BOOKS ON GLOBAL WARMING

Straight Up   America's Fiercest Climate Blogger Takes on the Status Quo Media, Politicians, and Clean Energy Solutions (by Joseph J. Romm)

In Straight Up, physicist and climate expert Joseph J. Romm explain the dangers of and solutions to climate change---frank thoughts that you won't find in newspapers, in journals, or on TV. Romm shows how a 20% reduction in global emissions over the next quarter century could improve the economy; how we can replace most coal with alternative energy technologies; why Sarah Palin wears a polar bear pin; and why controversial, emerging technologies like biochar have to be part of the basket of solutions.

No Rain in the Amazon   (by Nikolas Kozloff)

How South America's Climate Change Affects the Entire Planet

Acting as the planet's air conditioner, the rainforest sucks up millions of tons of greenhouse gases and stores them safely out of the atmosphere. South America's deforestation threatens to unleash a kind of "carbon bomb" that will add to our already deteriorating climate difficulties. As he travels across Peru and Brazil, recognized South America expert Nikolas Kozloff talks to locals, scientists and activists about the rainforest and what should be done to avert its collapse.

The Biochar Debate   (by James Bruges)

Charcoal's Potential to Reverse Climate Change and Build Soil Fertility

Proponents say biochar---a fine-grained charcoal used as a soil supplement---has the promise to both to sequester carbon dioxide and improve farming outcomes. But critics say adding biochar to the various global carbon-credit trading schemes could have disastrous outcomes, threatening poor communities with displacement by foreign investors seeking to profit through seizure of cheap land. The Biochar Debate covers the essential issues, from the experimental and scientific aspects of biochar to fairness and efficiency in the global economy.

Down to the Wire   (by David W. Orr)

Confronting Climate Collapse

Down to the Wire describes how political negligence, an economy based on the insatiable consumption of trivial goods, and a disdain for the well-being of future generations have brought us to a tipping point. Due to our refusal to live within natural limits, we now face a long emergency of rising temperatures, rising sea-levels, and a host of other related problems that will increasingly undermine human civilization. Quick technological fixes or minor adjustments to the way we live will not save us. But this is not a doomsday book. Orr offers a wide range of pragmatic, far-reaching proposals for how we might reconnect public policy with rigorous science, bring our economy into alignment with ecological realities, and begin to regard ourselves as planetary trustees for future generations.

A Climate for Change   (by Katharine Hayhoe, Andrew Farley)

Global Warming Facts for Faith-Based Decisions

For all the talk about climate change, there's still a great deal of debate about what it all means, especially among Christians. A Climate for Change offers straightforward answers to these questions, without the spin. This book untangles the complex science and tackles many long-held misconceptions about global warming. Authored by a climate scientist and a pastor, the book boldly explores the role our Christian faith can play in guiding our opinions on this important global issue.

Time's Up!   (by Keith Farnish)

An Uncivilized Solution to a Global Crisis

People know that the climate is changing for the worse---that ice caps and glaciers are melting, oceans are acidifying, severe weather is more becoming common, species are going extinct, and human civilization itself may collapse in the distant future. They hear such reports over and over, but little is being done beyond changing light bulbs, recycling, and buying organic food. The culture of industrial civilization continues to dominate, prioritizing material wealth and cheap thrills above preservation of the biosphere. Time's Up! is about changing our behavior, arming us with tools to free ourselves from a culture that has blinded us for centuries.

Storms of My Grandchildren   The Truth About the Coming Climate Catastrophe and Our Last Chance to Save Humanity (by James Hansen)

In Storms of My Grandchildren, Dr. James Hansen—the leading US scientist on climate issues—says the planet is hurtling even more rapidly than previously acknowledged to a climatic point of no return. Although the threat of human-caused climate change is now widely recognized, politicians have failed to connect policy with the science, responding instead with ineffectual remedies dictated by special interests. In particular, he says the current cap-and-trade proposal, supported by both Obama and Gore, simply won't work. Among the solutions that will work, Hansen says we must phase out all coal.

Our Choice   (by Al Gore)

A Plan to Solve the Climate Crisis

Properly understood, the climate crisis is an unparalleled opportunity to finally and effectively address many persistent causes of suffering and misery that have long been neglected, and to transform the prospects of future generations, giving them a chance to live healthier, more prosperous lives. Our Choice gathers in one place all of the most effective solutions that are available now and that, together, will solve this crisis. It is meant to depoliticize the issue as much as possible and inspire readers to take action—not only on an individual basis but as participants in the political processes by which every country, and the world as a whole, makes the choice that now confronts us.

Climate Cover-Up   (by James Hoggan)

The Crusade to Deny Global Warming

Talk of global warming is nearly inescapable these days, but there are some who believe the concept of climate change is an elaborate hoax. Despite the clear input of the world's leading climate scientists, many Americans continue to ignore the warning signs of severe climate shifts. How did this happen? Climate Cover-Up seeks to answer this question, describing the pollsters and pundits who have crafted careful language to refute the findings of environmental scientists. Exploring the PR techniques, phony think tanks, and copious funding used to pervert scientific fact, this book serves to help climate skeptics understand how they've been hoodwinked.

Future Scenarios   (by David Holmgren)

How Communities Can Adapt to Peak Oil and Climate Change

Future Scenarios outlines four scenarios to imagine how particular peak oil and climate change strategies might thrive, fail, or be transformed. Two climate change futures (1–mild, 2–severe) are matrixed with two energy decline futures (a–slow, b–severe) to result in scenarios 1a, 1b, 2a, and 2b. In these four very different futures, solutions such as green technology and lifeboat communities are vetted for how well they might fare.

Climate Change: Picturing the Science   (G. Schmidt, J, Wolfe)

This work by NASA climate scientist Gavin Schmidt and photographer Joshua Wolfe illustrates as never before the ramifications of shifting climate. Photographic spreads show retreating glaciers, sinking villages in Alaska's tundra, and drying lakes. The text follows adventurous scientists through the ice caps at the poles to the coral reefs of the tropical seas, marshaling data spanning centuries and continents, with cutting-edge research and visual records.

Climate Change: The Point of No Return   (by Mojib Latif)

While there is no doubt, scientifically speaking, that climate change is happening and mankind is having an increasing influence on the climate, naysayers still abound. Mojib Latif addresses the common arguments of the skeptics and drafts scenarios of what the future might hold if we don't dedicate ourselves to living sustainably. The book neither casts gloom nor plays the issue down, eschewing a polemical stance to provide an objective description and evaluation of the facts of climate disruption, its consequences, and its solutions.

Carbon Shift   How the Twin Crises of Oil Depletion and Climate Change Will Define the Future  (by Thomas Homer-Dixon)

The twin crises of climate change and peaking oil production are converging on us. Thomas Homer-Dixon argues that the two problems are really one: a carbon problem. We depend on carbon energy to fuel our complex economies and societies, and at the same time this very carbon is changing our atmosphere in a manner that threatens to overheat the planet. Both challenges require one innovative solution: clean, low-carbon energy. Carbon Shift brings together six world-class experts to explore the geology, politics, and science of the predicament we find ourselves in.

Understanding Global Warming with Max Axiom, Super Scientist

For Children 9-12.  Using solid science and a graphic-novel format, readers follow the adventures of Max Axiom, teacher and super-cool super-scientist, as he explains the science behind global warming. Winner of the 2008 Teachers' Choice Award for Children's Books. (by Agniesezka Bizkup (author), Cynthia Martin/Bill Anderson (Illustrators) )

The North Pole Was Here

Puzzles and Perils at the Top of the World  (by Andrew Revkin)

For ages 11-14.  The sun never sets, the air is twenty degrees below zero, and the ice is moving at four hundred yards an hour. Welcome to the North Pole. In his quest to understand the pole, Andrew Revkin leads readers through the mysterious history of arctic exploration; follows oceanographers as they drill a hole through nine feet of ice to dive into waters below; peers into the mysteries of climate modeling; and shows how the fate of the North Pole will affect us all.

Who Says Kids Can't FIght Global Warming

For ages 9-12.  Inspired by actual events in the life of one of the authors, the book tells the story of a young boy and his friends who set out to help the boy's father with his new business and end up creating the most active club in their school, one that involves students from every class and creates an important solution for global warming and vehicle pollution. This children's book has been heralded as the kids' version of An Inconvenient Truth and topped the International Best Seller list in the Ecology and Environment categories. (by Patrick GB Harrison, Gail Bunny McLeod)

Global Warming Alert!   (by Richard Cheel)

For ages 9-12.  The Earth's average temperature is rising and scientists are studying the effects of this change with alarm. Sea levels around the world are changing, the number of severe storms and hurricanes each year is increasing, and the landscape is changing due to rapid desertification and crop loss. Written by an earth scientist, Global Warming Alert!  is a thoughtful look at how the way we live is affecting the planet.

This Is My Planet   The Kids' Guide to Global Warming

For ages 9-12.  Reports of global warming's catastrophic effects are everywhere: in newspapers, on the nightly news, even on movie screens. The subject can be so overwhelming that young people are often left with the thought, What can I possibly do? This Is My Planet  takes a comprehensive look at climate change and then gives young readers the tools they need to live their own lives more ecologically—and, ultimately, to improve the life of the planet. Although she doesn't shy away from the truth, Thornhill offers hope, showing where action can make a difference. (by Jan Thornhill)

The Down-to-Earth Guide To Global Warming

For ages 8 and up.  Irreverent and entertaining, The Down-to-Earth Guide To Global Warming is filled with facts about global warming and its disastrous consequences, loads of photos and illustrations, as well as suggestions for how kids can help combat global warming in their homes, schools, and communities. The book is designed to educate and empower, leaving readers with the knowledge they need to understand this problem and a sense of hope to inspire them into action. (by Laurie David, Cambria Gordon)

A Clean Sky   The Global Warming Story

For elementary-school-aged children.  This book tells the story of the global warming challenge, describing the possible dramatic changes to the earth's climate and laying out some of the things we all can do to meet the challenge; for instance, using altenative means of generating electricity. (by Robyn Friend, Judith Cohen (authors), David Katz (illustrator))

Snowy White World to Save

For elementary-school-aged children.  Global warming is melting the Arctic. Once the Arctic sea ice has vanished, the majestic polar bear, a magnificent creature who needs the sea ice to survive, will vanish too. The ice is home to the bears, as well as to their primary food source, the ringed seal. The bears feed, mate, travel, make dens, and give birth on the ice. Scientists are predicting that Arctic polar bears will be extinct within our lifetimes. Snowy White World to Save combines beautiful illustrations in washed tones with simple text to explain the situation in a manner appropriate for young children. (by Stephanie Lisa Tara (author), Alex Walton (illustrator))

Why Are the Ice Caps Melting?

The Dangers of Global Warming

For ages 4-8.
The earth is getting hotter, and not just in the summer.
The climate of your own hometown is changing.
But why is this happening, and can we stop it?
Read and find out!
(by Anne Rockwell (author), Paul Meisel (illustrator))

The Rough Guide to Climate Change   2nd Edition

The Rough Guide to Climate Change cuts a swath through scientific research and political debate to help readers discover how rising temperatures and sea levels, plus worsening extreme-weather patterns, are already affecting life around the world. The guide, written by climate scientist Robert Henson, avoids techno-overkill as it unravels how governments, scientists, and engineers plan to tackle the problem. The book also includes in-depth lifestyle tips about what you can do to help. "A small masterpiece of smart design and clear, compelling information... Shocking photos, eye-catching charts, and sparkling prose." -- Living On Earth

The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook

77 Essential Skills To Stop Climate Change   (by David de Rothschild)

For teens and 20-somethings.  The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook is the official companion volume to the Live Earth concerts of 2007. The book presents 77 essential skills for stopping climate change—and for living through it. The book offers equal parts factual information, practical advice, tongue-in-cheek suggestions, and ambitious ways to save the world, all presented with full-color instructional illustrations.
RELATED ITEM: Live Earth 2007 Concert DVD

Degrees That Matter   Climate Change and the University

For college students and affiliates.  Universities and colleges are in a unique position to take a leadership role on global warming. As communities, they can strategize and organize effective action. As laboratories for learning and centers of research, they can reduce their own emissions of greenhouse gases, educate students about global warming, and direct scholarly attention to issues related to climate change and energy. Degrees That Matter offers practical guidance for those who want to harness the power of universities and other institutions, and provides perspectives on how to motivate change and inspire action within complex organizations. (by Ann Rappaport, Sarah Hammond Creighton)

Adapting Buildings and Cities for Climate Change

A 21st Century Survival Guide   (by Sue Roaf, David Crichton, Fergus Nicol)

This fully revised edition of Adapting Buildings and Cities for Climate Change provides unique insights into how we can protect our buildings, cities, infrastructures, and lifestyles against risks associated with extreme weather and practical design guidelines. Architects, designers, and planners are presented with not only the problems but also solutions to issues like power and water supply needs. The book discusses use of materials, structures, site issues, and planning.

Clean Energy Common Sense   (by Frances Beinecke)

An American Call to Action on Global Climate Change

As America confronts global climate change, this documents the problem, sets forth solutions, and challenges each of us to do our part of embrace a clean and sustainable energy future. Today and in the years ahead. Doing so, she convincingly argues, will help put Americans back to work, reduce our reliance on foreign oil and create a healthier planet, for ourselves and for our children.

How to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint   (by Joanna Yarrow)

365 Simple Ways to Save Energy, Resources, and Money

This is the world citizen's guide to pushing back the advance of global warming. Whether the subject is recycling, dishwashing, combating vampire power, jet travel, or any of the 50 topic sections in How to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint, this colorful handbook offers 500 practical, easily achievable ideas that conserve energy, prevent pollution, and save money. Its surprising statistics and innovative graphics will inspire you to action and demonstrate that simple habits can lead to big results.

Climate Solutions: A Citizen's Guide

What Works, What Doesn't, and Why   (by Peter Barnes)

Climate models are predicting global temperature rises of 3 to 7 degrees Farenheit. NASA's top climate scientist, James Hansen, puts the problem succinctly, warning that such a temperature increase will "produce a different planet." If Hansen is right—and most scientists think he is—then every year lost is a year closer to the precipice. Author and entrepreneur Peter Barnes, drawing on hundreds of "how do we do this right" discussions, lays out what needs to be done—and why the climate crisis must be solved now. Foreword by Bill McKibben.

Farewell, My Subaru   An Epic Adventure in Local Living

Like many Americans, Doug Fine enjoys his creature comforts, but he also knows they keep him addicted to oil. So he wonders: Is it possible to keep his Netflix and his car, his Wi-Fi and his subwoofers, and still reduce his carbon footprint? Fine moves to a remote ranch in New Mexico, where he vows to grow his own food, use sunlight to power his world, and drive on used restaurant grease. Never mind that he’s never raised so much as a chicken or a bean, or that he has no mechanical or electrical skills. Fine's extraordinary undertaking makes one thing clear: It ain't easy being green. In fact, his journey uncovers a slew of surprising facts about alternative energy, organic and locally grown food, and climate change. (by Doug Fine)

Fight Global Warming Now

The Handbook for Taking Action in Your Community   (by Bill McKibben)

Evidence of accelerating planetary warming and crisis continues to accumulate: Arctic melting; the warmest East Coast winter in recorded history; NASA's top climate scientist warning that we have only ten years to reverse climate change; the British government reporting that the financial impact of global warming will be greater than the Great Depression and both world wars—combined. Fight Global Warming Now describes how to launch online grassroots campaigns, generate persuasive political pressure, plan high-profile events that will draw media attention, and other effective actions. This essential book offers the blueprint for a mighty new movement against the most urgent challenge facing us today.

Ignition   What You Can Do to Fight Global Warming and Spark a Movement

The evidence is irrefutable: global warming threatens our homes, health, and way of life. So why isn't America doing anything? Where is the national campaign to stop this catastrophe? Ignition brings together some of the world's finest thinkers and advocates to jump-start the ultimate green revolution. The authors have drawn on their direct experience in grassroots organizing, education, law, and social leadership to create an essential guide that answers the most important question we each face: "What can I do?" (Jonathan Isham, Sissel Waage - editors)

Heat   How to Stop the Planet From Burning

George Monbiot offers an ambitious program to avoid climate catastrophe—by cutting CO2 emissions by 90% by 2030. He supports his proposals with a rigorous investigation into what works, what doesn't, cost factors, and hurdles. He wages war on bad ideas as energetically as he promotes good ones. Monbiot's sense of urgency is genuine: "We are the last generation that can make this happen, and this is the last possible moment at which we can make it happen." (by George Monbiot)

The Suicidal Planet   How to Prevent Global Climate Catastrophe

Our lifestyles are pushing the planet its limits. Mayer Hillman explains the real issues: what role technology can play, how you and your community can make changes, and what governments must do now to protect our planet for future generations. Revised to include US global-warming facts and figures, The Suicidal Planet  takes us out of the problem and into the solution of our international crisis. (by Mayer Hillman, Tina Fawcett, Sudhir Chella Rajan)

How to Live a Low-Carbon Life

The Individuals Guide to Stopping Climate Change   (by Chris Goodall)

That climate change is happening is now all too clear. Many of us want to take action to reduce our carbon dioxide emissions. How to Live a Low-Carbon Life provides the first comprehensive, one-stop reference guide to calculating individual carbon emissions and it lays out clear plans for how individuals can reduce their emissions. Covering all aspects of modern life from transport to home heating to food sources and the vexing issue of vacations, the book provides easy-to-use tables for conducting a personal lifestyle carbon audit.

Safe Trip to Eden   (by David Steinman)

10 Steps to Save Planet Earth from the Global Warming Meltdown

In Safe Trip to Eden, David Steinman explores the link between environmentalism, conservatism, patriotism, and national security. He reveals how our over-reliance on petroleum-based products and chemical pesticides have negatively impacted our health and national security; then he offers steps we can all take help solve the problem by making better choices, from the food to household products to cars.

Low Carbon Diet   (by David Gershon)

A 30 Day Program to Lose 5000 Pounds

Looking for a fool-proof program to help you do your part to stop global warming? Go on a Low Carbon Diet! This "30 Day Program to Lose 5000 lbs" is a fun, accessible, easy to use guide that will show you, step-by-step, how to dramatically reduce your CO2 output in just a month's time.

Return on Sustainability   (by Kevin Wilhelm)

How Business Can Increase Profitability & Address Climate Change in an Uncertain Economy

Return on Sustainability articulates the business case for companies to stop global warming. It's a market-based call to action that addresses members of the business community in their own language, detailing how climate change impacts companies, and how they can turn this risk into an opportunity to improve profit, branding, and sustainability.

Climate Change: What's Your Business Strategy?

(from the Memo to the CEO series)   (by Andrew Hoffman, John Woody)

Increasingly, climate change is become a crucial business issue. How will you and your company respond? Drawing from their extensive experience working with organizations to address issues of environmental sustainability, the authors explain the impact of climate change on businesses and present a three-step process for developing an effective strategy that includes: determining your company's "carbon footprint"; understanding how changes in policies and markets can help you position your products and services; reducing your carbon footprint in ways that create new strategic advantages; and, for those not yet at the top, gaining a seat at the policy-development table so you can begin influencing policy decisions that will affect your company.

The Hot Topic

What We Can Do About Global Warming   (by Gabrielle Walker, David King)

Hot Topic is the first concise guide to both the problem of global warming and its solutions. Guiding us past a blizzard of information and misinformation, Gabrielle Walker and Sir David King explain the science of warming, the most cutting-edge technological solutions from small to large, and the national and international politics that will affect our efforts. Neither Walker nor King is an activist; they merely propose specific ideas to fix a very specific problem. Most important, they offer hope: This is a serious issue, perhaps the most serious that humanity has ever faced. But we can still do something about it.

Forty Signs of Rain   (by Kim Stanley Robinson, FICTION)

Forty Signs of Rain is a novel that features cutting-edge science, international politics, and the real-life ramifications of global warming as they are played out in our nation's capital—all told through the daily lives of those at the center of the action. Hauntingly realistic, the novel is set in the near future but inspired by scientific facts already making headlines. With style, wit, and rare insight into our past, present, and possible future, the novel propels us into a world on the verge of unprecedented change.

A Friend of the Earth   (by T.C. Boyle, FICTION)

REVIEW: Meet Ty Tierwater—20th-century environmentalist, 21st-century cynic—and follow his two stories: his exploits in today's world of ecological power struggles, and tomorrow's world of ecological disaster come to pass. Greens will appreciate Tierwater's pro-environment tirades and his lust for taking action; nay-sayers will nod their heads at the portrayal of Tierwater as lawless and often over-the-line. Everyone will appreciate T.C. Boyle's sharp wit and the vivid detail in this well-paced novel.

Global Scream   (by Adriaan Reinecke, FICTION)

Steven Forbes' closest friend, a meteorologist, dies violently after discovering strange, unnatural weather patterns near a small oceanic island, whose inhabitants are suffering from strange illnesses. In his effort to solve the mystery of his friend's death, he concludes that somebody is trying to control weather patterns through environmental modification for use as a tool to terrorize governments. Forbes rides a roller coaster of horrific events that threaten the demise of many people.

Earth: The Sequel   (by Fred Krupp, Miriam Horn)

The Race to Reinvent Energy and Stop Global Warming

The forecasts regarding climate disruption are grim, and time is running out for meaningful solutions to be implemented in time to have any effect. Fred Krupp, the longtime president of the eco-NGO Environmental Defense, says we can harness the great forces of capitalism to save the world from catastrophe. That seems like a bold proposition, given that it's the characteristics of corporate capitalism that are largely responsible for the looming problems in the first place. But in Earth: The Sequel , he explains his vision of how solving global warming can build the new industries, jobs, and fortunes of the 21st century.

Heatstroke   (by Anthony D. Barnosky)

Nature in an Age of Global Warming

In Heatstroke, renowned paleo-ecologist Anthony Barnosky shows how global warming is fundamentally changing the natural world and its creatures. Barnosky draws connections between what will happen in the coming centuries and what happened at the end of the last ice age, when mass extinctions swept the planet. The difference now is that climate change is faster and more dramatic than past changes, and for the first time humanity is driving it. No one knows exactly what nature will come to look like in this new age of global warming. But Heatstroke gives us a haunting portrait of what we stand to lose if we fail to act.

Can We Afford the Future?   (by Frank Ackerman)

The Economics of a Warming World

Frank Ackerman offers a refreshing look at the economics of climate change, explaining how the arbitrary assumptions of conventional theories get in the way of understanding the urgent problem of climate change. Ackerman makes an impassioned plea to construct a better economics, arguing that the solutions are affordable, the alternative is unthinkable, and massive investment in new, low carbon technologies and industries can be thought of as life insurance for the planet.. If we can't afford the future, what are we saving our money for?

Forecast   The Consequences of Climate Change, from the Amazon to the Arctic, from Darfur to Napa Valley (by Stephan Faris)

Italy has already experienced its first climate-change epidemic of a tropical disease, and malaria is gaining ground in Africa. The warming world will shift huge populations and potentially redraw political alliances around the globe. Increasing insurance rates are making the Gulf Coast and other gorgeous spots prohibitively expensive. Crops will fail in previously lush places and do better in some formerly barren zones, altering huge industries and remaking traditions. Water scarcity in India and Pakistan have the potential to inflame the ongoing conflict in Kashmir. Forecast is a powerful account of this most urgent issue and how it has altered and will alter our world.

Climate Wars   (by Gwynne Dyer)

Dwindling resources; massive population shifts; natural disasters; spreading epidemics; drought; rising sea levels; plummeting agricultural yields; crashing economies; political extremism—these are some of the expected consequences of runaway climate change in the decades ahead, and any of them could tip the world towards conflict. Based on exhaustive research and interviews, Climate Wars presents a terrifying glimpse of the none-too-distant future, when climate change will force the world's powers into a desperate struggle for advantage and even survival.

The Long Thaw   (by David Archer)

How Humans Are Changing the Next 100,000 Years of Earth's Climate

If you think that global warming merely means slightly hotter weather and a modest rise in sea levels, think again. The Long Thaw discusses how the human-driven planet-wide thaw has already begun and how our greenhouse gas habits may eventually cancel the next ice age and raise ocean levels by more than 150 feet. Archer shows how our fossil-fuel use is about to cause a climate storm that will last thousands of years—unless humans can find a way to cooperate as never before.

Cool Cuisine   (by Laura Stec)

Taking the Bite out of Global Warming

Cool Cuisine is a smorgasbord of scientific fact and culinary art, where the reader learns new ways to look at the climate crisis. It presents the full cycle of how our agrochemical food system affects global warming and how global warming affects the food system. It inspires personal life changes with in-depth research; simple tips on how to cook a global-cooling cuisine, including easy recipes; and a host of other positive-solution ideas such as hosting a "read and eat" tasting party.

Coming Clean   (by Michael Brune)

Breaking America's Addiction to Oil and Coal

Three quarters of Americans believe the US should be energy-independent and that the government should do more to help arrest climate change. Yet Congress and the White House take only tiny steps toward these goals, and large-scale investment in clean energy lags far behind the urgent demand. Michael Brune's vivid reports depict the economic, environmental, moral, and public-health costs of fossil-fuel dependence. Brune also describes the most promising developments in renewables, biofuels, and efficient design, and outlines an inspiring vision of the clean energy future within reach.

The Forgiving Air   (by Richard C. J. Somerville)

Understanding Environmental Change (Second Edition, 2008)

The Forgiving Air  is an authoritative handbook on global change. Written by a scientist for nonscientists, this primer humanizes the great environmental issues of our time—the hole in the ozone layer, the greenhouse effect, acid rain, and air pollution—and explains everything in accessible prose. This fully updated and revised edition takes into account the latest developments in climate research and policy. Highlighting the interrelatedness of human activity and global change, Somerville stresses the importance of an educated public in a world where the role of science is increasingly critical.

Dire Predictions

Understanding Global Warming   (by Michael E. Mann, Lee R. Kump)

Many have heard of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and know that it has been issuing the essential facts and figures on climate change for nearly two decades. But the hundreds of pages of compelling scientific evidence remain inscrutable to the general public, some of whom still question the validity of climate change. Dire Predictions presents the IPCC information in a more user-friendly way—with clear-cut graphic elements, striking images, and understandable analogies.

Green: Your Place in the New Energy Revolution
(by Jane Hoffman, Michael J. Hoffman)

Green explores the gamut of issues associated with renewable energy, cutting through the hype and polemics surrounding ecologically friendly technologies to present the unvarnished truth. It will guide the reader through the misinformation and confusion over global warming, and demonstrate the degree to which renewable energy can be part of the solution.

101 Funny Things About Global Warming

The effects of global climate change are surely coming. But what are we supposed to do between now and when lower Manhattan is13-feet below sea level? Well, acclaimed New Yorker cartoonist Sidney Harris and his cartoonist buddies suggest we have a few laughs about global warming and related issues. In 101 Funny Things About Global Warming, the funnies flow faster than the melt water on the Greenland ice sheet, taking on everything from unreliable Hybrid cars and pie-in-the-sky alternative energy sources to head-in-the-sand politicians and the existential crisis of our own biodegradable nature. (by Sidney Harris (and colleagues))

The Great Warming

Climate Change and the Rise and Fall of Civilizations   (by Brian Fagan)

A minor rise in the earth's surface temperature during the Middle Ages changed climates worldwide, providing benefits to some regions and problems for others. Negatively affected areas saw drought and famine and, in some cases, the collapse of elaborate societies. Anthropologist and historian Brian Fagan reveals how subtle changes in the environment had far-reaching effects on human life then and maps it forward to the coming warming period, suggesting that we are underestimating the power of climate change to disrupt our lives today, particularly our vulnerability to drought, which he labels "the silent elephant in the room."

Six Degrees   Our Future on a Hotter Planet   (by Mark Lynas)

Six Degrees aims to distill what environmental scientists portend about the consequences of human pollution for the next hundred years. As one proceeds up the temperature-increase scale; coral reefs and glaciers will be lost; the Amazon rainforest will collapse; Greenland's ice sheet will disappear, raising ocean levels and inundating coastal areas; deserts will descend on southern Africa and the midwestern United States. A 6-degree increase would eliminate most life on Earth, including much of humanity. Six Degrees is an eye-opening warning that humanity will ignore at its peril.

Earth Under Fire

How Global Warming Is Changing the World   (by Gary Braasch)

Photojournalist Gary Braasch journeyed the world to observe and document environmental changes resulting from the warming of our climate. In this stunning book, he brings us along to witness firsthand what he saw as he crossed the Antarctic and Arctic Circles, hiked at 15,000 feet in the Andes, dove on damaged coral reefs, and followed scientists into the field on four continents. In more than 100 photographs, including dramatic before-and-after comparisons, Braasch records communities, landscapes, and animals at risk because of receding glaciers, eroding coastlines, rising sea levels, and thawing permafrost. Earth Under Fire is the most complete illustrated guide to the effects of climate change available.

The Atlas of Climate Change

Mapping the World's Greatest Challenge   (by Kirstin Dow, Thomas Downing)

Global-warming-driven heat waves, droughts, and floods are bringing death to vulnerable populations, destroying livelihoods, and driving people from their homes. This book examines the causes of climate change and considers its possible impact on coastal megacities and subsistence-level populations; water resources; ecosystems and biodiversity; human health; and humanity's cultural treasures. With more than 50 full-color maps and graphics, this is an essential resource for policy makers, environmentalists, students, and everyone concerned with this pressing subject.

What We Know About Climate Change   (by Kerry Emanuel)

Kerry Emanuel's work documenting global-warming-driven increases in the intensity and power of hurricanes and flooding was widely cited in media coverage of Hurricane Katrina. In this book, Emanuel outlines the basic science of global warming, how the current scientific consensus has emerged, and how global warming skeptics and ill-informed elected officials have continued to dismiss this consensus.

Climate Change: What It Means for Us, Our Children, and Our Grandchildren   (by Joseph F. C. DiMento, Pamela M. Doughman (editors))

Most of us are familiar with the terms climate change and global warming, but not too many of us understand the science behind them. We don't really understand how climate change will affect us, and for that reason we might not consider it as pressing a concern as, say, housing prices or the quality of local education. This book explains the scientific knowledge about global climate change clearly and concisely in nontechnical language, describes how it will affect all of us, and suggests how government, business, and citizens can take action against it.

Storm World

Hurricanes, Politics, and The Battle Over Global Warming   (by Chris Mooney)

Storm World delves into the red-hot debate over "the weather": is the increasing ferocity of hurricanes connected to global warming? In the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, journalist and New Orleans native Chris Mooney traces how the media, special interests, politics, and the weather itself have skewed the scientific debate.

Urban Meltdown   (by Clive Doucet)

Cities, Climate Change and Politics as Usual

Eighty percent of the planet's greenhouse gases are created by our energy-intensive urban centers. Thus, the key to creating climate change solutions resides with cities. Doucet's central theme is that climate change is proceeding without an effective response, not for lack of knowledge, but because politicians who deviate from the car-based sprawl model cannot get elected. Urban Meltdown describes how we got here, why we got here, and what can be done about it.

With Speed and Violence   (by Fred Pearce)

Why Scientists Fear Tipping Points in Climate Change

Where once scientists were concerned about gradual climate change, more and more now fear abrupt change resulting from the triggering of hidden tipping points. With Speed and Violence covers phenomena such as the melting permafrost in Siberia, the huge meltwater systems beneath the icecaps of Greenland and Antarctica, the thermohaline (ocean) conveyor system—and explains what such things portend for our future.

Climate Crash   (by John D. Cox)

Abrupt Climate Change And What It Means For Our Future

Scientists are finding that layers extracted from cores drilled into ice sheets, sediments collected from sea shores, and growth rings exposed in ancient corals and trees all say the same thing—that climate shifts can be more sudden and troublesome than we'd ever thought possible. Find out what the triggers are and how likely the climate is to crash.

The Economics of Climate Change

The Stern Review   (by Nicholas Stern)

There is now clear scientific evidence that emissions from economic activity, particularly the burning of fossil fuels for energy, are causing changes to the earth's climate. A sound understanding of the economics of climate change is needed in order to underpin an effective global response to this challenge. The Stern Review—conducted by Sir Nicholas Stern, head of the UK Government Economic Service and a former Chief Economist at the World Bank—is an independent, rigorous, and comprehensive analysis of the economic aspects of this crucial issue.

Hell and High Water   (by Joseph Romm)

Global Warming—the Solution and the Politics—and What We Should Do

Joseph Romm asserts that global warming is the most serious issue facing the future of humankind and that US energy policy is driving the whole world down the path of global catastrophe. With Hell and High Water, Romm issues a wake-up call to the country, laying out a plan of action that includes reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 50%, adopting aggressive energy-efficiency measures, and embracing high-mileage, advanced vehicles that can run on both electricity and biofuels. Hell and High Water goes beyond ideological rhetoric to offer pragmatic solutions to avert a global warming disaster—solutions that must be taken seriously by every American.

Thin Ice   (by Mark Bowen)

Unlocking the Secrets of Climate in the World's Highest Mountains

Climatologist Lonnie Thompson has been risking his life on the highest, most remote mountain ice caps in search of clues to the history of climate change. Thompson collects ice cores that provide detailed information about climate history, reaching back 750,000 years. Scientist and expert climber Mark Bowen joined Thompson's crew on several expeditions, and in Thin Ice he takes the reader deep inside retreating glaciers to unravel the mysteries of climate—and the earth's probable future.

An Inconvenient Truth   (by Al Gore)

The Planetary Emergency of Global Warming and What We Can Do About It

This paperback companion to Al Gore's breatk-through movie of the same name provides an insightful look at the causes and effects of global warming. It also provides every day solutions we can use to slow the toll humans have upon this planet.

The Weather Makers   (by Tim Flannery)

How Man Is Changing the Climate and What It Means for Life on Earth

The Weather Makers is both an urgent warning and a call to arms, outlining the history of climate change, how it will unfold over the next century, and what we can do to prevent a cataclysmic future. Tim Flannery offers specific suggestions for action for both lawmakers and individuals, offering an action plan with steps each and every one of us can take right now to reduce deadly CO2 emissions by as much as 70%.

Field Notes from a Catastrophe   (by Elizabeth Kolbert)

Man, Nature, and Climate Change

In this book, New Yorker writer Elizabeth Kolbert tackles global warming from every aspect. She explains the science and the studies, unpacks the politics, draws frightening parallels to lost ancient civilizations, and presents the personal tales of those who are being affected most—the people who make their homes near the poles and, in an eerie foreshadowing, are watching their worlds disappear. Finally, she explores what, if anything, can be done to save our planet.

The Winds of Change   (by Eugene Linden)

Climate, Weather, and the Destruction of Civilizations

Climate nurtured the first civilizations and then repeatedly visited ruin on empires and peoples. Eugene Linden reveals a recurring pattern in which civilizations become prosperous and complacent during good weather, only to collapse when the climate changes—either through its direct effects, such as floods or drought, or from indirect consequences, such as disease, blight, and civil disorder. Linden also looks at the present to determine whether the killer is on the prowl again.

The Empty Tank   (by Jeremy K. Leggett)

Oil, Gas, Hot Air, and the Coming Global Financial Catastrophe

The inhabitants on planet earth are about to be caught between the twin hammers of peak oil and global warming, with coming global turmoil being the result. Leggett outlines the corporate/government cover-up that masks the problem, details the true status of our oil reserves, and proposes a new Manhattan Project for energy that can save us.

Boiling Point   How Politicians, Big Oil and Coal, Journalists and Activists Are Fueling the Climate Crisis—And What We Can Do to Avert Disaster

In "Boiling Point," journalist Ross Gelbspan argues that, unchecked, climate change will swamp every other issue facing us today. Institutional denial and delay has now grown into a crime against humanity. Gelbspan points the finger at not only the fossil fuel industry but also at media and environmental activists, who have unwittingly worsened the crisis. (by Ross Gelbspan)

Global Warming: Personal Solutions for a Healthy Planet

This book breaks through the jargon, offering readers both a clear description of the global warming problem and a practical guide to solutions, from decreasing reliance on automobiles to increased recycling to political activism. It offers hope that each of us can be doing something to solve the problem and encourages us to act—not only for ourselves, but for our children and grandchildren. (by Chris Spence)

The Discovery of Global Warming

How did we arrive at this important action point on global warming and what do we do about it? Weart explains the history of climate change investigations in detective-story format.
(by Spencer R. Weart)

You Can Prevent Global Warming (and Save Money!)

51 Easy Ways   (by Jeffrey Langholz, Kelly Turner)

Learn the benefits of compact fluorescent bulbs, energy-efficient refrigerators, cheaper heating and cooling techniques, smarter shopping, and more—all designed to save you money and reduce global warming and other environmental problems.

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