Climate of Extremes: Global Warming Science They Don't Want You to Know

by Patrick J. Michaels Cato Institute

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.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction, Climate Change

250 pages, Hardcover

First published January 16, 2009

Reviews

[Libyrinths · Rating 3 out of 5]

Michaels, with Robert Balling, does what he does best: confronts some of the distortions and extreme claims about climate science which show up in the media or come out of the mouths of politicians. He does this not only with analysis but also with studies published in refereed journals. As usual, he shows once again that science is never "settled" and that climate science, as is the case with any other science, is far more complex than the headlines and pronouncements you get in public.

One thing I appreciated about this book was his addressing how, without malfeasance, honorable scientists can end up biasing the kinds of research that is done and gets reported. This was in a later chapter, and he suggests a more open refereeing process as a possible corrective.

I do have to say that I found this book a bit more dry than a previous book of his I read (Meltdown). But, the reason it's drier is because he spends a lot more time explaining experiments, and what they show. He also explains how various statistics are derived and how they can get skewed, depending on sampling, etc. There are a great many graphs, which I found helpful.

I think anyone who enjoys following reasoning and analysis will find this book interesting and enlightening. You can't come away from the book without realizing how complex the study of the climate is, and how simplistic (if not outright wrong) the pap you get in the media is. (BTW, that applies to almost all science stories reported in the media, no matter what area of science or medicine it involves.)

[Michael Combs · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a comprehensive collection of science that totally refutes the anthropogenic climate change hysteria. The authors are quite thorough yet their explanations and expositions of science findings are clear and understandable. After reading this, and recently reading works of Matt Ridley, Bjorn Lomborg, and Michael Shellenberger, and watching Michael Moore's "Planet of Humans", it is inconceivable that anyone else reading these works and examining the facts they present could conclude anything other than climate change is real, is natural, and has always been so. Patrick Michaels clearly explains how biases in modern media distorts understanding of climate change. Worldwide ignorance of the facts of prior periods of natural climate change combined with journalists today who can only parrot what they get in press releases have resulted is leaders who take us down wasteful and ineffective paths to combat a problem which can be mitigated by adaptation, but only made worse by stampeding from fossil fuel use.

[Doug]

I enjoyed this book. The authors reviewed various statements and studies concerning global warming and concluded that while the planet may currently be warming but not as fast as most would have us believe and the results will not be as severe. The discussed current solutions and suggested that they may be doing more harm than good.

[c.cobb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally. I've been waiting a long time for this book.
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