Climate Code Red: The Case for Emergency Action

by David Spratt, Philip Sutton

Revealing extensive scientific evidence that the global warming crisis is far worse than officially indicated, this meticulously documented call-to-action argues that the planet is almost at the point of no return. From large ice sheets disintegrating and devastating losses of species to the promise that sea levels will rise more than 16 feet this century, this study shows that it is no longer a case of how much more can be “safely” emitted but whether emissions can be stopped completely before the Earth’s climate is beyond human restoration. Demonstrating that these imperatives are incompatible with politics and a "business as usual" attitude, this survey illustrates how the environment faces a sustainability emergency that urgently requires a clear break from failure-inducing compromise.

Genres: Science, Climate Change, Nonfiction, Environment

320 pages, Paperback

First published June 30, 2008

Reviews

[Sir Readalot · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read a few books this year on global warming, I wasn't sure if I'd learn a whole lot from this that I didn't already know. Was pleasantly surprised. Its primary focus is the science, in particular with regards to the polar regions and the concept of positive feedback loops. I'd recommend it to anyone as a good book to get an appreciation for the urgency of the situation.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

We'll all be rooned.

How to "rate" a book that essentially describes how the planet is catastrophically warming which, if we continue to play at the margins in trying to fix it, will result in most of humanity's eventual destruction along with vast numbers of other species? Of course I didn't "like" reading it, facing evidence of humanity's imminent collapse is not comfortable.

But it is essential. And the authors have made it very readable. It wasn't because of scientific jargon that I struggled reading the first half - it was because the quantities of research quoted formed a dire picture of a planet in crisis. Several times I wanted to throw the book onto my "couldn't finish" shelf and go onto something lighter, funnier, moons away from the depressing notion that in not so many years from now life will be pretty hellish because of climate change. Over the week or so I read it, I kept looking at my two year old daughter's sweet face and wondering how she'd cope with the devastating environment she'd inherit. I also noticed how unconsciously I kept looking for hints that maybe things weren't as bad as they sounded; the easy optimist in me wanting to cling to some notion that perhaps the planet could turn itself around if we give it a gentle nudge in the right direction. In vain, unfortunately.

The second half of the book looks at technological fixes and overcoming political, corporate and social blocks that prevent us from trying to achieve a 'safe climate economy'. Some valuable and worthy ideas but they really require a critical mass which, as last week's release of the Rudd Government's Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme demonstrated, is not yet here.

My uncle is a climate change denier and I want to send him, and anyone else who dismisses people concerned with the environment as evangelical green liars, a copy of this book. Read it and weep. And then do something about it.

[John Gordon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a call to action on Climate Change and quite a frightening read. Being written in 2008 it is a little dated although the predictions the book makes are on track. The rapid destruction of the polar ice cap should be a world wide wake up call and yet we are still pumping more and more carbon emissions into the atmosphere.
The book lays out the science and looks at the probable outcomes, in particular on the concept of tipping points. While the IPCC tend to be quite conservative, there is plenty of research available that concludes that things will probably be even worse.
At only 0.8 degrees above pre-industrial with the ice cap, droughts and extreme weather it is clear (even to the casual observer) that the agreed 2 degree rise is too high. Our own Rudd government of the time deciding to accept a 3 degree rise was clearly ludicrous (and now our government has gone into complete denial). One wonders what hope is there?
The author has some innovative ideas on how to tackle the problem once the political will exists - personal carbon allowances via a smart card system for example. He considers it necessary not only to stop the temperature of the planet increasing, but also to bring it back down again, and therefore to restore the ice cap. This means aiming for 300-325 ppm. Wow, that's optimistic!
The book is easily read, the scientific concepts reasonable for the lay person reader. Perhaps heavy going purely for the depressing nature of the subject matter, it was nice to be able to put it down and interchange with something lighter from time to time.

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a practical guide for how to prevent catastrophic climate change. What I liked about it was that it didn’t waste time pretending that everyone can have their cake and eat it too by making small, easy changes that don’t impact their lifestyle too much. We can’t. We need rapid change on an enormous scale and this book explains how to do it. Now we just need to get it done.

[Wayne · Rating 1 out of 5]

Here is a work of utter fiction. Thatcherism at it's worst. Yes more of selling the intangible to the great unwashed. The climate lie another money generating falsehood. Get yourself a real book.

[Lee Hampton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Federal lobbyists have stolen so much from us. We deserve so much better than this.

[Iain Hawkes · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Copy pasted from the original Escapist review)

I got this book for free from the library, as the alternative was letting it get pulped - yeah, we're doing that a lot lately, because we can't sell discarded books right now due to health concerns. Something I checked was the publication date, which turned out to be 2008. This gave me hope and dread alike, because on one hand, predictions are made in the book that haven't come to pass by 2020 - for instance, we haven't reached ice-free Arctic summers yet. On the other, the science as a whole remains solid, and what's telling is that the book treats 2020 like we great 2030, as a sort of benchmark. Similarly, the book talks about global temperatures being, on average, 0.8C above pre-industrial times, whereas now, it's 1.1C, and we're baralleling towards 1.5C and 2C, with threats of it going even higher. Some may decry crying wolf, but if anything, it reminds me just how long we've known about the issue of climate breakdown, and how only recently did it get the atention it deserved. But that aside, the book's science remains solid.

What isn't as solid, as the book points out, are ice sheets. A great deal of the work is spent on (Arctic) ice sheets, and it was originally how it was pitched. It goes into the thinning of Arctic sea ice, showing how continued heatwaves and water seepage can cause the ice to break down. Similarly informative was aerosols. On one hand, they're the result of pollution. On the other, they produce a global dimming effect. On one hand, if we stopped all emissions today, aerosols would leave the air in about ten days. On the other, that would result in a temperature spike. Sooner or later (better sooner) we have to stop putting all this shit in the atmosphere, and the longer we wait, the more severe the temperature spike will be. But in the short term, aerosols have a global cooling effect. What's worse, since the spike will be about 0.5-1C, if we stopped polluting today, we'd pass the 1.5C and potentially the 2C benchmarks automatically. If anything, it makes the argument for geo-engineering, just with something else.

Reading this book, I can't say it's filled me with hope, but hope in the field of climate change is hard to come by. So, little hope for the future, but at the least, the book is informative.