Sometime this century the day will arrive when the human influence on the climate will overwhelm all other natural factors. Over the past decade, the world has seen the most powerful El Niño ever recorded, the most devastating hurricane in two hundred years, the hottest European summer on record, and one of the worst storm seasons ever experienced in Florida. With one out of every five living things on this planet committed to extinction by the levels of greenhouse gases that will accumulate in the next few decades, we are reaching a global climatic tipping point. The Weather Makers is both an urgent warning and a call to arms, outlining the history of climate change, how it will unfold over the next century, and what we can do to prevent a cataclysmic future. Along with a riveting history of climate change, Tim Flannery offers specific suggestions for action for both lawmakers and individuals, from investing in renewable power sources like wind, solar, and geothermal energy, to offering an action plan with steps each and every one of us can take right now to reduce deadly CO2 emissions by as much as 70 percent.
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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Mammologist and paleontologist Flannery (The Eternal Frontier), who in recent years has become well known for his controversial ideas on conservation, the environment and population control, presents a straightforward and powerfully written look at the connection between climate change and global warming. It's destined to become required reading following Hurricane Katrina as the focus shifts to the natural forces that may have produced such a devastating event. Much of the book's success is rooted in Flannery's succinct and fascinating insights into related topics, such as the differences between the terms greenhouse effect, global warming and climate change, and how the El Niño cycle of extreme climatic events "had a profound re-organising effect on nature." But the heart of the book is Flannery's impassioned look at the earth's "colossal" carbon dioxide pollution problem and his argument for how we can shift from our current global reliance on fossil fuels [...]. Flannery consistently produces the hard goods related to his main message that our environmental behavior makes us all "weather makers" who "already possess all the tools required to avoid catastrophic climate change."
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Bookmarks Magazine
The arguments, evidence, and conclusions should surprise few readers in Kolbert's Field Notes from a Catastrophe and Flannery's The Weather Makers. Given existing scientific knowledge, neither author (and no critic) doubts that global warming is real, with terrible consequences looming ahead.<P>The difference between the books largely comes down to tone and style. Kolbert, a reporter for the New Yorker, provides an excellent primer on climate change. Praised for her elegance and accessibility, she offers a loose travelogue with "the clearest view yet of the biggest catastrophe we have ever faced" (Los Angeles Times). She takes her science seriously—from sulfate droplets to recarbonization—and rarely lets her belief in impending catastrophe cloud her objectivity. Flannery's book may appeal more to activists. However, the Chicago Sun-Times thought that his passionate clarion call to action undermined sound arguments; others criticized scattered information and incomplete discussion on ways individuals can counteract climate change. Still, like Kolbert, Flannery elucidates complex concepts in climatology, paleontology, and economics. In the end, both books ask a crucial question: "Will we be lauded by future generations for heeding the advice of our best scientific minds, or remembered hereafter as counterexamples—as paragons of hubris, of a colossal failure of the imagination?" (Los Angeles Times).<BR>Copyright © 2004 Phillips & Nelson Media, Inc.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
154 of 169 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
"Not another book on climate change!", you lament. Readers may feel surfeited by the rash of books on "global warming" appearing in the past few years. The feeling is understandable. The situation should be considered an indication of how serious the problem is for all humanity. In this case, the author introduces a little-considered aspect. Tim Flannery, whose keen eye and bountiful wit always offers something new presented in a easily readable way, will not leave you jaded nor have your head nodding in ennui. Although Flannery does address some questions dealt with elsewhere, he adds the most significant topic of all - the future of life.
As a zoologist, Flannery has extensive field experience in the forests of New Guinea and elsewhere. He's written of human impact on large animals in North America and Australia. Here, he writes of human impact on all life. Instead of hunting animals to extinction, humans are modifying the entire biosphere through pollutants and gases. This indirect imposition has already killed off at least one species, he demonstrates. In explaining how the Golden Toad went extinct, Flannery sets the scene expansively. The Toad wasn't just a local phenomenon, but died out due to wide-ranging changes in ocean temperature, air mass movements and changes in rainfall. This combination of influences resulted in what appeared to us as a minimal change in habitat. To the Golden Toad, that "minimal change" proved catastrophic. The object lesson is clear. How much change will the species humans rely on for survival tolerate? Flannery, citing James Lovelock's "Gaia" hypothesis of the biosphere as a tightly woven "system", argues that the tolerance for change is meagre. And human-induced change is squeezing the tolerance downward. Up to 30% of all major species are under threat of extinction during this century.
Flannery notes how much needs to be learnt about our impact on the biosphere. Only a generation ago we had identified half of the "greenhouse gases" and scientists still contested whether their influence would warm or cool the planet. Now, he stresses, the warming effect is clearly dominant. The result of that warming is unfolding before us right now. More significantly, the consequences of today's conditions will not be fully realised for a generation. When they become apparent they will be far too severe to reverse. The time to take preventive action is now, not in a decade or more. The reason for prompt action refutes the "climate sceptics" who argue that climate change is "natural" and requires adaptability, not severe crisis-preventing action. Flannery explains how this view is mistaken and misleading. The rate of change today far exceeds any past natural process, and its effects may last many millennia. All examples of past climate change show cascading processes, where one small change induces later, more complex or far-reaching results. With today's rate of change so rapid, Flannery argues, the cumulative effects are unpredictable. But they won't be pleasant.
Flannery's presentation is that of the convinced scientist and caring individual. His abilities as a science writer provide us with clearly spelled out conditions and solutions. He is an ardent supporter of personal steps to be taken to reduce that rate of change underway around us. He also shows how industries and governments can contribute to slowing the threat to our biosphere and thus, our children's future. In fact, just about the only negative thing that can be said about this book is its chaotic "References" section. There is a logic in there somewhere, but in this reviewer's opinion, it's to make you go back to the text to cross-check and relearn the point. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]
As a zoologist, Flannery has extensive field experience in the forests of New Guinea and elsewhere. He's written of human impact on large animals in North America and Australia. Here, he writes of human impact on all life. Instead of hunting animals to extinction, humans are modifying the entire biosphere through pollutants and gases. This indirect imposition has already killed off at least one species, he demonstrates. In explaining how the Golden Toad went extinct, Flannery sets the scene expansively. The Toad wasn't just a local phenomenon, but died out due to wide-ranging changes in ocean temperature, air mass movements and changes in rainfall. This combination of influences resulted in what appeared to us as a minimal change in habitat. To the Golden Toad, that "minimal change" proved catastrophic. The object lesson is clear. How much change will the species humans rely on for survival tolerate? Flannery, citing James Lovelock's "Gaia" hypothesis of the biosphere as a tightly woven "system", argues that the tolerance for change is meagre. And human-induced change is squeezing the tolerance downward. Up to 30% of all major species are under threat of extinction during this century.
Flannery notes how much needs to be learnt about our impact on the biosphere. Only a generation ago we had identified half of the "greenhouse gases" and scientists still contested whether their influence would warm or cool the planet. Now, he stresses, the warming effect is clearly dominant. The result of that warming is unfolding before us right now. More significantly, the consequences of today's conditions will not be fully realised for a generation. When they become apparent they will be far too severe to reverse. The time to take preventive action is now, not in a decade or more. The reason for prompt action refutes the "climate sceptics" who argue that climate change is "natural" and requires adaptability, not severe crisis-preventing action. Flannery explains how this view is mistaken and misleading. The rate of change today far exceeds any past natural process, and its effects may last many millennia. All examples of past climate change show cascading processes, where one small change induces later, more complex or far-reaching results. With today's rate of change so rapid, Flannery argues, the cumulative effects are unpredictable. But they won't be pleasant.
Flannery's presentation is that of the convinced scientist and caring individual. His abilities as a science writer provide us with clearly spelled out conditions and solutions. He is an ardent supporter of personal steps to be taken to reduce that rate of change underway around us. He also shows how industries and governments can contribute to slowing the threat to our biosphere and thus, our children's future. In fact, just about the only negative thing that can be said about this book is its chaotic "References" section. There is a logic in there somewhere, but in this reviewer's opinion, it's to make you go back to the text to cross-check and relearn the point. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]
99 of 113 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Tim Flannery's account of man made changes in our climate is a book which will appeal to a wide audience. Scientists, meteorologists, and others with a professional interest in climate and the weather will appreciate the broad range of expertise Flannery demonstrates throughout this work. A scientist and conservationist himself, Flannery obviously knows what he is talking about. Readers without such a scientific background will enjoy this work because Flannery, like Jared Diamond, is able to write about what could be mind-numbingly complex issues with a wit and clarity that holds one's interest. As an Australian, Flannery writes from the perspective of a citizen of one of the nations which is most heavily environmentally stressed. And it is vital for humanity in Australia and elsewhere to become more conversant with the issues Flannery covers so well.
The Weather Makers describes the many effects human activities have had on our planetary climate, beginning with the development of agriculture and proceeding on to the most recent headlines. Flannery analyzes the probabilities of catastrophic climate changes, stressing that this is not really a question of "If" but "When." He is alarming but not alarmist, not stooping to the level of "The Day After Tomorrow" for example, but also making it clear that even though drastic weather changes will not happen tomorrow, they certainly will within our life times and those of our children unless action is taken.
Flannery is clear about what action needs to be taken. Although not overly enthusiastic about the Kyoto Accord, for example, he does herald it as a good first step. He provides suggestions for individual actions in a "green checklist" at the end of the book, and describes exciting possibilities, including those already well known such as hybrid cars and nuclear or geothermal power sources and intriguing new ones like the mini-cats: compressed air vehicles being developed in Europe.
Its encouraging to see Tony Blair's name, among others in the chorus of enthusiastic responses to The Weather Makers on its back cover blurb. Perhaps Blair and others intelligent enough to recognize that Flannery knows what he is talking about can make some headway against other "leaders" more obtuse than they!
The Weather Makers describes the many effects human activities have had on our planetary climate, beginning with the development of agriculture and proceeding on to the most recent headlines. Flannery analyzes the probabilities of catastrophic climate changes, stressing that this is not really a question of "If" but "When." He is alarming but not alarmist, not stooping to the level of "The Day After Tomorrow" for example, but also making it clear that even though drastic weather changes will not happen tomorrow, they certainly will within our life times and those of our children unless action is taken.
Flannery is clear about what action needs to be taken. Although not overly enthusiastic about the Kyoto Accord, for example, he does herald it as a good first step. He provides suggestions for individual actions in a "green checklist" at the end of the book, and describes exciting possibilities, including those already well known such as hybrid cars and nuclear or geothermal power sources and intriguing new ones like the mini-cats: compressed air vehicles being developed in Europe.
Its encouraging to see Tony Blair's name, among others in the chorus of enthusiastic responses to The Weather Makers on its back cover blurb. Perhaps Blair and others intelligent enough to recognize that Flannery knows what he is talking about can make some headway against other "leaders" more obtuse than they!
32 of 38 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I picked this book up in the Sydney airport in November while on vacation. Upon return home, I learned that it was not yet published in the US, so ordered 10 copies from Australia. I have given copies to friends and family, colleagues and elected officials. Without wanting to seem excessively dramatic, this book has changed my life.
I had always considered global climate change (GCC) to be one of several important environmental issues. What Flannery does more than anything is synthesize the dramatic developments that have occured in climate science, just in the past few years. He points out that most of us think about GCC in the same terms and from the same limited understanding that we had many years ago when the issue first entered public consciousness. In the meantime, the science has evolved significantly, and with that evolution of understanding, the news has become worse. Since reading the book, I have embarked on a crash reading program on GCC issues and now share Flannery's view that this is not only THE environmental issue, it is THE issue. Many issues are important, but how we deal with them will likely not matter much if we do not seriously address the threat of climate change.
This book is well-written and reads easily. It is accessible and informative to scientists and non-scientists alike (I am a mere lawyer, in fact), and would make a terrific contribution to high school or college level syllabi.
Buy a copy, but you may want to buy two, since you will undoubtedly want to pass it on when you are finished.
I had always considered global climate change (GCC) to be one of several important environmental issues. What Flannery does more than anything is synthesize the dramatic developments that have occured in climate science, just in the past few years. He points out that most of us think about GCC in the same terms and from the same limited understanding that we had many years ago when the issue first entered public consciousness. In the meantime, the science has evolved significantly, and with that evolution of understanding, the news has become worse. Since reading the book, I have embarked on a crash reading program on GCC issues and now share Flannery's view that this is not only THE environmental issue, it is THE issue. Many issues are important, but how we deal with them will likely not matter much if we do not seriously address the threat of climate change.
This book is well-written and reads easily. It is accessible and informative to scientists and non-scientists alike (I am a mere lawyer, in fact), and would make a terrific contribution to high school or college level syllabi.
Buy a copy, but you may want to buy two, since you will undoubtedly want to pass it on when you are finished.
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The Weather Makers
THE WEATHER MAKERS: HOW MAN IS CHANGING THE CLIMATE AND WHAT IT MEANS FOR LIFE ON EARTH by Tim Flannery
Part 1
Reviewed by Thomas Riggins
This is an important... Read more
Part 1
Reviewed by Thomas Riggins
This is an important... Read more
Published on March 21, 2010 by Thomas Riggins
Alarmist Views - Scary Progressive Ideas
If you want my opinion on the science presented in this book read some of the other 1 Star reviews. For me, I'll sum it up in one statement made by the author that I'll paraphrase,... Read more
Published on February 17, 2010 by North Vega
Cheaters Never Prosper
"The Weather Makers: How Man Is Changing The Climate And What It Means For Life On Earth"
Mr Flannery is making quite a name for himself these days in the global change... Read more
Mr Flannery is making quite a name for himself these days in the global change... Read more
Published on December 12, 2009 by David F. Mcginnis
sloppy! (a partial review)
I'm calling this a partial review because I got about halfway through the second chapter before I couldn't stand the factual mistakes any more. Read more
Published on November 9, 2009 by afeman
Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
In 1981, when I was in my midtwenties, I climbed Mt. Albert Edward, one of the highest peaks on the verdant island of New Guinea. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
great aerial ocean, carbon dollar, household emissions, golden toad, magic gate, global circulation models, hurricane activity, hydrogen economy, extreme weather events Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
United States, Gulf Stream, North America, New Guinea, Kyoto Protocol, Hadley Centre, Great Barrier Reef, James Lovelock, Montreal Protocol, Russel Wallace, Southern Hemisphere, South Africa, Southern Ocean, Industrial Revolution, Global Climate Coalition, Man's Place, New Zealand, South Carolina, University of California, West Antarctic, Arctic Ocean, Hudson Bay, Amazon Basin, Ambon Harbour, Back Settler New!
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
In 1981, when I was in my midtwenties, I climbed Mt. Albert Edward, one of the highest peaks on the verdant island of New Guinea. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
great aerial ocean, carbon dollar, household emissions, golden toad, magic gate, global circulation models, hurricane activity, hydrogen economy, extreme weather events Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
United States, Gulf Stream, North America, New Guinea, Kyoto Protocol, Hadley Centre, Great Barrier Reef, James Lovelock, Montreal Protocol, Russel Wallace, Southern Hemisphere, South Africa, Southern Ocean, Industrial Revolution, Global Climate Coalition, Man's Place, New Zealand, South Carolina, University of California, West Antarctic, Arctic Ocean, Hudson Bay, Amazon Basin, Ambon Harbour, Back Settler New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 49
books:
See all 49 books this book cites
- The Discovery of Global Warming (New Histories of Science, Technology, and Medicine) by Spencer R. Weart on 8 pages
- The Atmosphere: An Introduction to Meteorology (10th Edition) by Frederick K. Lutgens on 5 pages
- The Long Summer: How Climate Changed Civilization by Brian Fagan on 4 pages
- Coal: A Human History by Barbara Freese on 4 pages
- Arctic Dreams by Barry Lopez on page 95, page 98, and Back Matter
See all 49 books this book cites
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