Global Warming

I give this book five stars because Dr. Houghton provided a very thoroughgoing description of the scientific status of global warming together with a convincing series of very rational and complete rebuttals to all the arguments used by climate change deniers. It is quite readable even though it contains fairly complex science, which is explained in a very understandable way.

Clear and to the point

Great book. Clear and concise, easy to read.

I really wanted to like this book. It contains a large amount of useful information, and some really good graphs. But it's all bound up with a lot of *extremely* boring discussion about climate conventions and other things that probably will not matter that much in the end. There are also dozens of predictions and projections. I wouldn't give a thin dime for the lot of them. Changes in the energy system are going to be happening much faster than most of these pundits ever thought possible. Indeed, it's already started.The book is also slickly produced, but poorly edited. "terrajoules"? GMAB. Another hint to the author and editors: Commas are not a scarce resource! And for the sections with sans serif fonts, did you really have to use *Lucida*? Nauseating.

As described, fast shipping.

good

A top quality book about the causes, trends, treaties, and responses to climate change. Fossil fuels and land use changes are the leading causes. CO2 and methane create a layer in the atmosphere that reflects infrared energy back towards the Earth when in earlier times this energy would escape to space during the night. One of the strengths of this books, and in some ways one of the weaknesses, is the examination of the wide range of causes. Certain causes related to farming, land use, urbanization, and basic medical services are mentioned but not as thoroughly described and promoted as renewables, efficiency, conservation, and nuclear. Scientists praise and follow objectivity yet it is also apparent that their managers and editors are less objective, even allowing scientific findings and summaries to be tainted by or slanted by politics and political correctness (very unfortunate). Trends in the 2020s may be very good, or not (see p. 298). Social norms and economics, including free trade or regulation of trade, have been influential in this otherwise refined and sophisticated science book. The authors and editors maintain that the report is objective, and that they have covered all the causes and policy responses, but the weight and discussion to the various causes and policy responses is sometimes politicized. Further refinement and purification of the scientific-economic nexus has become appropriate, and this requires several steps in logic and reasoning beyond a mere listing of causes and policy responses, in other words, a prioritization of the cost-effective and reliable policy responses. Making the theory and study of climate change self-consistent and accurate is good, but insufficient, for revolutionary social change. Societies need to choose and fund the right technologies, or the optimal technologies (most feasible and effective) and to do this, all causes and trends related to extreme climate change, land use, and natural resource depletion must be openly debated. Nations and societies can, of course, delay and avoid many debates about international trends, and can do this for a long time, but not forever.

The kindle app installed on my Windows 10 computer cannot handle graphics of any kind, let alone mathematics.This is a book on a scientific matter, which is precisely what, it seems, Kindle cannot handle.The preview, which encouraged me to buy, showed graphics so I was expecting something similar. But no, a complete waste of time!It isn't as if the technology isn't available, a .PDF file would do the necessary job, no problem. But for this user the Kindle app is merely a pious hope that simply doesn't work.Returned immediately.