Here’s a great little guide to climate change
December 10th, 2008 by cdunaganI can’t believe I’ve taken this long to review “Understanding and Responding to Climate Change,” a great little pamphlet from the National Academy of Sciences and its affiliates.
National Academies
booklet
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This 24-page booklet, released in May, is perfect for people who would like to know more about the science of climate change without first getting a degree in climatology.
It discusses the natural and man-made factors that contribute to climate change and why researchers believe that humans are having a major impact. There are sections on uncertainty and the difficulty of creating accurate computer models. The authors also talk about what people can do and why change is so difficult.
You can download the publication from the National Academies Web site, (PDF 3.3 mb) but you may want to have printed copies for yourself and others you know. You can order copies directly from the Web for free.
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December 12th, 2008 at 10:26 pm
Wow! That is one of the best primers on a complicated subject that I have ever read. It should be in contention for a major award.
Not only does it give the possible scope of the problem, but also the possible shortcomings involved in predictions and hope for bettering those predictions. Extremely well presented IMO!
Without grasping what it presents, it is much more difficult to distinguish between the problems created by Chicken Littles and the problems with an over abundance of acorns falling from the trees.
Anyone that passes this up, doesn’t really want to understand the ramifications of climate change, whatever they may be.
Thank you Christopher. I’m embarrassed I didn’t see this a few months ago.
December 15th, 2008 at 7:44 am
Also a good primer web site is at http://www.climateark.org/overview/.
The specific report for the Governor, done by the UW is found at
http://cses.washington.edu/cig/outreach/files/psat1005.shtml
This report has good information for Puget Sound specific issues, and was done by very highly respected players in the UW environmental schools.
December 15th, 2008 at 11:53 am
8string,
Thanks for the links. I did think both may have had more bias in their presentations and thus less credibility. That is not to dispute what they presented, but concern about what may have been left out by the writers. The extreme environmentalists have made me very dubious.
That is somewhat unfortunate, but for me it just means I have to delve deeper to grasp a good perspective of the situation. I’d rather have my foundations in pure science than dogma and political influences.
No wonder my parents gave me the name ‘Thomas’.
Thanks again to both you and Christopher.