The Hot Topic: What We Can Do about Global Warming

by Gabrielle Walker, David A. King, David King

Book Overview

Last year, awareness about global warming reached a tipping point. Now one of the most dynamic writers and one of the most respected scientists in the field of climate change offer the first concise... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0156033186
• ISBN13: 9780156033183
• Release Date: April 2008
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.3" x 7.9"

Customer Reviews

A bit sketchy on the science.

This is one of those books you kind of have to stick with before it gets good. The book starts out with an overview of why global warming is an issue. While everything these scientists say about global warming is right on and referenced in the notes, some of the things they talk about are done in a but of a sketchy fashion. This is unfortunate because it could cause some who are predisposed to climate skepticism to criticize the conclusions. However, the second half of the book delves into the whole issue of what to do about global warming and this section is much better. Usually when scientists talk about what to do about global warming, they end up offering one or two throw-away ideas. In this case, the authors even-handedly cover all the angles, at least as much as they can be in a short book like this. They cover all of the different potential avenues that can be pursued politically and they give a brief rundown on the situation of many of the countries that emit a lot of greenhouse gases. They don't necessarily advocate any one solution over the other. So in this sense, the book is a good overview that isn't too slanted towards any one idea. Many skeptics love to oversimplify issues or make unfounded assertions about other countries and the economic impacts of attempts to fix global warming. This book puts a more balanced spin on the whole thing. I recommend this book with a few reservations. If you don't know much about global warming and you want to learn more, you are probably better off starting with another book. If you want a book that provokes some thought about the political side as it relates to the scientific side of global warming, you might enjoy this book.

Must-read

Apparently some people have criticized Al Gore's "an inconvenient truth" because it contained some (minor) scientific errors. But as a practicing scientist myself I would tend to say that this book is about as iron-clad as possible as to scientific research on climate change. If you have a sceptic in the family, or yourself have some scepticism because some data seem(ed) to contradict global warming (for example, CO2-levels rising AFTER rising temperatures in ice cores), this is THE book to find consistent explanations for the complex bundle of data and the most recent science possible. Unfortunately, the truth of climate change as it is described is not merely inconvenient. It is bad. Mass extinctions, famines and wars seem inevitably linked to "business as usual" scenarios. For people who do not think global warming will have serious consequences, or at least not in their lifetimes, this is a rather unsettling book. For those who DO believe in the reality of global warming, it is even more unsettling, as we may be setting all kinds of "positive feedbacks" in motion, such as methane release from the arctic which can bring an enormous amount of extra greenhouse gas into the atmosphere compared to which our industrial emissions over the last century seem paltry. If journalists ever said that you owed it to your children to watch Al Gore's movie, I'd say you owe it to your children (and quite likely and frighteningly, yourself) to read this book and give copies to your friends, company management and elected representatives. Then why four stars instead of five? The book has some minor inconveniences (for example, distributing various tips for better living throughout multiple chapters instead of having one checklist) and the website where the authors promise to post their updates does not seem to be functional. The lacking star is more of a call to the authors to not only have a important and well-researched message, but to do their utmost to bring the message even more strongly and more easily for people to act upon. For time, unfortunately, seems to be running out.

Decent bibliography, not enough *how*

It gets 4 stars because the bibliography is better than most open audience, non-fiction, persuasion books. In terms of actual content, I would give it 3. Perhaps the most valuable contribution Walker and King have made with this book is a publicly distributed extensive bibliography that consolidates a reference list on the topic of climate change. Regardless of the reader's opinion on this topic, one can read the book and cross reference to satisfy his or her own curiosity, as most data is cited. Whether the book is actually free of "spin" is in the eye of the beholder. It is a book for the public, so in order to sell it must have a certain dramatic element that keeps the reader interested. The authors avoid taking an _us vs. them_ approach which helps them appear objective rather than parochial in their writing. Rather than shaming and admonishing humanity with haughty reprimands, the book instead explains the problem in a fairly logical way and identifies things that a person might - on an individual level - to make a difference. Most of this is accomplished in the first 3rd of the book. And that is where the book stops and action by the reader starts. The middle section is somewhat less objective, and the last section of the book offers recommendations, assuming that the reader is open to them. Most of the recommended solutions are changes in habitual daily activity that can be easily handled without a drastic change in lifestyle. Other recommendations may be impractical - such as the recommendation to avoid air travel which is unavoidable for many working people. The solution to pay for carbon offsets is explained, but again offsets are not practical for everyone, and the authors completely ignore the possibility that offsets, unless thoroughly verified and reviewed, are not necessarily an equal trade solution. So the authors have done a good deed by potentially educating willing readers on how to make a difference on an individual basis, but it stops there. And this comes down to the main fault in this book: it motivates change via fear of climate change, and it speaks to individuals rather than industries, governments, and businesses. Therefore this book is no different than many other persuasion pieces on this topic, many of which have had less success. Since its focus is fear and its audience is individuals, its sphere of influence is limited. Since its readers are assumed to be agreeable, its sphere of influence is further shrunken. The middle of the book is sprinkled with bits of questionable facts, such as the contribution of agricultural methane (i.e., cow farts and burps) to the greenhouse effect. There is also a brief mention of the worry that contrails from airplanes contribute to cirrus cloud formation thus further extending the greenhouse effect. These examples hurt the argument rather than help it. This babble doesn't differentiate between "important" and "unimportant". Telling the reader to worry equally as much abou

good overview of research to date

Other that An Inconvenient Truth, not too much exists in the pop culture that describes global warming and its possible consequences in a way that is accessible for the general public to understand. More books need to "cross over" to increase public awareness and understanding about this pressing issue. This publication acts as bridge between the scientific community and concerned citizens who may just be interested in the topic. It is an easy read and is laid out in a straightforward manner. I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for basic facts about climate change and what humans can do to change the course. However, it may not be captivating for those that are not interested in the topic to begin with.

excellent primer for global warming..

to really understand the problem, and to really understand how one can make a difference and to really understand the forces at work that will prevent any solution this is an excellent primer. It reads in laymen terms so you don't get all boondoggled by the science. It lays out the facts clearly and concisely and examines all the alternate sources of energy and their drawbacks. The Kyoto protocol is examined and the USA's reasons for not ratifying it. A very detailed and interesting read. Maybe I'm just too cynical, maybe I don't have enough faith in mankind, maybe I'm just depressed about this whole global warming and the world we're leaving to our children but I think it might be better to get beyond the argument of global warming, is it? or is it not? are we responsible? or aren't we? maybe..we should move the questions to a higher plain, like what can we do to make sure mankind survives?