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LEADER 00000cam a2200277 a 4500
001 u45958
003 SIRSI
008 180910s2016 xxua b 001 0 eng d
020 9780190250171
020 9780190250188 (hardcover : acid-free paper)
050 00 RA793 |bR66 2016
100 1 Romm, Joseph J
245 10 Climate change : |bwhat everyone needs to know /|cJoseph
Romm.
260 Oxford ;|aNew York :|bOxford University Press,|c2016
300 xxv, 302 p :|bill, maps ;|c22 cm.
490 What everyone needs to know
504 Includes bibliographical references and index.
505 Machine generated contents note: -- ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS --
PREFACE: Why You Need To Know About Climate Change -- I.
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 vs. natural causes? -- How certain are climate
scientists that humans are the primary cause of recent
warning? -- 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, which 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 it is
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? -- II. Extreme Weather and Climate Change
-- What is the difference between weather and climate? --
Which extreme weather events are being made worse by
climate change, and which are not? -- What is the role of
natural climatic variation, such as the El Niño-La Niña
cycle, in extreme weather? -- Did climate change cause
hurricane Sandy (and why is that the wrong question to
ask)? -- How does climate change affect heat waves? -- How
does climate change affect droughts? -- How does climate
change affect wildfires? -- How does climate change affect
the chances of deluges or severe precipitation? -- Does
climate change mean more snow or less, worse snow storms
or weaker ones? -- How does climate change affect storm
surge? -- Is climate change making hurricanes more
destructive? -- What is Arctic amplification? -- Is Arctic
amplification affecting extreme weather in the northern
hemisphere? -- Is climate change affecting tornado
formation? -- In a warming world, why do some winters
still seem unusually severe? -- III. Projected Climate
Impacts -- What kind of impacts can we expect this century
from business-as-usual climate change? -- What are the
biggest sources of uncertainty in projecting future global
warming? What do previous hot periods in Earth's climate
tell us about what the future may hold in store? -- How
could the thawing permafrost speed up global warming
beyond what climate models have projected? -- How could an
increase in wildfires speed up global warming beyond what
climate models have projected? -- What are some other key
positive or amplifying feedbacks affecting the climate
system? -- What will the impacts of sea level rise be? --
How will climate change lead to more destructive
superstorms this century? -- What kind of droughts can we
expect this century? -- What are the expected health
impacts of climate change? -- How does global warming
affect human productivity? -- Does carbon dioxide at
exposure levels expected this century have any direct
impacts on human health or cognition? -- What is ocean
acidification and why does it matter to sea life? -- What
is biodiversity, and how will climate change impact it? --
How will climate change affect the agricultural sector and
our ability to feed the world's growing population? -- How
is climate change a threat to national, regional, and
global security threat? -- What is the plausible best-case
scenario for climate change this century? -- What is the
plausible worst-case scenario for climate change this
century? -- What do scientists mean by "irreversible
impacts" and why are they such a concern with climate
change? -- IV. Avoiding The Worst Impacts -- What is the
biggest source of confusion about what humanity needs to
do to avoid the worst climate impacts? -- What is the
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change? --
Why did scientists and governments decide 2°C (3.6°F)
was the limit beyond which climate change becomes
"dangerous" to humanity? -- What kind of greenhouse gas
emissions reductions are needed to achieve a 2C target? --
What would the economic cost of meeting the 2C target be?
-- What happens if we miss the 2C target? -- Can we adapt
to human-caused climate change? -- What is geo-engineering
and can it play a major role in reducing the impact of
climate change? -- V. Climate Politics and Policies --
What climate policies are governments around the world
using to fight climate change? -- What is a carbon tax? --
What are cap-and-trade and carbon trading? -- What is
China doing to restrict carbon dioxide emissions? -- What
is the United States doing to restrict carbon dioxide
emissions? -- How do different political parties view
climate science and policies in the United States and
around the world? -- Is there are a large-scale effort to
spread misinformation on climate science and if so, who
funds it? -- What are climate science deniers? -- VI. The
Role of Clean Energy -- What kind of changes in our energy
system would a 2C target require? -- What is energy
efficiency and what role will it play? -- Will nuclear
power be a major factor in the effort to minimize climate
change? -- What role does natural gas have in the right
transition to a 2C world? -- How much can solar power
contribute to averting dangerous climate change? -- How
big a role will windpower play in averting dangerous
climate change? -- What is carbon capture and storage (aka
carbon sequestration) and what role can it play? -- What
is bio-energy and what is its role in cutting carbon
pollution? -- What other carbon-free forms of energy can
contribute to cutting greenhouse gas emissions? -- How can
we reduce carbon dioxide emissions in the transportation
sector? -- What challenges have limited the marketplace
success of alternative fuels and alternative fuel vehicles
to date? -- What role can electric vehicles play? -- What
are hydrogen fuel cells and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles? -
- What are the challenges facing hydrogen fuel cell
vehicles as a climate solution? -- What role can energy
storage play in the clean energy transition? -- What can
the agricultural and livestock sector do to minimize
climate change -- What is energy conservation and what
role can it play? -- VII. Climate Change and You -- How
will climate change impact you and your family in the
coming decades? -- How might climate change affect the
future price of coastal property? -- How might climate
change affect decisions about where to live and retire in
the coming decades? -- What should students study today if
they want to prepare themselves for working in a globally
warmed world? -- Should climate change affect how you
invest for the future? -- How can you reduce your carbon
footprint? -- What role can dietary changes play in
reducing your carbon footprint? -- What is the best way to
talk to someone who does not accept the growing body of
evidence on climate science? -- PRIMARY SOURCES --
ENDNOTES -- INDEX.
520 0 "Climate change will have a bigger impact on humanity than
the Internet has had. The last decade's spate of
superstorms, wildfires, heat waves, and droughts has
accelerated the public discourse on this topic and lent
credence to climatologist Lonnie Thomson's 2010 statement
that climate change "represents a clear and present danger
to civilization." In June 2015, the Pope declared that
action on climate change is a moral issue. 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 entry in the What Everyone Needs to Know
series 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? · 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.
Here is what you need to know"
520 "Everyone needs to understand how climate change will
directly affect their lives and the lives of their family
in the years to come. This is the first general audience
book aimed at giving you and your family the knowledge you
need to know to navigate your future"
650 0 Climatic changes |xHealth aspects
650 0 Climatic changes |xEconomic aspects
650 0 Human beings |xEffect of climate on
650 0 Global warming
