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Informationen zum Autor Claire L. Parkinson is a senior fellow and climatologist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, where she has worked for more than 30 years. An award-winning scientist, she is especially well known for her research on polar sea ice and its connections to the broader climate system, which is complemented by her role as Project Scientist for the Aqua satellite mission. She is the author of several books, including Earth from Above: Using Color-Coded Satellite Images to Examine the Global Environment and Our Changing Planet: The View from Space. She lives in the Washington, DC, area. Klappentext Decisively cutting through the hyperbole on both sides of the debate, distinguished NASA climatologist Claire L. Parkinson brings much-needed balance and perspective to the highly contentious issue of climate change. Offering a deeply knowledgeable overview of global change past and present, the author lays out a compelling argument that our understandings and models are inadequate for confident predictions of the intended and unintended consequences of projects now under consideration to modify future climate. She places current climate change in the perspective of the past 4.6 billion years and delves into the bases of our understandings and their limitations. While clarifying some of the most contentious points in the climate debate, the book treats the reader to a fascinating discussion interweaving Earth history, science, the history of science, and human nature. Inhaltsverzeichnis Part I: The Earth System and Its Ever-Changing NatureChapter 1: IntroductionChapter 2: 4.6 Billion Years of Global ChangeChapter 3: Abrupt Climate ChangePart II: The Human FactorChapter 4: A Short History of Human ImpactsChapter 5: The Future: Why Some People Are So Concerned while Others Aren'tPart III: Good Intentions and GeoengineeringChapter 6: Good Intentions Gone AwryChapter 7: Geoengineering SchemesChapter 8: The Record on Smaller-Scale Attempted ModificationsPart IV: Further Cautionary ConsiderationsChapter 9: The Possible Fallibility of Even a Strong ConsensusChapter 10: The Unknown Future: Model LimitationsChapter 11: Compounding Social PressuresPart V: Avoiding Paralysis despite UncertaintyChapter 12: What Are the Alternatives?Chapter 13: Closing Plea...
