Climate Change Revised Edition - (Groundwork Guides) 2nd Edition by Shelley Tanaka (Paperback)

About the Book

There is no longer any question that the planet is warming, and that this warming is caused by human activity. Shrinking glaciers and melting permafrost, erratic weather patterns and threatened water supplies are already affecting the lives of people around the globe.
Climate change has been called the single greatest threat confronting societies today. The crisis is real, but there is little consensus about how to confront the problem, because the science is complex, the economic, political and social implications of taking action are far reaching, and the scope of the problem is vast.
"Climate Change -- A Groundwork Guide" addresses the main questions. What is happening, and how did we get here? What is the basic science behind climate change? What is going to happen in the future? Why is it so hard for us to accept what is going on, and what can we do about it?
Perhaps most important, this book acknowledges that the issue involves much more than agreeing on the underlying science. Climate change is an emotionally charged political and philosophical issue as well. It affects how governments and industry form policy, the choices we all make in our daily lives, how we look at the rest of the world, and what kind of world we want to leave to future generations. And it is an issue of particular importance to young adults, because long after our current leaders are dead and gone, it is young people who will be left to deal with the consequences bequeathed to them by today's policy-makers.
Charts, maps, glossary, index and suggestions for further reading accompany the text.
"The Groundwork Guides provide an overview of key contemporary political and social issues. Engaging, concise and clearly written, these books tackle pressing and sometimes controversial topics, offering both a lively introduction to the subject and a strong point of view."

Book Synopsis

Revised and updated edition

Scientists have been warning the world about global warming for almost three decades. But the rest of us are only now starting to get the message. The planet is warming at an unusually rapid rate, and this warming is largely being caused by human activity. Shrinking glaciers, thawing permafrost, erratic weather and threatened freshwater supplies are already affecting the lives of people around the globe, and the worst is yet to come.

The crisis is real, but there is little consensus about how to confront the problem, not only because the science is complex, but because the economic, political and social implications of taking action are vast, far-reaching and unsettling. And despite the urgency, climate change deniers seem to be more vocal than ever.

This revised and updated edition includes the most recent scientific findings while addressing the main issues. What is happening, and how did we get here? What is the basic science behind climate change? What is going to happen in the future? And, most important, why is it so hard for us to accept what is going on, and what can we do about it?

Charts, maps, a glossary, an index and suggestions for further reading accompany the text.

Review Quotes

A Booklist Top 10 Youth Series - Nonfiction, 2007

A Maine State Library Cream of the Crop List, 2007

A Booklist Top 5 Series Title on Global Warming, 2007

A CCBC Our Choice (Starred Selection), 2007

If a library can only afford one book on the subject, this title in the Groundwork Guides series is a terrific choice. With its small trim size and Tanaka's concise and lucid prose, this provides an excellent overview of what is happening and why, and what needs to be done on an individual and global scale. Includes source notes as well as a glossary and further reading list. --Booklist

The authors express strong viewpoints that are sure to jolt readers into ready agreement or opposition ... These concise, straightforward titles are important additions to all collections. --School Library Journal

Each of the four well-written and engaging books in this valuable series provides a foundation for understanding an important subject relevant to current world stability and peace. --Library Media Connection

"Tanaka considers the impact of global warming on the planet today and persuasively argues that the worst is yet to come. Maps and fact boxes break up the text in this compact, highly readable book."
-- School Library Journal

About the Author

Shelley Tanaka is an award-winning author, editor and translator.