People interested in the science of climate change often ask me where they can go to learn more. The obvious answer is the internet, since a tremendous amount of scientific information is available online. However, many sources present misleading information about climate change—sometimes intentionally—and it is certainly possible to be hoodwinked.
Now I can direct my questioners to an excellent new book: A Global Warming Primer: Answering Your Questions about the Science, the Consequences, and the Solutions. The author is Jeffrey Bennett, an astronomer and accomplished science communicator who brings wide-ranging expertise to this book. A Global Warming Primer is a uniquely powerful resource for people who are interested in the science of climate change and want to know what they can do about global warming.
One major reason I liked this book is that it gets the science right. Bennett presents the science of climate change clearly, in a way that will be understandable to readers without scientific training. But perhaps more importantly, he uses a three-step process to help readers come to incontrovertible conclusions. He opens the book by asking two key scientific questions. How do we know that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases can trap heat? And how do we know that human activity is increasing the amount of those gases in the atmosphere? Answering the two questions leads to the inevitable conclusion that human activity is warming the planet and is expected to continue doing so.
In the next chapter, Bennett gets into current debates over climate change. Rather than handle the increasing multitude of contrarian views, he picks the central objections that interested readers should be aware of. First, he shows that even scientific contrarians understand the greenhouse effect and the evidence that humans are causing global warming. The naysayers usually argue that Earth will not warm up as much as most scientists fear or that the consequences will not be severe enough to warrant action now.
Bennett takes those two positions head on. He makes a convincing case for the reliability of temperature data and our climate records, which show that the world is indeed warming. He shines a light on how cherry-picked data are often used by skeptics to downplay the rate of global warming. He then examines the possibility that the warming could be natural—for instance, from changes to the Sun. What I loved about the chapter is that Bennett doesn’t pull punches. He calls a spade a spade, and he quickly and carefully exposes the illogical positions of some of the best-known climate contrarians. At the same time, he does a great service to his readers by engaging them in a dialog rather than lecturing. Bennett’s dialog, driven by questions and supported with accurate science, leads to persuasive and clear conclusions.
With the science clearly established, the author moves to discussions of climate models, including analysis of their strengths and weaknesses. He also explores regional climate changes, effects beyond simple temperature changes, and both positive and negative consequences that we can expect in the future.
It is rare for an academic to write a book that is such a joy to read. A Global Warming Primer is one of the exceptions. Although my favorite parts of the book are its explanations of climate change science, many readers will most enjoy the last two chapters, which focus on solutions and our legacy. In quick order Bennett covers energy conservation, clean energy sources, and geoengineering mitigation. He also discusses the political and economic roadblocks to enacting sound energy and climate policies. He ends by making it personal: His final chapter is titled “A Letter to Your Grandchildren.”
John Abraham is a climate scientist and a researcher in renewable energy. In his research he examines the rate of climate change in order to predict the future consequences of global warming. He also works to bring wind and solar energy to the developing world, particularly Africa.