Rising Temperatures and Climate Change

Temperatures continue break new records every summer, owing to climate change. These books explore the many consequences of climate change.

Posted on June 20, 2024 in Hot Topic

The Anthroposcene of weather and climate: ethnographic contributions to the climate change debate, ed. by Paul Sillitoe. Berghahn Books, 2021. 354p bibl index ISBN 9781800732315, $145.00; ISBN 9781800732322 ebook, contact publisher for price.
Reviewed in CHOICE August 2022

Humans experience weather and climate for a specific place and time all at once. Why not treat it as a unitary subject? This collection attempts to do so, using an interdisciplinary approach to acknowledge how climate change affects every living thing on Earth in increasingly violent ways. Sillitoe (Durham Univ., UK) is mainly concerned with cross-fertilizing anthropology, ethnography, and some of the natural sciences. Although climate change extends far beyond those realms—given rising temperatures, rising seas, and increasingly violent hurricanes, it affects nearly every subject a student could investigate—this volume will help establish a foundation for more expansive cross-disciplinary endeavors in the future. Given the urgency of this topic, however, a more streamlined title would have helped draw in more readers. As it stands, the title is quite clunky. First, Anthropocene needs to be defined because the subject is still so new. A detailed explanation of how it describes the epoch in which human actions are now the most influential elements affecting Earth’s evolution, having dethroned nature, would have been helpful early on in the introduction. Still, this will make an excellent supplementary text in several fields. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty. —B. E. Johansen, emeritus, University of Nebraska at Omaha

Funk, Chris. Drought, flood, fire: how climate change contributes to catastrophes. Cambridge, 2021. 325p bibl index ISBN 9781108839877, $24.95; ISBN 9781108881159 ebook, $20.00.
Reviewed in CHOICE February 2022

Drought, flood, and fire provide many notable, recent illustrations of climate-related tragedy. In 14 engaging chapters, Funk (Univ. of California, Santa Barbara) effectively interweaves deeply personal stories with pertinent data, graphs, tables, and illustrations from around the world. His goal is to inform people living in at-risk areas so that they may better plan for the climate hazards in their future. Chapters 1–7 explain through personal and accessible narrative the Earth’s negentropic system of climate regulation. Readers learn how hurricanes and other storms can be magnified by climate change. Funk explains—in often poetic language—the basic physics of global warming and atmospheric circulation, describing how increasing the greenhouse gases in our atmosphere leads inexorably to warming. Climate models provide several scenarios for our future, only one of which involves keeping the rise in temperatures below 1.5 degrees C, the recognized upper limit to avoid catastrophe. Remaining chapters document the dire drought situation in East Africa due to La Niña, and personal experiences of fire in California and Australia. But there is still time to forestall disaster. Funk’s assertions and data presentations are backed up by requisite notes and references. An appendix provides chapter-by-chapter recommendations for further reading and research, featuring the published reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers. —M. Dickinson, formerly, Retired from Maine Maritime Academy

Goldstein, Natalie. Global warming. Facts On File, 2009. 340p ISBN 9780816067695, $45.00.
Reviewed in CHOICE March 2010

Given the recent downturn in the number of Americans who say there is solid evidence that global temperatures are rising (Pew Research Center, October 2009), this is a timely, important contribution to climate change literature. For this “first-stop” resource on global warming, freelance writer Goldstein brings together essential primary documents along with news and review sources. She examines and refutes the arguments of climate change skeptics; carefully distinguishes between climate change and climate variability; and considers social and political issues within a historical context that illuminates the challenges that this urgent problem poses. Students with little prior knowledge will gain an understanding of and appreciation for the complexity of ocean-atmosphere interactions; the dynamics of solar radiation, ice melt, and surface reflectivity; the persistence of greenhouse gases throughout the environment; and the myriad ways human activities contribute to rapid escalation of heat-trapping compounds in the atmosphere. The extensive annotated bibliography is organized by subject categories and by type of resource. The glossary, chronology of events and triggers of climate change, and listings of key players, organizations, and associations all make for an excellent review that teaches readers how to continue researching this pressing topic. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower- and upper-level undergraduates; general readers. —A. S. Ricker, Oberlin College

Hill, Tessa. At every depth: our growing knowledge of the changing oceans, by Tessa Hill and Eric Simons. Columbia, 2024. 280p bibl index ISBN 9780231199704, $32.95; ISBN 9780231553254 ebook, contact publisher for price.
Reviewed in CHOICE July 2024

An oceanographer and a science writer collaborate on this series of stories that focuses as much on humans as they do on the watery depths. The ocean is the “main character but it needs a voice,” and the stories come from scientists, Indigenous peoples, shellfish farmers, fisheries workers, coastal community members, and others who know the oceans best. The book is organized by different oceanic environments, from shallow bays and inlets to the dark, frigid Arctic and Southern Oceans. These are stories of observed and documented rapid changes: rising temperatures, increased acidification, degradation from pollution and overfishing, and the resulting disruption in species composition and worldwide abundance. Every chapter imparts astonishing new understanding of the impacts of human activity on ocean environments, once seen as infinitely vast and inscrutable. The authors hope that conveying these stories will alert readers to the need to slow climate change, decrease use of plastic and the fossil fuels used to produce them, and recognize that human health and environmental stability are directly dependent on healthy oceans. Well written, thoroughly researched and documented, this compilation would enhance any collection serving adult readers. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readership levels. —A. S. Ricker, formerly, Oberlin College

Pittock, A. Barrie. Climate change: turning up the heat. Earthscan Publications Ltd/CSIRO Publishing, 2006. 316p ISBN 1844073009 pbk, $35.00.
Reviewed in CHOICE November 2006

With an authoritative and sobering voice, Pittock has written a persuasive book that covers a broad spectrum of issues surrounding climate change and makes a strong case for urgent international action. He quickly and convincingly establishes the soundness of climate change science before examining the human dimensions of the issue. Chapters on impacts, mitigation, adaptation, and politics make up more than half the volume and provide a satisfying exposure to these issues. Important themes include risk management, differentiated responsibilities, and the importance of government actions. A substantial list of Web resources at the end of the book should allow interested readers to follow up on topics of interest, although the loose bibliographic style does not facilitate identifying sources for specific studies or quotes. Pittock writes with a global perspective honed by involvement in key international efforts, particularly the UN-associated Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Despite the seriousness of the issue, he presents a picture of hope that the international community can meet this challenge if it begins working in earnest and soon. Strongly recommended for those seeking a wide-ranging introduction to the topic of climate change and its human dimensions. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through professionals. —J. E. Cole, University of Arizona

Saravanan, R. The climate demon: past, present, and future of climate prediction. Cambridge, 2022. 350p bibl index ISBN 9781316510766, $79.99; ISBN 9781009018043 pbk, $39.99; ISBN 9781009040051 ebook, contact publisher for price.
Reviewed in CHOICE January 2023

This important book describes key aspects of the models climate scientists use to predict global climate changes—average temperatures, sea levels, and extreme weather events—in the context of such changing conditions as fluctuating levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide and other “greenhouse gases.” The text addresses the fundamental physical processes that drive climate change, the historical development of predictive models from the 19th century, their increasing complexity as additional physical processes were added to create more realistic simulations, and the increasingly detailed measurements of temperature and other variables requiring the most powerful computers available. Saravanan (atmospheric sciences, Texas A&M Univ.) clearly explains important concepts often conflated or misused in discussions of climate and climate change: the inherent over-simplification of scientific models, boundary conditions vs. initial conditions, use of parameters to account for “known unknowns” in models, scenarios vs. predictions, ways models that differ can nevertheless collectively provide greater assurance of key results, and, of course, weather vs. climate. These discussions shed needed light on public policy issues, scientific method, risk evaluation, and decision-making under uncertainty. This well-written, balanced text, accessible for readers with an extraordinary range of interests and expertise, will be useful to all and should be on the shelf in every academic library. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers. —D. Bantz, University of Alaska

Stone, Brian, Jr. The city and the coming climate: climate change in the places we live. Cambridge, 2012. 187p ISBN 9781107016712, $99.00; ISBN 9781107602588 pbk, $29.99.
Reviewed in CHOICE November 2012

This is a highly readable, informative book on many overlooked aspects of climate change that are perhaps more important to people and society than simply the steadily increasing concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere considered in most models of climate change. When it comes to people, as Stone (city and regional planning, Georgia Institute of Technology) discusses in this well-written volume, the urban heat island effect and land use changes associated with increasing population pressure should be high on everyone’s radar screens, but they are not. This book clearly presents information on the importance of these two underappreciated global warming components and demonstrates how they are dramatically changing the planet and its cities and their habitability. Particularly interesting are discussions of demonstrated techniques to decrease the smothering heat generated from cityscapes that can cause urban temperatures to be sometimes 10-15 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than surrounding undeveloped areas. Also of interest are discussions of how land use changes are dramatically, and negatively, changing precipitation patterns in both arid and tropical climates. This excellent volume does not simply reiterate what has been said many times before. Stone’s clear writing enables anyone to understand and appreciate the importance of these local to regional climate factors. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readership levels. —B. Ransom, University of California, San Diego

​Tye, Mari R. Impacts of future weather and climate extremes on United States infrastructure: assessing and prioritizing adaptation actions, by Mari R. Tye and Jason P. Giovannettone. American Society of Civil Engineers, 2021. 163p index ISBN 9780784415863 pbk, $80.00; ISBN 9780784483725 ebook, contact publisher for price.
Reviewed in CHOICE September 2022

This crucial report examines the scientific details of global climate change impacts on US infrastructure. The report was commissioned by the Subcommittee on Future Weather and Climate Extremes under the auspices of the American Society of Civil Engineers and its Committee on Adaptation to a Changing Climate. Chapter 1 introduces terminology, then proceeds to general background concerning various meteorological extremes, e.g., drought and high temperatures. Chapter 3 considers infrastructural impacts in five key areas: energy, transportation, water/wastewater, flooding, and navigation. Each examines current vulnerability and rapidly approaching future consequences in light of increasingly extreme weather events and rapid environmental changes. An important feature is the highlighting of interdependencies among different infrastructural components, as shown by their respective reliance on the expected functionality of all other parts of the system to operate well. Final chapters offer possible considerations for prioritization and suggestions for further research. This text is nicely populated with supporting graphs and maps; the index is very helpful, and each chapter includes an extensive list of references. The report will be an important addition, and especially useful as an e-book reference, for any library actively collecting in the areas of civil engineering, urban planning and policy, environmental sustainability, and climate change. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers. —W. Weston, San Diego State University

Tziperman, Eli. Global warming science: a quantitative introduction to climate change and its consequences. Princeton, 2022. 336p bibl index ISBN 9780691228792, $49.95; ISBN 9780691228815 ebook, contact publisher for price.

This 14-chapter volume provides a broad, quantitative introduction to the science of climate change, including discussion of its consequences. The book is designed for use as a course text yet could certainly be employed in a “self-taught” approach. Each chapter includes a final “Workshop” section in which readers can use online datasets to perform their own directed analysis using Python workbooks. The required materials are available, gratis, at an accompanying website. Although Tziperman (Weizmann Institute of Science) states that the book is aimed at non-science-major undergraduates, the mathematics will probably challenge many such students. Lengthy algebraic equations occur throughout, with occasional forays into calculus and matrices. Both basic and pragmatic topics are covered, including increased temperatures and sea levels, ocean acidification and circulation, clouds, hurricanes, sea and land ice, droughts, heat waves, and forest fires. The production quality is excellent: color figures are included throughout, and the text is clearly written. The index and footnotes are also notable. In sum, this book and its associated materials provide an excellent pathway for developing a rigorous understanding of the challenges that human society is likely to face in coming decades. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates. Graduate students and faculty. General readers. —I. D. Sasowsky, University of Akron

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