Climate change : what everyone needs to know

Summary: This book offers the most up-to-date examination of climate change's foundational science, its implications for our future, and the core clean energy solutions. Alongside detailed but highly accessible descriptions of what is causing climate change, this answers questions about the practical implications of this growing force on our world: "How will climate change impact you and your family in the coming decades?", "What are the future implications for owners of coastal property?", "Should you plan on retiring in South Florida or the U.S. Southwest or Southern Europe?", "What occupations and fields of study will be most in demand in a globally warmed world?" and "What impact will climate change have on investments and the global economy? As the world struggles to stem climate change and its effects, everyone will become a part of this story of the century.

Record details

ISBN: 9780190250171 (softcover)
ISBN: 9780190250188 (hardcover : acid-free paper)
Physical Description: print
xxv, 302 p. : ill., maps ; 22 cm.
Publisher: Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, [2016]

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:

Includes bibliographical references (p. 269-285) and index.

Formatted Contents Note:

1. Climate science basics -- What is the greenhouse effect and how does it warm the Earth? -- Why are scientists so certain the climate system is warming? -- How does global warming increase sea levels and what has been observed to date? -- Where does most of human-caused warming go? -- What fraction of recent global warming is due to human causes versus natural causes? -- How certain are climate scientists that humans are the primary cause of recent warming? -- How do scientists know that recent climate change is primarily caused by human activities? -- Why has the climate changed in the past, before there were human-caused greenhouse gas emissions? -- What are the climate system's amplifying feedbacks that turn a moderate initial warming into a big ultimate warming? -- Is the current level of atmospheric CO2 concentration unprecedented in human history? -- Are recent climatic changes unprecedented? -- Has recent human-caused climate change been occurring faster or not as fast as scientists predicted? -- Is there a difference between global warming and climate change? -- What are the sources of the most important human-caused pollutants that drive global warming? -- How does deforestation contribute to warming? -- What is global warming potential and why is it different for various greenhouse gases? -- Why does the rate of warming appear to vary from decade to decade? -- Has global warming slowed down or paused in recent years? -- Can we reach a point where emitting more CO2 into the air will not cause more climate change? -- Have we already crossed tipping points (points of no return) in the climate system?