Confronting Climate Change: Risks, Implications and Responses - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0521421098 ISBN 13: 9780521421096

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 1992

Synopsis

Confronting Climate Change is a guide to the risks, dilemmas, and opportunities of the emerging political era, in which the impacts of a global warming could affect all regional, public and even individual decisions. Written by a renowned group of scientists, political analysts and economists, all with direct experience in climate change related deliberations, Confronting Climate Change is a survey of the best available answers to three vital questions: What do we know so far about the foreseeable dangers of climate change? How reliable is our knowledge? What are the most rewarding ways to respond? The book begins by exploring the key linkages and feedbacks that connect the risks of rapid climate change to other important environmental, economic and political problems of our time. Recognizing persistent uncertainties in the scientific understanding of climate change, the book draws attention to those areas of research which may reveal surprises which could change the sense of political urgency surrounding the climate problem - as did the discovery of the Antarctic ozone hole. It explores the geological record of climate change over the Earth's history, seeking a better understanding of how the climate has changed rapidly in countries while minimizing the long-term environmental damages which otherwise will result from continuing the current patterns of energy supply and use. The book is written to cross discipline boundaries, so that policy makers, economists, scientists, risk assessors, environmentalists and development advocates may understand each other's concerns. It shows how the international debate on managing the risks of rapid climate change may be re-shaped for the benfit of people in every nation on the planet.

About this title

From the Back Cover

Confronting Climate Change is a guide to the risks, dilemmas and opportunities of the emerging political era in which the impacts of a prospective global warming could affect all regional, public and even individual decisions.This book reviews some of the most important impacts of global climate change--including effects on sea-level, food production, internationally shared fresh water resources and weather related disasters--and analyses the potential effects of rapid climate change on geopolitical relationships.

Edition details

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 1992
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0521421098
• ISBN 13: 9780521421096
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 400
• Editor: Mintzer Irving M.