Customer Reviews

The Rough Guide to Climate Change, 2nd Edition

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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!

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.

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.

I am currently teach a course to upper level college science students about climate change. Compared with the other texts that focus on the politics/policy/public perception debate and in-depth climate science, my students really enjoy this one for its straightforward approach. It is well organized, provides adequate detail to support claims and understand the concepts and technical matter without getting too bogged down in the equations or argumentative claims. It fills a need in explaining the impacts and potential adaptations and mitigation strategies as well as giving some history on contemporary climate change and climate basics. I will definitely use it again if I repeat this course in the near future.

This book seems to have gained the status of being a go-to reference for those who are interested in global warming and one of the few books that global warming skeptics claim to have read, in many cases. This is understandable because the book is something akin to an encyclopedia of climate change. It has sections and chapters on almost every topic related to climate change, including some of the skeptical arguments and covers everything from the history of climate change to ideas about what can be done. It makes reference to a number of other books and famous researchers. A person could read just this book and have pretty decent overview of the issues involved.

On the bad side, the layout of the book and its style cause a couple of problems. First of all, the book is full of sidebars and boxes with side stories and references to other pages in the book where you can read more on a topic. That would be great if you are paging through or just looking at one topic. However, if you hope to read it straight through like an average book, this format is terribly distracting and you find yourself stopping about every other page to read a sidebar and then continuing on. I suppose there is some reason for laying the book out this way, but not everyone will like it. I give the book only 4 stars based on this alone. The other issue I have with the book is that in some cases, the presentation of a topic is a bit too sketchy and glosses over some important issues or presents so many different points of view that some of them may not be completely compatible.

Overall though, this book is an excellent introduction or rough guide to climate change and a useful reference. It would be a good first book to read and anyone who is interested in a particular aspect presented in the book could easily go on to read more about that specific area. There is even a decent list of other books on climate change in the back.

Robert Henson's "Rough Guide to Climate Change" is a page-turner. The book is a comprehensive overview of global warming, written so it's clear and fascinating for readers not trained in science.

Henson starts with an overview of the catastrophic changes already happening to our only planet. Then he goes into detail on the symptoms of the problem, which include extreme heat, like the unprecedented heat wave that killed 50,000 people in Europe in the summer of 2003. Symptoms also include floods, droughts, melting glaciers, changes in ocean temperatures and currents that change the weather, stronger hurricanes, and more. He doesn't simplify the discussion of causes, attributing everything to human-caused global warming, but presents scientists' analysis of contributing factors and the historical records. At the same time, the unfolding story has the fascination of a Hollywood science-fiction/horror screenplay.

"Climate Change" explains how scientists measure these changes and what kinds of records they keep and consult, and how conclusions are drawn. Henson describes the global warming debate, and examines political and technological solutions. And finally he tells the readers what they can do to respond to this growing worldwide crisis.

This book is the assigned text for a course I'm currently taking on global warming at the University of Montana, taught by Dr. Steve Running, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize.

This book gives a quick overview of a very broad subject. It presents clear outlines of the science of global warming, what the current and possible future impacts of climate change will be, and what humans are or could be doing to reduce the changes we are making to climate. This is the perfect book for someone who doesn't have the time or the inclination to go deeply into these complex issues but wants to know what all the fuss about climate change is. For others, it may be a good introduction to the subject which will lead them to do further reading.

Written by a scientist, this book is unusually accurate on the science, sticking close to the majority view represented by the IPCC. Readers may appreciate the calm tone of the book, which conveys the strength of the case for global warming and some of the risks to people and the environment, but freely discusses uncertainty and alternate possibilities. On the other hand, this reasonable tone makes it less likely that readers will be galvanized into action as they have been by Al Gore's book and movie. The book discusses and argues against a few of the more respectable scientific arguments against aspects of the IPCC view of global warming. As with other issues, the discussion is a good summary of the debate rather than a detailed analysis. Global warming deniers, or those looking for a rebuttal to humans-don't-cause-global-warming arguments, will need to look to the IPCC reports, the Real Climate website, or elsewhere for an in-depth discussion of the scientifically or politically controversial topics.

I can say as a non-science major that this book is the source to get for anyone who wants to learn about the issue of climate change deeply. The book starts with a general "FAQ" chapter, then presents the symptoms in specific locations, then the science, and finally application. The information is very digestable, and it presents just enough facts -not too much, not too simple- to get the information across. Not only is the book comprehensive, but it's economical. It's easily the cheapest textbook I've had for my college years right now. Highly recommended for those studying in the area of environmental science, or someone that simply wants to understand the issue better.

This book was used as a textbook for a basic college climate course I took and I highly recommend it! I had the full book read before I even needed it for my class. Detailed analysis of many factors of climate change includes basics of the greenhouse effect, symptoms from heat waves, floods, droughts, glaciers, oceans, storms, agriculture, and ecosystems, a history of climate science, political debates, and potential solutions.

This updated 2nd edition (2008) is aimed at a general audience, but it contains a wealth of detail on the latest science.

The level of detail is probably the book's greatest strength and perhaps it's greatest weakness in that I doubt it'll convince the naysayers that GW is a serious concern. (They'll argue that it's impossible to make any real predictions given the numerous factors involved.) The author is objective for the most part but it's clear he believes GW is a major problem- however, for balance, he probably should have presented more of the "CON" pov.

GW is a very contentious issue- but one thing is clear from postings on the internet (including this site): some people are truly idiots :)

Ignore all of the clamor and endless debate about whether GW, if it occurs at all, is "natural" or "man-made" or whatever. It's irrelevant! Someday, our planet will have another ice age- and it'll be a "natural" event but few would argue that's desirable. Likewise, using GW to justify anti-globalization is naive since few appreciate how much our modern lifestyle (and physical comfort) depends on it and oil and gasoline for that matter.
The only REAL issues are whether this planet's climate is changing in a manner which will harm the human race in the "short" term; and what is the most cost-effective way to deal with GW, if it is a problem. (Bjorn Lomborg has unfairly gotton a bad rap for his views.)

It's astounding how many people on the far right and left just don't get it.