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Unsettled : what climate science tells us, what it doesn't, and why it matters / Steven E. Koonin.

By: Contributor(s): Material type: TextTextPublisher: Dallas, TX : BenBella Books, Inc., [2021]Copyright date: ©2021Description: x, 306 pages : black and white illustrations, maps, charts ; 24 cmContent type:
  • text
  • cartographic image
  • still image
Media type:
  • unmediated
Carrier type:
  • volume
ISBN:
  • 9781950665792
  • 1950665798
Other title:
  • Unsettled : what climate science tells us, what it does not, and why it matters
Subject(s): Genre/Form:
Contents:
Introduction. (Part I: The science): What we know about warming -- Humble human influences -- Emissions explained and extrapolated -- Many muddled models -- Hyping the heat -- Tempest terrors -- Precipitation perils, from floods to fires -- Sea level scares -- Apocalypses that ain't -- Who broke "the science" and why -- Fixing the broken science. (Part II: The response): The chimera of carbon-free -- Could the US catch the chimera? -- Plans B. Closing thoughts -- Acknowledgments -- Notes -- Index -- About the author.
Summary: The author points out that core questions about the way the climate is responding to our influence and what the impacts will be remain largely unanswered. He provides insights and perspective free from political agendas, dispels popular myths, and unveils little-known truths. He points out that the models we use to predict the future aren't able to accurately describe the climate of the past, suggesting they are deeply flawed.
Holdings
Item type Home library Collection Call number Materials specified Status Date due Barcode Item holds
Adult Book Adult Book Main Library NonFiction 363.7387 K82 Available 33111010527139
Total holds: 0

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

From Steven Koonin, a leader in US science policy and former science advisor for the Obama administration, Unsettled is an up-close, apolitical exploration of the many misconceptions and shortcomings in the mainstream presentation of climate science-which is far less black-and-white than many people realize.
*** Wall Street Journal Bestseller***
"Surging sea levels are inundating the coasts."
"Hurricanes and tornadoes are becoming fiercer and more frequent."
"Climate change will be an economic disaster."
You've heard all this presented as fact. But according to science, all of these statements are profoundly misleading.
When it comes to climate change, the media, politicians, and other prominent voices have declared that "the science is settled." In reality, the long game of telephone from research to reports to the popular media is corrupted by misunderstanding and misinformation. Core questions-about the way the climate is responding to our influence, and what the impacts will be-remain largely unanswered. The climate is changing, but the why and how aren't as clear as you've probably been led to believe.
Now, one of America's most distinguished scientists is clearing away the fog to explain what science really says (and doesn't say) about our changing climate. In Unsettled- What Climate Science Tells Us, What It Doesn't, and Why It Matters , Steven Koonin draws upon his decades of experience-including as a top science advisor to the Obama administration-to provide up-to-date insights and expert perspective free from political agendas.
Fascinating, clear-headed, and full of surprises, this book gives readers the tools to both understand the climate issue and be savvier consumers of science media in general. Koonin takes readers behind the headlines to the more nuanced science itself, showing us where it comes from and guiding us through the implications of the evidence. He dispels popular myths and unveils little-known truths- despite a dramatic rise in greenhouse gas emissions, global temperatures actually decreased from 1940 to 1970. What's more, the models we use to predict the future aren't able to accurately describe the climate of the past, suggesting they are deeply flawed.
Koonin also tackles society's response to a changing climate, using data-driven analysis to explain why many proposed "solutions" would be ineffective, and discussing how alternatives like adaptation and, if necessary, geoengineering will ensure humanity continues to prosper. Unsettled is a reality check buoyed by hope, offering the truth about climate science that you aren't getting elsewhere-what we know, what we don't, and what it all means for our future.

The author points out that core questions about the way the climate is responding to our influence and what the impacts will be remain largely unanswered. He provides insights and perspective free from political agendas, dispels popular myths, and unveils little-known truths. He points out that the models we use to predict the future aren't able to accurately describe the climate of the past, suggesting they are deeply flawed.

Introduction. (Part I: The science): What we know about warming -- Humble human influences -- Emissions explained and extrapolated -- Many muddled models -- Hyping the heat -- Tempest terrors -- Precipitation perils, from floods to fires -- Sea level scares -- Apocalypses that ain't -- Who broke "the science" and why -- Fixing the broken science. (Part II: The response): The chimera of carbon-free -- Could the US catch the chimera? -- Plans B. Closing thoughts -- Acknowledgments -- Notes -- Index -- About the author.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 259-283) and index.

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