“Through his study of the two-mile-long ice cores, Alley reveals a number of elements that contribute to global climatic changes: wind patterns, drifting continents and ocean currents. In lively prose, he illustrates that climate can be stable, but when pushed to change, by either human or natural forces, such change can occur more dramatically and at a faster rate than our industrial society has ever witnessed. Yet Alley is no alarmist in predicting the ways that human activities will affect climate and climatic changes will affect humans …his engaging book, a brilliant combination of scientific thriller, memoir and environmental science, provides instructive glimpses into our climatic past and global future that will appeal to readers interested in how our environment affects us.” (Publishers Weekly)
Resources
Someone once said, "The most important thing about the Information Age is not to let your information age." These resources are a snapshot of an ongoing torrent of news and information about climate change
and sustainable energy. Please submit your own suggestions via email and we'll consider adding them to this evolving list of resources. Listing here does not imply an endorsement, for or against. Some of these resources have tried very hard to stick to the science, but others are promoting policies pointing in various directions.
Richard B. Alley, Paperback, 240 pages, Princeton University Press; 1st. edition (July 1, 2002), ISBN-13: 978-0691102962
Claire Parkinson, Hardcover: 432 pages, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. (May 16, 2010), ISBN-13: 978-0742556157
“This is a book that the author was compelled to write and that everyone needs to read. The climate debate is fierce and polarized, resulting in serious public confusion. Dr. Parkinson has a reasoned, non-adversarial way of illuminating key contentious issues that must be clearly understood before policymakers consider launching initiatives with potentially huge economic and environmental consequences.” (Stephen P. Leatherman, Florida International University, on Amazon.com)
(Product description) “The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has been issuing the essential facts and figures on climate change for nearly two decades. But the hundreds of pages of scientific evidence quoted for accuracy by the media and scientists alike, remain inscrutable to the general public who may still question the validity of climate change ...Dire Predictions presents the information documented by the IPCC in an illustrated, visually-stunning, and undeniably powerful way to the lay reader. The scientific findings that provide validity to the implications of climate change are presented in clear-cut graphic elements, striking images, and understandable analogies.”
“…Friedman takes a fresh and provocative look at two of the biggest challenges we face today: America’s surprising loss of focus and national purpose since 9/11; and the global environmental crisis, which is affecting everything from food to fuel to forests …he shows us how the solutions to these two big problems are linked—how we can restore the world and revive America at the same time…” (Amazon.com product description)
(Also see the PDF section of Resources for a free download option.) (Product description) “Addressing the sustainable energy crisis in an objective manner, this enlightening book analyzes the relevant numbers and organizes a plan for change on both a personal level and an international scale—for Europe, the United States, and the world. (ETOM notes that it’s only fair to say this book’s focus and statistics relate much more to the UK than the USA or the world. However it’s still an excellent approach to the promise and limits of sustainable energy.) In case study format, this informative reference answers questions surrounding nuclear energy, the potential of sustainable fossil fuels, and the possibilities of sharing renewable power with foreign countries …the tone remains positive as it debunks misinformation and clearly explains the calculations of expenditure per person to encourage people to make individual changes that will benefit the world at large.”
(Product description) “In The Climate War, Eric Pooley—deputy editor of Bloomberg BusinessWeek—does for global warming what Bob Woodward did for presidents and Lawrence Wright did for terrorists. In this epic tale of an American civil war, Pooley takes us behind the scenes and into the hearts and minds of the most important players in the struggle to cap global warming pollution—a fight in which trillions of dollars and the fate of the planet are at stake.”
“…in an engaging book that reads like a detective story, physicist Weart reports the history of global warming theory, including the internal conflicts plaguing the research community and the role government has had in promoting climate studies …With just enough scientific detail and plenty of biographical narrative, Weart conveys the difficulties of studying vast, chaotic weather systems …Without resorting to fear-mongering, Weart gives an informed history and offers his readers solutions to consider.” (Publishers Weekly.)
(Product description) “Cutting a swathe through scientific research and political debate, this completely updated 2nd 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 …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.”
Starred Review, Publishers Weekly “…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.’ “
(Product description) “As president of Shell Oil, John Hofmeister was known for being a straight shooter, willing to challenge his peers throughout the industry. Now, he’s a man on a mission, the founder of Citizens for Affordable Energy, crisscrossing the country in a grassroots campaign to change the way we look at energy in this country ...He also provides a new framework for solving difficult problems, identifying solutions that will lead to a future of comfortable lifestyles, affordable and clean energy, environmental protection, and sustained economic competitiveness.”
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