Climate Change: A Beginner’s Guide

Citation

Manolas, E. (2012), "Climate Change: A Beginner’s Guide", International Journal of Climate Change Strategies and Management, Vol. 4 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijccsm.2012.41404baa.008

Climate Change: A Beginner’s Guide

Climate Change: A Beginner’s Guide

Article Type: Book review From: International Journal of Climate Change Strategies and Management, Volume 4, Issue 2

Emily Boyd and Emma L. Tompkins,Oneworld Publications,Oxford,September 2010,208 pp.,£ 9.99,ISBN: 978-1-85168-660-5Review DOI 10.1108/17568691211223187

Climate Change: A Beginner’s Guide is written by Emily Boyd and Emma L. Tompkins. Both of the book’s authors teach and research at the University of Leeds (Boyd, 2011; Tompkins, 2011).

The book contains seven chapters without counting the introduction and the two postscripts at the end of the book, which it may be noted, are not considered as chapters by the authors. The book discusses the scientific, political, social, economic and environmental aspects of climate change. It also includes an emphasis on solutions and an exploration of the possible futures for our world.

This is an introductory book on the subject of climate change. When compared to other introductory and much shorter introductory books such as Kerry Emanuel’s What We Know about Climate Change (2007) and Michael Mastrandrea’s and Stephen Schneider’s Preparing for Climate Change (2010), this book may initially seem difficult for a general reader to make it to the last page. However, once you start reading, the way the book is written encourages you to finish it.

The book is carefully written taking into account the knowledge we have mastered on how to frame climate change issues. For example, the book does not include an excessive focus on negative impacts (i.e. a severe “diagnosis”) without effective emphasis on solutions (a feasible “treatment”), risk information is combined with messages and information that provide specific, pragmatic help in realizing doable solutions, climate change and solutions are framed in ways that link them to more salient issues people consistently care about – the economy, their children, their health and safety (Moser and Dilling, 2010).

Also, there is nothing in the book which is difficult to understand, the book is easy to read. All concepts are properly defined and accompanied by appropriate examples. The book also contains graphs, tables, diagrams, excerpts and illustrations such as cartoons, all of which significantly promote understanding of a complex issue such as climate change. In addition, the chapters of the book are always subdivided into sections, which also greatly aid the mastering of the information discussed. Further, the authors use successfully the question and answer method throughout the book. Often the titles of chapter sections are questions followed by the answer or questions are asked within the text and immediately followed by answers.

Climate Change: A Beginner’s Guide is also useful for teaching purposes. It can certainly be used in an introductory course on climate change or environmental science. The teacher may find particularly useful the question and answer style of the book to set examination or essay questions. In addition, he may ask students to write a report or review of the book. However, the book can also be used in other courses not necessarily courses specializing on environmental issues. For example, it can be used in general science or learning to write courses. The ideas put forward above, regarding assignments to students, may apply to general science or learning to write courses, too.

The book may also stimulate conversation among those who will read it and encourage them to learn more about anthropogenic climate change and how to positively influence society’s response to the increasing climate crisis. Other advantages of the book are that it is affordable to almost everybody and that it can easily be found in every bookshop.

Some ideas for improving the book would be to include more information – perhaps even chapters, on the work of NGOs, both business and non-profit NGOs, in combating climate change as well as on initiatives concerning efforts to increase the use of renewable energy sources. However, despite the above criticism and for the reasons outlined earlier in this book review, Climate Change: A Beginner’s Guide is certainly a book which is both important to read and recommend to others to read.

Evangelos ManolasDepartment of Forestry and Management of the Environment and Natural Resources, Democritus University of Thrace, Orestiada, Greece