The Rough Guide to Climate Change (Rough Guides Reference Titles): Amazon.co.uk: Robert Henson: Books

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Product Description

The Sunday Telegraph, 18 February, 2007

A wonderfully accessible and instructive book in the `Rough Guide' series.

The Ecologist, March 2008

Concise, lucid and well-researched.

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Inside This Book (Learn More)

First Sentence
The phrases that describe climate in transition have a history of their own. Read the first page

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Customer Reviews

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4.6 out of 5 stars (7 customer reviews)

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23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Book on Subject, 21 Jan 2007

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Mr. R. J. Harrington-vail "Ray HV" (Isle of Wight) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Rough Guide to Climate Change (Rough Guides Reference Titles) (Paperback)

The Rough Guide to Climate Change is very good introduction to the most serious issues facing the human race. This book is science-based and succeeds in explaining the current situation with background information along with possible solutions. The guide looks at: visible symptoms of change from a warming planet; how global warming works; the evolution of our atmosphere over the last 4.5 billion years; what computer simulations of climate reveal about our past, present, and future; the sceptics: Who are they? What are their grounds for disagreeing with the crowd? Battle of the titans: the oil industry vs the global commons; global warming in the media: A review of the last few decades; global solutions: What governments and scientists are doing to try and solve the problem; and lots more. The guide also includes lifestyle advice and tips for consumers who want to make a difference in tomorrow's climate, and comes complete with a glossary of websites for further information. Written in an easy to understand way, by a scientist who has a deep knowledge of the subject and practices what he preaches - he is a keen cyclist and you will be surprised to learn is American.

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24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Rough Guide to Climate Change, 4 Dec 2006

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M. J. Polaine "MattP" (Cambridge, UK) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Rough Guide to Climate Change (Rough Guides Reference Titles) (Paperback)

This is my area of work within a very large corporation. Usually references in this topic are either of the too broad hug-the-planet type or too focussed technical analysis. This strikes a good middle ground. The sources are 'safe' and given, and where there is debate over causes of certain events this is given an airing in a balanced way. I wasn't expecting this to be up to much, being a Rough Guide. How could anyone write a rough guide on climate change? But Robert Henson has done just that. It is rough, but mostly there.

Bare in mind that for every page you read, there is a whole army of researchers in heated debate and analysis on the topic. It is a light overview OK for bedtime/train reading, but a very good introduction to the most serious issues facing the human race. Puts petty human conflict into perspective.

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18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Encyclopaedic, yet readable, 9 Mar 2007

By

Stephen A. Haines (Ottawa, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Rough Guide to Climate Change (Rough Guides Reference Titles) (Paperback)

It seems almost extravagant to publish yet another book on climate change. This one, however, bears the benefit of being almost extravagantly comprehensive. Henson has assembled a wealth of data, presenting it in a superbly organised and accessible account. Although the term "Rough Guide" might imply a superficial approach to the topic, this book is anything but that. In slightly over three hundred pages, the author covers the current conditions, the history leading up to those and what processes are in place to influence climate. He also deals with how the sciences investigating climate change work, and why we should pay attention to them.

His analysis of policies addressing climate change, in particular his descripton of the Kyoto Protocols, is unsurpassed. He even includes how the arts, well and poorly, have adopted climate themes into their productions. Although he recognises the failings of such films as "The Day After Tomorrow", he accepts their role in raising public consciousness. This enlarged awareness has been manifested in a website ClimatePrediction.net which uses idle computers to assess data used in modelling climate change. Henson's explanation of computer modelling is on a par with the rest of his presentation; clear and informative.

The author repeatedly stresses that while climate change is a global phenomenon, it is individuals who will make a difference in its onset and impact. Accordingly, his suggested solutions will bear close scrutiny. As well as Kyoto's broad view, Henson examines the alternatives or enhancements for their likely effectiveness. The recent initiative by The Asia-Pacific Partnership, based on voluntary controls and shared technologies, is covered, as is the Contraction and Convergence model. Most importantly, the author's coverage of personal changes in energy consumption and pollution reduction is very helpful. He makes clear that none of the steps requires drastic change in lifestyle nor the outlay of substantial funds. To this end he closes with a list of useful resources of information on all aspects of the topic. If there is a shortcoming in this book, it is the process used to save paper and money. The reduced size of the volume means packing all that information into a small space. The typeface is miniscule and the reading can be excruciating. Energy-saving lightbulbs in your house may lead to impaired vision from sifting through so much information. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars an essential basic
I recommend this book very highly as an excellent starting point on the subject. It's easy to read, very well researched and referenced, and rich in information. Read more

Published 19 months ago by Soledad