Storm Warnings: Climate Change and Extreme Weather

Hurricanes. Blizzards. Flooding. Drought. If extreme events like these seem to be on the rise, it’s for apparent reason. The first three-quarters of 2012 brought the worst European winter in 25 years; massive flooding in Australia, Brazil and China; a deepening drought affecting over 50% of the US; and Hurricane Sandy inflicted massive damage on the Northeast US. The likelihood of these extreme weather events are increasingly being tied to anthropogenic—or manmade, mostly through overproduction of carbon dioxide—global warming. It’s no longer an abstract idea; it’s being felt locally, on every level.
This eBook, Storm Warnings: Climate Change and Extreme Weather, gives you the tools to better understand what’s behind climate change, what might be in store during the coming decades and how we can begin to reverse the detrimental effects mankind has had on the atmosphere. The first half of the book focuses on those unprecedented weather events and the science behind them, from the devastation of Hurricane Sandy to the collapse of glacial ice shelves in the Antarctic. Chapter 5 delves into greenhouse gas emissions and their effect on global warming, including an excellent piece by leading expert James Hansen, who exposes the main culprits of climate change. The last chapters focus on addressing and reducing the problems of climate change at both the public policy and local levels. In particular, Scientific American Editor David Biello lays out 10 solutions that include small changes we all can make in our daily lives—practical, but effective, consumer choices that add up. It might be a drop in the bucket, but every drop counts.