Global Warming: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) [Paperback]

Mark Maslin (Author)

Book Description

Series: Very Short Introductions | Publication Date: January 20, 2005

Global Warming: A Very Short Introduction is an informative, up to date discussion about the predicted impacts of global warming. It draws on material from the recent report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a huge collaborative study drawing together current thinking on the subject from experts in a range of disciplines, and presents the findings of the panel for a general readership for the first time. The book also discusses the politics of global warming and what we can do now to adapt to climate change and mitigate its worst effects.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Mark Maslin is Associate Professor at the Environmental Change Research Center in the Department of Geography at the University of London.

Product Details

• Paperback: 180 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (January 20, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0192840975
• ISBN-13: 978-0192840974
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,436,832 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pragmatic, Balanced, Respectful, and LUCID!, November 29, 2007

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Giordano Bruno (Wherever I am, I am.) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Global Warming: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) (Paperback)

If the tech writers for Panasonic and Canon could write as clearly as Mark Maslin, I could probably program all my electronics without asking my teenage son for help! In 148 pages, he provides as much fair and balanced insight into the science and the politics of "global warming" as any five other books I've looked at, and as much information as most of us might need to behave as responsible citizens. Although the book is already "out of date" in view of the recent release of the 2007 IPCC report, none of its main points, either of science or of societal concern, have been supplanted.
Maslin is clearly convinced that anthropogenic climate change is occurring, and that it would be proper to take precautionary steps to deal with its possible effects. But he gives the skeptics their due, dispassionately summarizing their objections and responding respectfully when a response is available. He is NOT an alarmist, though he plainly thinks that some alarm is a reasonable reaction to the best-case scenarios as well as the worst.
I don't usually squeal that such-and-such book is a MUST-READ for everyone's sewing circle, Sunday School class, and dog-walker. If I had the means, however, I'd send every household in the USA a copy of this book along with the seasonal catalogues. My thanks to Jay, the only previous reviewer, for bringing this useful little book to my attention.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good intro to global warming; unlikely to convince skeptics, December 3, 2009

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Lawrence Miley (Plant City, FL) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Global Warming: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) (Paperback)

As a novice to almost all of the issues surrounding the global warming debate, I found this book to be an informative read. The primary purpose of the book is to introduce many issues surrounding the warming of the planet, not simply the issue of the causal link between Co2 emissions and temperature change. Chapters center around issues such as the history of the debate surrounding the warming of the planet, future projections of our climate, possible surprises to the climate (e.g., adjustments in deep-ocean circulation), and political solutions to the problems created by global warming. As a result of this multifarious approach, the skeptic will not find much to assuage his doubts on the subject.

Maslin explains that the prevalence of the global warming theory was engendered by a sharp upsurge in the global annual mean temperature, what is referred to as the "hockey stick" because charts of recent temperature trends resemble a hockey stick. Yet the theory of human induced climate change was first propounded in the late 19th century but was dismissed because other factors were believed to be the source of climate adjustments. Such vacillation from climatologists over the years surely contributes to some of the skepticism regarding climate change, and their promotion of global cooling in the 70s doesn't help their case. But Maslin believes that the short period of cooling which gave rise to the theory can be explained under the broader theory of global warming, explaining the cooling as a product of "the decadal influence of the sunspot cycle and that pollutants, such as sulphur dioxide aerosols, cooled the industrial regions of the globe" (29-30). Skeptics also purport that the correlation between Co2 and temperature is one in which rises of Co2 _precede_ a temperature rise. Maslin responds to this by referring to the work of Sir Shackleton, whose study of the last four glacial-intergalacial cycles exhibited Co2 spikes prior to increases in temperature. (I should note that this is of course an instance in which Maslin responds to skeptics, but these are unlikely to fully persuade skeptics because of the lack of specificity.)

Maslin references the IPCC report on the future impact of climate change. They project that sea levels will rise approximately 18-59cm and that the temperature will rise 1.8-4 degrees Celsius by 2100. This is the area in which there are the most uncertainties. For instance, climatologists are unaware of how much galactic cosmic rays and clouds will effect the development of the climate, a point acceded by Maslin. Maslin also discusses what he calls "suprises" that global warming could present. Gas hydrates, a greenhouse gas 21 times as strong as Co2, which are stored below the world's oceans and permafrost could be released as a result of the heating of these latter entities. Other examples are reviewed including the potential for a transformation of the Amazon into a Savannah environment.

This is a good book on the topic. It covers a lot of information in a small amount of space. But this may be a source of one of the problems I had with the book: too much convoluted material for an introduction. At times the book's perpetual references to geological and scientific terminology and theory can be overwhelming for someone without a background in the field. A reduction of the issues covered, in favor of further explanation of those covered, may have made for a better introduction. Furthermore, the charts and diagrams in the book are sometimes extraordinarily difficult to understand in their present context; surely, he could have done a better job with these. Also, Maslin didn't dive into the issue of Co2/temperature link as much as I would've liked him to. Others have complained about the inanity of the last chapter--his vision of a zero-carbon world. The complaints, I believe, are justified, but the chapter is only 6 pages, so don't avoid the book on account of this!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Everything but the kitchen sink, May 17, 2010

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Dr. Bojan Tunguz (Indiana, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Global Warming: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) (Paperback)

I'll start this review by an admission: I am a global warming skeptic. To be a skeptic does not mean that I am unwilling to be persuaded by good arguments and well presented facts. To the contrary, as a scientist I am trained to be skeptical all the time and yet be willing to go out of my way to see all sides to a reasonable argument and if proven wrong to accept what the arguments establish. With that attitude in mind I have approached this little book as well: so far I have not been persuaded with most arguments on behalf of global warming proponents, and the recent spate of scandals that revealed some big holes in their arguments has only reinforced my skepticism. Nonetheless, I wanted to see what the experts in the field have to say about global warming, and I figured out this book would be as good of a starting point as they come. And if this is indeed a definitive introduction to the subject, then I am afraid that my previous skepticism will remain largely intact.

The very opening of the book is extremely unpromising. The author in no uncertain terms says in the preface what Global Warming in his opinion is all about: redistribution of wealth and resources from the wealthy western industrial powers to the underdeveloped third world countries. I have never seen as a tendentious opening of a book about what really should be a scientific topic. It puts most of the scientific consideration herein in question.

It takes 40 pages before we even get to the science behind global warming, which is almost a quarter of the entire book. This part of the book is actually the most interesting and certainly worth reading. It presents some interesting science behind climate and how it has changed over time. It describes the state-of-the art measuring and theoretical work that is ongoing in the field of climatology. Any science buff out there will certainly appreciate these chapters. Even so, there are several sleights of hand that had been utilized to skip over some more contentious topics. For instance, the evidence that in the past increase of CO2 in the atmosphere preceded the increases of global temperature is anything but watertight. And speaking of water, it is also well known that water vapor is the single most potent greenhouse gas, and yet it is hardly mentioned in this book. At the few places where it is mentioned it is dismissed by saying that the effects of the increased water vapor in the atmosphere are "poorly understood." This in itself raises a red flag in my eyes.

There are a few other sentences that trouble me to say the least:

In discussing satellite date the author says "The final problem with satellite data is that 20 years is just too short a time period to find a temperature trend with any confidence." And yet, throughout this book 20 year (and shorter) trends have been used as definitive proofs of certain aspects of global warming.

In dismissing the critics' suggestion that a lot of global warming predictions are very imprecise, the author suggests that we don't expect much precision from other walks of life, like from predicting which horse will win the race or which football team will win the match. I personally cannot imagine any serious scientist who would be willing to dismiss criticism of their work by comparing it to horse races or football matches.

The worst parts of the book are the ones that deal with social, political and economic issues. The author is completely out of his depth when it comes to these topics. In fact, many of his statements about economic considerations make me wonder if he even understands such elementary concepts as supply and demand, or if he does if he really cares about them and considers them relevant.

As some other reviewers have remarked, this book is not likely to win over the skeptics. And if there is any merit to the direst predictions of the global warming researchers, that is a crying shame to say the least. If the sky really is about to fall, it would serve us all to have a measured, succinct and to the point book that presents all the best science and evidence without devolving in all sorts of tangential directions.