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Spencer R. Weart

Discovery of Global Warming, revised and expanded edition (New Histories of Science, Technology, and Medicine) Paperback – 14 Oct. 2008

by Weart (Author), Spencer R. (Author)

37 ratings

Part of: New Histories of Science, Technology, and Medicine (7 books)

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The award-winning book is now revised and expanded.

In 2001 an international panel of distinguished climate scientists announced that the world was warming at a rate without precedent during at least the last ten millennia, and that warming was caused by the buildup of greenhouse gases from human activity. The story of how scientists reached that conclusion―by way of unexpected twists and turns―was the story Spencer Weart told in The Discovery of Global Warming. Now he brings his award-winning account up to date, revised throughout to reflect the latest science and with a new conclusion that shows how the scientific consensus caught fire among the general world public, and how a new understanding of the human meaning of climate change spurred individuals and governments to action.

ISBN-10

067403189X
ISBN-13

978-0674031890
Edition

Revised and Expanded Ed
Publisher

Harvard University Press
Publication date

14 Oct. 2008
Language

English
Dimensions

13.97 x 1.91 x 20.96 cm
Print length

190 pages
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Product description

Review

Charting the evolution and confirmation of the theory [of global warming], Weart dissects the interwoven threads of research and reveals the political and societal subtexts that colored scientists' views and the public reception their work received.--Andrew C. Revkin "New York Times Book Review"

From the Back Cover

A Capricious Beast Ever since the days when he had trudged around fossil lake basins in Nevada for his doctoral thesis, Wally Broecker had been interested in sudden climate shifts. The reported sudden jumps of CO2 in Greenland ice cores stimulated him to put this interest into conjunction with his oceanographic interests. The result was a surprising and important calculation. The key was what Broecker later described as a "great conveyor belt'"of seawater carrying heat northward. . . . The energy carried to the neighborhood of Iceland was "staggering," Broecker realized, nearly a third as much as the Sun sheds upon the entire North Atlantic. If something were to shut down the conveyor, climate would change across much of the Northern Hemisphere... There was reason to believe a shutdown could happen swiftly. In many regions the consequences for climate would be spectacular. Broecker was foremost in taking this disagreeable news to the public. In 1987 he wrote that we had been treating the greenhouse effect as a 'cocktail hour curiosity, ' but now 'we must view it as a threat to human beings and wildlife.' The climate system was a capricious beast, he said, and we were poking it with a sharp stick.

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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harvard University Press; Revised and Expanded Ed edition (14 Oct. 2008)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 190 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 067403189X
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0674031890
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 13.97 x 1.91 x 20.96 cm

Best Sellers Rank: 493,992 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- 425 in Popular Science Weather
- 561 in Global Warming & Ecology
- 716 in Ecological Pollution

Customer reviews:
37 ratings

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Customer reviews

5 star		66%
4 star		25%
3 star		8%
2 star		2%
1 star 0% (0%)		0%

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Joseph Haughey

Insightful but feels longer than it is

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 6 December 2021

Verified Purchase

I found this book very insightful in that it provides a clear timeline of the discoveries made by the scientists involved and how they conducted their research in their respective fields but I also found it quite a slog to read.
The book itself is quite slim, maybe 200 or so pages but feels much longer as the writing isn't particularly engaging. I also felt like we never really understand whether the earth is going to cool down or heat up as the argument seems to flip flop the entire time, which I suppose is what the case was at the time, however I would have preferred a little more clarity as it became quite confusing for me (I'm not by any means a climate change expert). I think maybe a little end note to distinguish the differences to what they had discovered and thought based on their models or evidence etc. And what we know to be the case today may have been helpful for people like myself trying to learn a bit about climate change.
All in all it's nice to see the process of where it all started through to the present day, I will read more on the subject now that I've read this book.

Helpful

Margaret Steele

The recognition of climate change

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 6 February 2016

Verified Purchase

Very informative but you should also read 'The Invention of Nature.'

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 15 July 2011

Verified Purchase

I don't normally bother to write reviews but this little book was excellent. Would recommend it to anyone with an interest in learning more about climate change.

4 people found this helpful

Helpful

Rolf Dobelli

How scientists confirmed global warning

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 6 April 2009

Drawing from scientific discoveries in oceanography, meteorology, geochemistry, biology and astrophysics, author Spencer R. Weart draws you into the puzzle of climate change as it is unfolding through time. No one person had an "aha" moment and discovered global warming. Instead, today's understanding required an accumulation of theories from disparate areas of research, shaped by the rigors of the scientific method. These discoveries convinced most scientists that global warming is a serious phenomenon. Weart outlines the scientific process that led to today's climate diagnosis. He also relates lively stories about the people behind the discoveries. That may not be as immediately applicable, but getAbstract finds that it is illuminating and could help readers feel like insiders in this fight.

9 people found this helpful

Helpful

H. Sigurdarson

The Case for GCM's

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 24 September 2010

The Discovery of Global Warming by SR Weart is in many ways an interesting book, mainly because of the historical aspect of it. The author recounts the history of the theory of the CO2 greenhouse effect from Arrhenius to the present (2008). The history of the Anthropogenic Global Warming cause is told, such as the well known 1988 Senate hearings on Global Warming all the way to the IPCC. Before that we get to known other well known historical figures such as Al Gore's "mentor" Roger Revelle*.
Gradually, however, the main theme of the book takes over, namely the belief that General Circulation Models are accurate predictors of climate change. Weart is in no doubt that humans' use of fossil fuels is having adverse effects on the climate. His main argument for this is his obviously unshaken belief in the GCM's. This is one of the cornerstones of the case for Anthropogenic Global Warming and it is curious that after reading Weart's book one can't help but wonder why anyone would put so much faith in something as obviously flawed as the GCM's (even by Weart's own admission).
It is also perhaps telling that almost any controversy in the global warming debate, such as the now discredited Hockey Stick or Climategate is ignored and the one or two sceptics that do get a mention are brushed aside without much attempt to address their concerns.
Believers in AGW as well as sceptics will probably find this book fascinating from a historical perspective. As for the GCM's it probably all comes down to faith.

* Perhaps tellingly there is no mention of Revelle's grave doubts about the human effect on the climate which he for example expressed in a paper he jointly wrote with S. Fred Singer and Chauncey Starr.

3 people found this helpful

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