Customer Reviews

The Rough Guide to Climate Change 1 (Rough Guide Reference)

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Though small in size, this book is thorough and packed
with the latest information about climate change. The
margins are not overly generous. The typography is tight.
The binding is excellent, with informative fold-out
graphics on the front and back covers. A bargain price
for such a well-edited, well-researched and well-constructed book.

Although the book may be intended for the non-specialist,
I would recommend that all university students of
atmospheric sciences read this book. I will be
recommending this book as a supplementary text in
university courses -- a purpose probably not intended
for this sort of book. The book is not mathematical.
Nevertheless, many issues are raised that will invite
formal mathematical analysis in the classroom.

The book has some rough spots. Indeed the rough spots
provide the invitations for a mathematical re-examination.

page 16: "Even if we turned off every fuel-burning
machine on earth tomorrow, climate modellers tell us
that the world would warm at least another 0.5 C
(0.9 F) as oceans slowly release the heat they've
collected in recent decades." This should be stated as
"...as oceans slowly warm and adjust toward the new
radiative equilibrium state with higher greenhouse gas concentrations."

page 100: "Even if we stopped emitting greenhouse gases
tomorrow, we're committed to some amount of warming...as
the heat tucked away from the deep oceans gradually seeps
upward." This is the same mistake as on page 16. Even
with CO2 fixed at the current 380 ppmv the oceans and
atmosphere would warm for decades, with heat seeping
downward into the oceans. The warming will be caused by
more radiation entering the atmosphere than leaving.
Another way to repair the sentence is to state: "Even
if we returned greenhouse gases to preindustrial values
tomorrow, we're committed to elevated temperatures for
many decades...as the heat tucked away from the deep
ocean gradually seeps upward."

page 36: "...greenhouse gases carry several times more
punch when they are emitted at altitude". The word
should be "exist" rather than "emitted". The lifetime
of a CO2 molecule in the atmosphere is a "century" (p. 24).
And on page 29: "the gas should be well mixed throughout
Earth's atmosphere". On page 172: "Longer-lived greenhouse
gases, such as carbon dioxide, are thoroughly mixed across
the troposphere, both horizontally and vertically". For a
greenhouse gas molecule that will exist in the atmosphere
for 100 years, what difference does it make as to where
it was released?

page 166: "Nobody doubts the existence of the heat-island
effect, by which dense buildings and paved areas of cities
absorb heat and ricochet it through the the city air."
A more rigorous explanation of the heat-island effect is
warranted, preferably one that doesn't use the word
"ricochet", and one that uses energy balance principles.
The wikipedia has a decent summary of the physics.

page 172: "Since ozone absorbs sunlight, its partial loss
in the lower stratosphere for the last twenty years or so
has allowed temperatures there to plummet..". It would
be worthwhile to mention that declining tempertures in
the upper stratosphere are primarily attributable to
increasing carbon dioxide. The cooling is happening
right on schedule, and accord with our theories of
atmospheric radiation. Indeed, radiative energy balance
analysis (of the sort that exists in all climate models)
shows that a cooling of the stratosphere amplifies the
warming of the troposphere and surface.

page 304: "Hydrogen, the simplest and most abundant element
on Earth...". Geology classes teach 34.6% Iron, 29.5% Oxygen,
15.2% Silicon, ... If we substitute "in the universe" for
"on Earth", the statement is true.

It seems almost extravagant to publish yet another book on climate change. This one, however, bears the benefit of being almost extravagantly comprehensive. Henson has assembled a wealth of data, presenting it in a superbly organised and accessible account. Although the term "Rough Guide" might imply a superficial approach to the topic, this book is anything but that. In slightly over three hundred pages, the author covers the current conditions, the history leading up to those and what processes are in place to influence climate. He also deals with how the sciences investigating climate change work, and why we should pay attention to them.

His analysis of policies addressing climate change, in particular his descripton of the Kyoto Protocols, is unsurpassed. He even includes how the arts, well and poorly, have adopted climate themes into their productions. Although he recognises the failings of such films as "The Day After Tomorrow", he accepts their role in raising public consciousness. This enlarged awareness has been manifested [...]which uses idle computers to assess data used in modelling climate change. Henson's explanation of computer modelling is on a par with the rest of his presentation; clear and informative.

The author repeatedly stresses that while climate change is a global phenomenon, it is individuals who will make a difference in its onset and impact. Accordingly, his suggested solutions will bear close scrutiny. As well as Kyoto's broad view, Henson examines the alternatives or enhancements for their likely effectiveness. The recent initiative by The Asia-Pacific Partnership, based on voluntary controls and shared technologies, is covered, as is the Contraction and Convergence model. Most importantly, the author's coverage of personal changes in energy consumption and pollution reduction is very helpful. He makes clear that none of the steps requires drastic change in lifestyle nor the outlay of substantial funds. To this end he closes with a list of useful resources of information on all aspects of the topic. If there is a shortcoming in this book, it is the process used to save paper and money. The reduced size of the volume means packing all that information into a small space. The typeface is miniscule and the reading can be excruciating. Energy-saving lightbulbs in your house may lead to impaired vision from sifting through so much information. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

This book is well organized and well written. The subject of climate change is not an easy one, and here Robert Henson has given explanation that any thoughtful reader should be able to understand. Maps, graphs, and pictures help to give life to the text. Short biographies of some of the main participants in the debate about global warming are interesting and revealing. On a subject so important, the book is an important contribution to citizens who want to be better informed. The print is very small, so people with eye-strain need to be warned, but even for that part of the audience, there are sections of the text that can stand alone and still be interesting and informative.

The book presents the information in a way not unlike a college textbook. Initially it clearly states the facts and objective, and then elaborates on them in a way that is interesting. I also liked how it had the side stories strategically placed among relevant chapters.
Climate Change is comprised of six different main parts including: The basics, The Symptoms, The Science, Debates and Solutions, What you can do, and Resources. It explained everything from how the climate ties into the oceans and impacts on humans, but also by humans. It offers not only solutions on what the International community can do, but what an individual can do. Suggestions like what to do from home energy to shopping to offsetting emissions. Solutions are easy to achieve, and guides you through how to accomplish them.
The complex matters were made very easy to understand for the non scientist. The science behind climate change is so complex and requires many different disciplines of science. Robert Henson has laid the material out in a logical manner. Anyone seeking more information on the science behind it can pick up this book and understand it. The book is also very current and up to date with reference to current Global Circulation Models, data and statistics.
One problem that I did find with the book was a fact about greenhouse gas emission referring to the amount of CO2 sequestration. The book states that 25% of all CO2 is absorbed into the ocean. From my understanding this is not the case. Upon further research I found that 50-55% of CO2 is absorbed during the carbon dioxide cycle. This was the only statistic that I could find wrong in the book. Much of the information in the book toward the end can be naturally subjective, but it was defended in a way that I believe would make is hard for even the diehard skeptic of climate change to deny.

this book is so easy to read. i had to have the book for class but i ended up really enjoying reading it. we have assignments to read out of the book each week but i liked it so much i read the entire book in one night

Having just finished reading this book, I'm stunned at how much information it crams into ~326 pages. It's simply the most comprehensive and yet readable book on global warming today (clearly written with lots of photos and illustrations).

I suspect that most readers (like myself) will have difficulty absorbing the material in one reading. Lucklily, the book is divided into sections that are independent (for the most part), so readers can break it into more manageable chunks.

The author is clearly concerned about global warming but he strives to be fair and balanced- however, he does devote a page for a well-deserved critique of Michael Crichton's "State of Fear" (2005), which is really a silly book.

Even though "Climate Change" was just published in 2006, much has changed because of the IPCC report in 2007, so a 2nd edition is due in early 2008.