This work explains climate change, its implications for the future, and what we can, and cannot, do to avoid further change. It summarizes everything we know about the science of climate change, explains what is likely to happen to the climate in the future, and lays out, in practical terms, what we can do to avoid further shifts. In sixty entries, Climate Central tackles basic questions such as: Is climate ever "normal"? ; Why and how do fossil-fuel burning and other human practices produce greenhouse gases? ; What natural forces have caused climate change in the past? ; What risks does climate change pose for human health? ; What accounts for the diminishment of mountain glaciers and small ice caps around the world since 1850? ; What are the economic costs and benefits of reducing carbon emissions? Illustrated throughout with clarifying graphics, the book enlarges our understanding of how climate change affects our daily lives, and arms us with the incontrovertible facts we need to make informed decisions about the future of the planet, and of humankind.
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