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Kerry A. Emanuel
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What We Know about Climate Change, updated edition (Mit Press) Paperback – October 9, 2018

by Kerry Emanuel (Author), Bob Inglis (Foreword)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 148 ratings
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An updated edition of a guide to the basic science of climate change, and a call to action.

The vast majority of scientists agree that human activity has significantly increased greenhouse gases in the atmosphere—most dramatically since the 1970s. Yet global warming skeptics and ill-informed elected officials continue to dismiss this broad scientific consensus. 
In this updated edition of his authoritative book, MIT atmospheric scientist Kerry Emanuel outlines the basic science of global warming and how the current consensus has emerged. Although it is impossible to predict exactly when the most dramatic effects of global warming will be felt, he argues, we can be confident that we face real dangers. Emanuel warns that global warming will contribute to an increase in the intensity and power of hurricanes and flooding and more rapidly advancing deserts. But just as our actions have created the looming crisis, so too might they avert it. Emanuel calls for urgent action to reduce greenhouse gases and criticizes the media for downplaying the dangers of global warming (and, in search of “balance,” quoting extremists who deny its existence). 

This edition has been updated to include the latest climate data, a discussion of the earth's carbon cycle, the warming hiatus of the first decade of this century, the 2017 hurricanes, advanced energy options, the withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement, and more. It offers a new foreword by former U.S. Representative Bob Inglis (R-SC), who now works on climate action through his organization RepublicEN.

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Previous page
  1. Print length
    84 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    The MIT Press
  4. Publication date
    October 9, 2018
  5. Dimensions
    5.38 x 0.27 x 8 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0262535912
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0262535915
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

Written by an award-winning atmospheric scientist, the updated version of this essential book offers a concise explanation about what's going on with global warming and how we can turn the tide.—The Revelator—

About the Author

Kerry Emanuel is Professor of Atmospheric Science in the Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Science at MIT. He is the author of Divine Wind: The History and Science of Hurricanes and Atmospheric Convection.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ The MIT Press; Updated ed. edition (October 9, 2018)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 84 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0262535912
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0262535915
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.38 x 0.27 x 8 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 148 ratings

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Kerry A. Emanuel

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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
148 global ratings
Concise, clear, simple, powerful
5 Stars
Concise, clear, simple, powerful
This book can be read in less than an hour. If you know nothing about climate change you will learn a lot. If you already know a lot you will learn something new.
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Top reviews from the United States

Thomas Gresham
5.0 out of 5 stars Even-keeled science for the layman
Reviewed in the United States on September 6, 2023
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A very readable, concise, and even-keeled account of the science by an eminent scholar in the field. What else could a layman want?
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AN
5.0 out of 5 stars Most important book I have read about climate change
Reviewed in the United States on May 17, 2020
Verified Purchase
I really don't understand why there are quite a few unpleasant reviews stating that this book is too scientific and boring. I have a non-CS related college degree, and it was more than enough to really swallow and digest everything written here. The book is amazing. I wish all public discussions and endless politicians debates were as structured and as science-backed like this book.

And this book is very short, which is a huge plus. For just 66 pages, it is much more informative about the issue than anything hundreds of pages longer that I have ever read. If you can't find time to read less than 100 pages about climate change, do you really care about this issue at all?..
11 people found this helpful
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Dan Hirschman
4.0 out of 5 stars Great summary of climate science; political take seems aimed at persuading conservatives
Reviewed in the United States on December 28, 2019
A very useful and concise summary of climate science. I found the final short section on politics and solutions to be a bit disappointing - Emanuel does mention the large, coordinated campaign by fossil fuel companies to deceive the public, but takes about as much time to blame environmentalists for opposing nuclear power. The book feels aimed at a very centrist kind of reader, perhaps the now nearly mythical moderate Republican who can be swayed by a kind of just-the-facts bipartisan tone (the foreword by former GOP rep Bob Inglis suggests as much as well). It’s an important goal but one that perhaps detracts from the book’s value for other audiences.
3 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Concise, clear, simple, powerful
Reviewed in the United States on September 6, 2023
Verified Purchase
This book can be read in less than an hour. If you know nothing about climate change you will learn a lot. If you already know a lot you will learn something new.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Concise, clear, simple, powerful
Reviewed in the United States on September 6, 2023
This book can be read in less than an hour. If you know nothing about climate change you will learn a lot. If you already know a lot you will learn something new.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Short but informative
Reviewed in the United States on May 16, 2020
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A short but thorough explanation of why the climate changes and what is within human control (and why it’s important humans do take some action). I already believed climate change was a problem but wanted more of the scientific details so I could have an informed viewpoint and more productive conversations on the topic. This book did the trick.

I would add that the book does not take a partisan viewpoint, which I think is helpful.
3 people found this helpful
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Douglas Phillips
3.0 out of 5 stars Close, but not quite
Reviewed in the United States on September 5, 2021
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It only takes an hour to read, and this book is most definitely authoritative, but it misses my goal. I'm looking for a book that simply and effectively shows why 97% of climate scientists (who agree that this crisis is anthropogenic) are right. I want a climate science book that uses the right illustrations, backed up by evidence and stories of how scientists came to their conclusions. Most of all, I want a book with passion. Unfortunately, there is no passion to be found in this fairly dry summary.

Factual, scientific information is not something that most people consume well. To be effective, science must be wrapped in storytelling: a story about our planet, our history, and about people. Carl Sagan was best at it. We so desperately need him now.
4 people found this helpful
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Michael Graber Ph.D.
5.0 out of 5 stars A supberb short and very readable publication about Climate Change
Reviewed in the United States on December 29, 2022
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This booklet, by MIT professor of atmospheric sciences, is a short, comprehensive, and very readable, document about the issue of climate change. I noticed it through the warm recommendation published in a recent issue of "The Economist". I fully agree with the recommendation of "The Economist".
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Loyal Amazon customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Very informative.
Reviewed in the United States on February 19, 2023
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No BS. Just the facts.
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Chillyfinger
4.0 out of 5 stars Generally excellent but mis-characterizes "push back"
Reviewed in Canada on March 11, 2023
Verified Purchase
The author is a genuine expert in his field. This is a quick read and worth your time. Considering the brevity, the reader will get an unusually clear explanation of factors like chaos and uncertainty. The author makes a good distinction between what is probably true and what is still uncertain. I appreciated his sketch of how computer models work.

Interestingly, he points out the shortcomings of the peer review process, which the IPCC tends to claim is a guarantee of accuracy. In fact, much of the research cited by the IPCC is not even peer-reviewed, which would have been worth mentioning.

Climate skeptics are presented as a politically motivated campaign to "discredit Climate Science." This is not helpful, especially when vast sums are being spent to hype alternative technologies ("Big Green").

There is an honest debate about the issues raised in this book.

The main push-back is against "Climate Panic" and the lack of a workable plan. The track record on the net-zero project is not encouraging. "Big Green" is wildly misrepresenting the benefits of its subsidy-driven projects. In contrast to the quantitative approach in the rest of the book, the author's treatment of mitigation measures is mere hand waving.

Climate activists are demanding immense sums without providing the feasibility studies and cost/benefit analysis that "conservatives" want to see. Publications that deal with this issue exist (Bjorn Lomborg and Bil Gates, for example) that have nothing to do with the left/right assumptions of the author.
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nicolò
5.0 out of 5 stars Ottima introduzione
Reviewed in Italy on December 26, 2022
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Breve ma affronta i punti principali: Cosa sappiamo e non sappiamo; Possibili conseguenze; Le possibili scelte che ci troviamo di fronte; Rivalutare alcune scelte politiche.
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Mary
5.0 out of 5 stars Full knowledge about global warming
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 21, 2022
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Concise review of present knowledge is useful for all those who are interested in understanding how we might avoid the catastrophe of increasing global warming.
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Client d'Amazon
5.0 out of 5 stars clear and concise
Reviewed in Germany on April 6, 2021
Verified Purchase
This very accessible book clearly lays out what it is known about climate change in a simple language. The author refrains from making vague or overly dramatic statements, and stick to a scientific style --- compare with the first sentence of David Wallace -Wells' best seller: "It is worse, much worse, than you think". Despite its short length, the book contains substantial information, and provide pointers to further resource on the topic. It may not be as deep as lengthier books, but it is a valuable introductory read on the topic.
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Amazon カスタマー
4.0 out of 5 stars Covers most points!
Reviewed in Japan on May 22, 2020
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Great read overall that lightly covers several areas of interest. I did find it a little short at 50-some pages though. Wouldn't mind having more info but a great intro to climate change!
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