11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Balanced and rational, 1 Feb 2008
This review is from: The Hot Topic: How to Tackle Global Warming and Still Keep the Lights on (Paperback)
The Hot Topic is an exemplary piece of science writing. It spells out the issues clearly and rationally, and presents evidence and analysis of supporting research.
I hope this book will reach a wide audience, because it educates the reader by informing but not by invoking mass hysteria (as, unfortunately, some mainstream media seems to view as essential when discussing this topic).
My only criticism would be that the subject is obviously very complex, with a number of interdependencies between climatic effects (e.g. positive feedback loops). More graphical representation of all this would be helpful for the layman. I found myself needing to go back and re-read some sections to keep all the concepts in my mind, and a few more diagrams would probably make for a useful, and more rapid, reference. However, the format of the book would probably need to be larger, and glossier, to do that successfully, and I suspect the cost would go up accordingly. This book is something that needs to be read by as many as possible, so producing it cheaply is probably wise. It would be great to see it on the national curriculum as a science text book in future.
Let's hope that Gabrielle Walker and Sir David King write a follow up handbook, for those that wish to pursue the topics further. They've certainly done a great job with this book.
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8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
No Spin, No Hype, No Hidden Agendas! The Best Book on Global Warming Yet, 31 Jan 2008
This review is from: The Hot Topic: How to Tackle Global Warming and Still Keep the Lights on (Paperback)
Dr, Gabrielle Walker, one of the UK's best science writers (actually one of the UKs best writers full stop) and Sir David King, the government's top science advisor whose behind-the-scenes knowledge of international energy politics is second-to-none, strip away the hyperbole and hysteria coming from all sides of the Global Warming debate and lay out the facts, the politics behind the facts and what our options are and will be as things continue to heat up. If you want to understand, discuss or-- better yet-- argue about climate change "The Hot Topic" is an invaluable resource. It also happens to be a cracking good read.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
A good story well told, 28 Nov 2010
This review is from: The Hot Topic: How to Tackle Global Warming and Still Keep the Lights on (Paperback)
I found this to be a very informative book on the subject. It told the story easily and in an engaging way. I particularly liked the way in which it had references at the end of the book for further reading.
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