isn't that big a deal, or that there isn't anything we can do about it in America, "Because China," politely tell them to go to hell. Because that is what that kind of thinking is going to make of our planet.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't read the whole book, but picked out the chapters I was interested in. The first was the one on the Scientific Consensus of Climate Change. This is a very good chapter not only for the specific topic, but also for the discussion of what science means, how it works, etc.

The other chapter I read was How the World is Responding to Climate Change. This one was informative, but not as interesting. The main thing I learned was that the US has already entered into an agreement with the goal of "preventing dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system" prior to the Kyoto agreement (the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change in 1992; Kyoto is actually part of this framework). I hadn't realized that the US is apparently required to do something about it (though so far not living up to its obligation).

[JoPaul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Crystal clear in details. Terms used are simple for the non-scientists to understand. The message is profound. What I really commend with this book is that it is not imperative, unlike some documentaries and related books.

At the end of the book (the aftertaste is still strong), it made me realize two things: 1.) that we have been a major cause of climate change 2.) that we have ways to prevents its severity for our sake and for the sake of all creatures. It could be summarized into a simple statement that we "are stewards of God's creation" and that we committed mistakes. It is about time (it should have been long time ago) that we have to repair what we destroyed and we have to prevent what is about to happen in the uncertain future.

For all the eco-friendly.... How to solve the problem of climate change?

Do it.

Do it right.

Do it right now.

[Bruce · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the reasons the environmental crisis is going largely unacknowledged is because scientists don't write great headlines. They write (and graph) things like "Earth's Temperature Up 4 Degrees C. by the End of the Century!" Instead, they should tell people what this means. "Ice Caps Gone, Manhattan Under Water by 2100." This book presents yet more clinical evidence that global warming is not a "problem". It is a slow-motion emergency. It is about carbon, and carbon is vectoring into geologically uncharted waters. Read it and weep.

[Hans · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid primer on climate change. The key information is still relevant even though the book was published in 2007.

Unfortunately, the publishing time gap doesn't fare as well in a few of the sections that mention the politicians who were still in office when the book was published. This gap could be resolved with a second edition that incorporates more recent events in both the political and scientific realms.

[John Legge · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good scientific overview of issues. I needed something more than the media. Focyused on the convincing data on change as related to human influence, as well as macro responses to climate change, i.e. political and cultural changes and initiatives, or in some cases, the lack thereof. Good primer to address my naivete on the subject.

[Nawaf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although it is small in size but full in depth of climate changes's issues. The book discussed the scientific evidences of the climate changes and local and global positions from it. i recommend this book to both the people with no experience about climate change and those who have fair and extensive knowledge.

[Rodger Payne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an excellent edited book for courses addressing the politics (and science) of global climate change. Chapters focus on the implications of warming, the political and media controversies, human security, and other important aspects of the issue.

[Chris Jones]

Excellent book covering all aspects of the issue. Brings in many experts from different areas and with a variety of perspectives.

[Sherrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chapter 5 is the best and easiest to read. For the lay person I think it also has the most relevant information.

[Anthony Faber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essays looking at Climate Change from several perspectives. Informative, but I know enough that I just skimmed a lot of it.