The Cartoon Introduction to Climate Change - Softcover

Bauman, Yoram; Klein, Grady

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1610914384 ISBN 13: 9781610914383

Publisher: Island Press, 2014

Synopsis

Climate change is no laughing matter, but maybe it should be. The topic is so critical that everyone, from students to policy-makers to voters, needs a quick and easy guide to the basics. The Cartoon Introduction to Climate Change entertains as it educates, delivering a unique and enjoyable presentation of mind-blowing facts and critical concepts. "Stand-up economist" Yoram Bauman and award-winning illustrator Grady Klein have created the funniest overview of climate science, predictions, and policy that you'll ever read. You'll giggle, but you'll also learn, about everything from Milankovitch cycles to carbon taxes. If those subjects sound daunting, consider that Bauman and Klein have already written two enormously successful cartoon guides to economics, making the notoriously dismal science accessible to countless readers. If economics can be funny, then climate science can be a riot. The Cartoon Introduction to Climate Change takes the intimidation and gloom out of one of the most complex and hotly debated challenges of our time.

About this title

About the Author

Yoram Bauman performs regularly at colleges and corporate events. He has appeared in TIME Magazine and on PBS and NPR, and is the co-author of the two-volume Cartoon Introduction to Economics, which is now available in Chinese, German, Italian, and other languages. He is a carbon tax Fellow at Sightline Institute, where he co-authored Tax Shift with Alan Durning. Grady Klein is a cartoonist, animator, and graphic designer. He is the co-author with Yoram Bauman of The Cartoon Introduction to Economics, Volumes One and Two; the co-author with Alan Dabney of The Cartoon Introduction to Statistics; and the creator of "The Lost Colony" series of graphic novels.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

The Cartoon Introduction to Climate Change

By Grady Klein, Yoran Mauman

ISLAND PRESS

Copyright © 2014 Grady Klein Yoran Mauman
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-61091-438-3

Contents

PART ONE OBSERVATIONS, 
1. INTRODUCTION, p.3, 
2. A BRIEF HISTORY OF PLANET EARTH, p.15, 
3. THE ICE AGES, p.27, 
4. CARBON DIOXIDE, p.39, 
5. ENERGY, p.51, 
6. CLIMATE SCIENCE, p.63, 
PART TWO: PREDICTIONS, 
7. GLOBAL WARMING, p.77, 
8. WATER, p.89, 
9. LIFE ON EARTH, p.101, 
10. BEYOND 2100, p.111, 
11. UNCERTAINTY, p.121, 
PART THREE: ACTIONS, 
12. THE TRAGEDY OF THE COMMONS, p.135, 
13. TECHNO-FIX, p.145, 
14. PUTTING A PRICE ON CARBON, p.159, 
15. BEYOND FOSSIL FUELS, p.171, 
16. THE CHALLENGE, p.183, 
GLOSSARY, p.197, 

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

TWO STORIES ARE GOING TO DOMINATE THE 21ST CENTURY.

STORY #1 IS ABOUT ECONOMIC GROWTH, ESPECIALLY IN POOR COUNTRIES IN ASIA AND AFRICA.

CAPITALISM AND FREE-MARKET ECONOMICS ARE GOING TO CREATE A LOT OF NEW WEALTH ...

YOU'RE FEELING THE BENEFITS OF WHAT ADAM SMITH CALLED THE INVISIBLE HAND.

YOU CAN LEARN MORE ABOUT THAT IN THE CARTOON INTRODUCTION TO ECONOMICS.

... AND GIVE MANY MORE PEOPLE THE OPPORTUNITY TO PURSUE THEIR DREAMS.

I WANT TO BE A DANCER!

I WANT TO BE AN ASTRONAUT!

AS FAMILIES GET WEALTHIER, THEY TEND TO HAVE FEWER CHILDREN ...

HAVING MORE KIDS IN NOT ONE OF MY DEAMS!

I WONDER WHY?

... SO THE WORLD POPULATION IS LIKE TO PEAK AT ABOUT 10 BILLION PEOPLE AND THEN SLOWLY DECLINE.

ENOUGH ALREADY!

AS A RESULT, STORY #1 POINTS IN A DIRECTION THAT'S NOTHING SHORT OF MIRACULOUS.

A WORLD OF 2 - 6 BILLION WELL-EDUCATED AND THEREFORE HEALTHY AND WEALTHY PEOPLE!

IT SEEMS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE.

BUT WHAT ABOUT STORY #2?

STORY #2 IS ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF ALL THIS GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT.

WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN WHEN BILLIONS OF ASIANS AND AFRICANS ALL TRY TO LIVE LIKE AMERICANS?

THE INVISIBLE HAND OF FREE-MARKET ECONOMICS ISN'T LIKELY TO FIX THIS ...

... NOT WITHOUT SOME HELP!

ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS COER ALL SORTS OF TOPICS.

OVER FISHING

POLLUTION

ENDANGERED SPECIES

HABITAT LOSS

THIS BOOK FOCUSES ON CLIMATE CHANGE

ALSO KNOWN AS GLOBAL WARMING.

CLIMATE CHANGE IS A POLITICALLY CHARGED ISSUE ...

YOU'RE A DENIER!

YOU'RE AN ALARMIST!

... BUT IT MIGHT BE POSSIBLE TO FIND SOME COMMON GROUND ...

THAT COMMON GROUND BETTER BE 6 FEET UNDER BECAUSE WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!

NONSENSE, WE'RE ALL GOING TO LIVE!

... BY THINKING OF CLIMATE CHANGE AS A THREAT.

HOW DOES THIS ONE COMPARE?

MAYBE IT'S AS EXISTENTIAL THREAT ...

CLIMATE CHANGE COULD TURN THE EARTH INTO AN ALIEN PLANET.

... AND MAYBE IT'S ONLY A MINOR THREAT ...

HOW DO YOU KNOW IT WON'T BE AN AWESOME ALIEN PLANET?

... AND MAYBE IT'LL BE DECADES BEFORE WE KNOW FOR SURE.

AND BY THEN IT MIGHT BE TOO LATE TO DO MORE!

OR TO DO LESS!

NO WONDER CLIMATE CHANGE IS SUCH A WICKED PROBLEM.

THIS BOOK WILL HELP YOU MAKE UP YOUR OWN MIND.

AND LEARN WHAT YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT ...

... AND WHAT WE CAN ALL DO TOGETHER!

YOU MIGHT FIND IT HARD TO BELIEVE THAT HUMANS CAN INFLUENCE THE ENTIRE PLANET ...

... BUT THERE'S LOTS OF SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE THAT HUMAN ACTIVITY IS CHANGING THE CLIMATE.

... BUT THERE'S LOTS OF SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE THAT HUMAN ACTIVITY IS CHANGING THE CLIMATE.

MOSTLY AS A RESULT OF BURNING FOSSIL FUELS AND DEFORESTATION.

AND SOMETIMES BOTH AT THE SAME TIME!

(Continues...)

Excerpted from The Cartoon Introduction to Climate Change by Grady Klein, Yoran Mauman. Copyright © 2014 Grady Klein Yoran Mauman. Excerpted by permission of ISLAND PRESS.
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Edition details

• Publisher: Island Press
• Publication date: 2014
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1610914384
• ISBN 13: 9781610914383
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 216