Robert Henson (1) (1960–)

This is a well organized and very broad view of the different changes that will take place in the future as our atmosphere chemistry changes due to human-industrial processes. The best nuggets were the piece on how measurement-taking started and the development of models.

The temperature island effect in high altitude areas was also something I hadn't known of before. As temperature rises around peaks, animals and plants will be trapped at higher and higher altitude with nowhere to go.

Worth a read, but probably better to skim. I agree that there were too many asides -- long asides.… (más)

The Rough Guide to Climate Change is an authoritative and up-to-date guide to the most serious issue now facing our planet. Drawing on the latest scientific evidence, it presents a comprehensive analysis of the causes of global climate change, the diverse symptoms of the phenomenon, the political issues, and the range of solutions available.

The author Robert Henson is eminently well - qualified to write such a book. He is a science journalist and meteorologist associated with the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Colorado, and the author of three books on weather and climate. He has written many articles for scientific journals and magazines, is an editor of the magazine “Weatherwise” and also a frequent contributor to radio programs on weather.

The present work is actually the third edition of The Rough Guide to Climate Change; previous editions were published in 2006 and 2008. The book has expanded somewhat over the years (from 352 to 416 pages), reflecting the growth in our understanding of the nature and causes of climate change. In comparison to the first edition, the current edition also includes an expanded section on “What you can do” and a much more extensive section on resources (books and websites) for further information.

The book is organized clearly into five sections. Part 1 covers “The basics” – what global warming and climate change are, why they are of concern, and what is causing them. Part 2 considers “Symptoms” such as heat, floods, droughts, ice melting, and effects on oceans, hurricanes, and on ecosystems and agriculture. Part 3 explores the science – how we know what we know about climate change. Those who seek to deny the phenomenon for political gain would do well to read it. Part 4 is entitled “Debates and Solutions” and considers the political controversies, as well as potential political and technological solutions. (I confess that the author is more optimistic than I about the prospects for amelioration – but that attribute is one of his qualifications, since we need all the positive thinking we can get if we are to weather this crisis). Part 5 addresses the reader with a section called “What you can do”, and Part 6 offers an extensive list of books and websites for further exploration.

The book is filled with illustrations to aid the reader's understanding. These include color photographs, well- rendered diagrams, graphs, charts, and text boxes devoted to particular phenomena, issues, and aspects.

Rough Guides are well – known as comprehensive surveys of their subject material, and this work meets the high standards of the book series. I strongly recommend The Rough Guide to Climate Change, as a detailed but readable introduction to the issues of climate change and the daunting and dangerous prospects it presents to our species and our planet.… (más)