Global Warming: A Very Short Introduction
- ISBN13: 9780199548248
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
Product Description
Global warming is arguably the most critical and controversial issue facing the world in the twenty-first century, one that will affect every living creature on the planet. It is also an extraordinarily complex problem, which everyone needs to understand as clearly and completely as possible. This Very Short Introduction provides a concise and accessible explanation of the key aspects of global warming. Mark Maslin discusses how and why changes are occurring, sets c… More >>
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 Although the book is already “out of date” in view of the recent release of the 2007 IPCC report, none of its main points, either of science or of societal concern, have been supplanted.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.
Rating: 5 / 5
This is the International Year of Biodiversity:2010. Having said
that, what about the UK Climate Change and the recent developments of other Countries’ Policies?
A very short introduction to a very long problem potentially.
The UK Climate Impacts Programme (UKCIP) website is suggested.
Where does the buck stop; does it with governmental power and
authority? To a large extent, but what about ever so many people
all around the planet.
“The European Union has maintained a coordinated position on
climate change, usually speaking through its presidency.”
In this book the author offers the latest word in advanced sustainable development implementation.
Mark Maslin has written a very important book.
I strongly recommend this book.
Dag Stomberg
St. Andrews, Scotland
Rating: 5 / 5
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!
Rating: 4 / 5
If you are looking for a brief, but thorough survey of the issues surrounding, this should do ya. Maslin covers the wide range of concepts touching the subject in a clear, if sometimes technical, manner. As he demonstrates, while the fact of global warming is beyond dispute, there are a host of issues about which there is uncertainty. Maslin presents each of these issues, states clearly what the arguments for and against are, and clarifies what scientists need to know to understand it with greater precision. Ocean currents, the capacity of forests to absorb greenhouse gases, the political difficulties surrounding doing something to forestall serious environmental catastrophe — all of these are dealt with fairly and honestly.
Maslin is clearly worried about the prognosis for planet earth. He presents a range of either possible or probable scenarios if some kind of global and organized cooperation between nations is not undertaken to deal with global warming. He cites scientific and economic studies showing that as much of 20% of the global GDP going towards the effects of global warming by the end of the 21st century (as opposed to 1%-2% now) if something is not done to counter the effects of global warming.
The only part of the book that I disliked was the closing section, which presented a fantasy of the green city of the future. It isn’t merely that the picture presented seems unlikely, it was written in a sappy prose style that reminds me of some of the simplistic social service cartoons that were made in the 1950s. In Maslin’s defense, he took that section from another scholar, which he plainly admits. The book would have been stronger without it.
Apart from that one section I found this to be an accessible, if sometimes technical, introduction to what is the dominant issue of our age.
Rating: 4 / 5
The updated new edition of this book provides a full coverage of global warming including the evidence for climate change, possible future impacts and abrupt climate changes, brief history of global warming debates, Kyoto Protocol (global warming pact) and solutions.
I find these accounts both compelling and clear. It is exciting to read about the real possibility of extreme climate changes due to melting of Greenland and/or Antarctica, change of the North Atlantic driven deep ocean circulation, lethal threat of unstable gas hydrates (mixture of water and methane) beneath the oceans, and burning of the Amazon rainforest. The review of future impacts are quite comprehensive which include topics like coastline, storms and floods, heat waves and droughts, El Nino effect, health, biodiversity and agriculture. However, there are some illustrations which are not self-explanatory. On the whole, it is a good read.
Rating: 4 / 5