The Rough Guide to Climate Change, 2nd Edition [Paperback]

Robert Henson (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1858281059 | ISBN-13: 978-1858281056 | Publication Date: February 4, 2008 | Edition: 2nd

The Rough Guide to Climate Change gives the complete picture of the single biggest issue facing the planet. Cutting a swathe through scientific research and political debate, this completely updated 2^nd edition lays out the facts and assesses the options- global and personal- for dealing with the threat of a warming world. The guide looks at the evolution of our atmosphere over the last 4.5 billion years and what computer simulations of climate change reveal about our past, present, and future. This updated edition includes new information from the 2007 report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and an updated politics section to reflect post-Kyoto developments. Discover how rising temperatures and sea levels, plus changes to extreme weather patterns, are already affecting life around the world. The guide unravels how governments, scientists and engineers plan to tackle the problem and includes in-depth information and lifestyle tips about what you can do to help.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Stay longer. Go ahead and travel, but do it smartly. Get direct flights; use a train to get around. --Boston Globe

About the Author

Bob Henson works at the internationally recognised National Center for Atmospheric Research. Henson''s previous books include the well-received Rough Guide to Weather.

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Rough Guides; 2nd edition (February 4, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1858281059
• ISBN-13: 978-1858281056
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #374,031 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Robert Henson is a science journalist and meteorologist based in Boulder, Colorado, where he works as a writer and editor at the National Center for Atmospheric Research. His books include "The Rough Guide to Climate Change," which was shortlisted for the 2007 UK Royal Society Prize for Science Books, as well as "The Rough Guide to Weather" and "Weather on the Air: A History of Broadcast Meteorology," published in 2010 by the American Meteorological Society. Henson is a contributing editor of Weatherwise magazine and a frequent guest blogger for Capital Weather Gang. His interests include photography, bicycling, and popular culture.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Complex Scientific Principals Easily Presented for the Non Science Reader, March 27, 2008

By 

Frederick S. Goethel "wildcatcreekbooks" (Central Valley, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Rough Guide to Climate Change, 2nd Edition (Paperback)

I am using the Rough Guide to Climate change in a college course that I am currently taking about global warming and climate change. The second edition wasn't out when I started the class, so I started with the first edition and then switched when this edition did come out.

The book is a perfect example of how to write a science book for nonscientists. I have a degree in environmental science, but climate science involves so many disciplines that it is hard for even a trained professional to keep up and digest the information from all the various fields. Henson has done a remarkable job of taking the science and laying it out in an easy to understand way and in a very logical sequence.

The book is broken into parts in a flow that works well. The first section is about the basics of climate change, the second is about the symptoms we are or will be seeing as a result of climate change, the third is about the actual science behind climate change and the fourth presents a nicely balanced set of solutions and some of the detractors from those solutions. There is also a very comprehensive further exploration section at the rear.

The book is up to date and is, by far, the best source of scientific information available to the general reader about global warming. Buy it now...it might change your mind!

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This Book is a Gem, March 11, 2008

By 

Theodore M. Horesh - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Rough Guide to Climate Change, 2nd Edition (Paperback)

The Rough Guide to Climate change was a surprising masterpiece. It presents complex scientific concepts in a highly readable manner. It is extremely informative, with more perspectives on the climate change debate than other sources I have checked out. And it makes sense of the diversity of opinions in the scientific community about the ways in which global warming is and will be effecting the world. In this sense, it is a very balanced sourcebook. Most of all, it is incredibly interesting. Not only does the formatting make for constantly intriguing reading, but the content itself is very interesting. Is it too much to say that on top of it all, Henson is a great writer. Making a book like this a Rough Guide really downplays what a gem this book is. Even if you already know a lot about climate change, this book will have a great deal to teach you.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rough Guide to Climate Change is a Diamond in the Rough, June 20, 2008

By 

Glenn Gallagher "scholarly bureaucrat" (Sacramento, CA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Rough Guide to Climate Change, 2nd Edition (Paperback)

What a remarkable book this is - disguised as a simple guide to climate change, but actually a very sophisticated, balanced, thoughtful analysis of the many aspects of climate change: the physical causes of climate change, the symptoms of a warming planet, what the average person can do, and the politics surrounding the entire issue.

Loaded with great information and highly readable, although it never talks down to the intended audience, which is aimed at everybody (may be too difficult for people under the age of 12). Lots of photographs and charts to help explain what climate change is, what causes it, and what the symptoms are.

The only weakness of the book, which is ironically one of its strengths, is that it is refreshingly free of a certain preachy tone that can creep into some books on the environment - however, because the book is studiously non-political, only half a page is dedicated to "lobbying for change" in the chapter titled "What You Can Do - Reducing Your Carbon Footprint and Lobbying For Action". Most of that chapter is dedicated towards small things everybody can do (adjust thermostat properly, drive hybrid cars, walk or bike, etc.). However, real change will probably only happen when entire countries set policies and laws into place that mandate fewer greenhouse gas emissions. (This is a scholarly bureaucrat writing this, after all.)

Having pointed out a minor weakness, I can wholeheartedly recommend this book to anybody wishing to learn more about climate change and global warming. The book doesn't actually let "big business" or current government leadership around the world completely off the hook - the book duly notes that conducting business as usual has gotten us into this mess, and that most businesses, and most governments have no real reason to change business as usual - after all, if they are still in business, or still in power, the status quo must be working well for them.