Coming Climate Crisis?

Consider the Past, Beware the Big Fix

Claire L. Parkinson (Autor)

Buch | Softcover

432 Seiten

2012
Rowman & Littlefield (Verlag)
978-1-4422-1326-5 (ISBN)

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Decisively cutting through the hyperbole on both sides of the debate, distinguished NASA climatologist Claire L. Parkinson brings much-needed balance and perspective to the highly contentious issue of climate change. Offering a deeply knowledgeable overview of global conditions past and present, the author lays out a compelling argument that our understandings and models are inadequate for confident predictions of the intended and unintended consequences of various projects now under consideration to modify future climate. In one compact volume, Parkinson presents a coherent synopsis of the 4.6-billion-year history of climate change on planet Earth—both before and after humans became a significant factor—and explores current concerns regarding continued global warming and its possible consequences. She ranges over the massive geoengineering schemes being proposed and why we need to be cautious about them, the limitations of current global climate models and projections, the key arguments made by those skeptical of the mainstream views, and the realistic ways we can lessen destructive human impacts on our planet. While discussing all of these polarizing topics, the author consistently shows respect for the views of alarmists, skeptics, and the vast majority of people whose positions lie somewhere between those two extremes. The book clarifies some of the most contentious points in the climate debate, and in the process treats us to a fascinating discussion interweaving Earth history, science, the history of science, and human nature. Readers will be rewarded with a genuine understanding of a complex issue that could be among the most important facing humankind in the coming decades.

Claire L. Parkinson is a senior fellow and climatologist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, where she has worked for more than 30 years. An award-winning scientist, she is especially well known for her research on polar sea ice and its connections to the broader climate system, which is complemented by her role as Project Scientist for the Aqua satellite mission. She is the author of several books, including Earth from Above: Using Color-Coded Satellite Images to Examine the Global Environment and Our Changing Planet: The View from Space. She lives in the Washington, DC, area.

Part I: The Earth System and Its Ever-Changing Nature
Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2: 4.6 Billion Years of Global Change
Chapter 3: Abrupt Climate Change
Part II: The Human Factor
Chapter 4: A Short History of Human Impacts
Chapter 5: The Future: Why Some People Are So Concerned while Others Aren't
Part III: Good Intentions and Geoengineering
Chapter 6: Good Intentions Gone Awry
Chapter 7: Geoengineering Schemes
Chapter 8: The Record on Smaller-Scale Attempted Modifications
Part IV: Further Cautionary Considerations
Chapter 9: The Possible Fallibility of Even a Strong Consensus
Chapter 10: The Unknown Future: Model Limitations
Chapter 11: Compounding Social Pressures
Part V: Avoiding Paralysis despite Uncertainty
Chapter 12: What Are the Alternatives?
Chapter 13: Closing Plea

Erscheint lt. Verlag	8.5.2012
Reihe/Serie	Why of Where
Verlagsort	Lanham, MD
Sprache	englisch
Maße	142 x 221 mm
Gewicht	522 g
Themenwelt	Naturwissenschaften ► Biologie ► Ökologie / Naturschutz
	Naturwissenschaften ► Geowissenschaften ► Meteorologie / Klimatologie
	Sozialwissenschaften ► Politik / Verwaltung ► Staat / Verwaltung
ISBN-10	1-4422-1326-4 / 1442213264
ISBN-13	978-1-4422-1326-5 / 9781442213265
Zustand	Neuware