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The third edition of this introductory textbook for both science students and non-science majors has been brought completely up-to-date. It reflects recent scientific progress in the field, as well as advances in the political arena around climate change. As in previous editions, it is tightly focussed on anthropogenic climate change. The first part of the book concentrates on the science of modern climate change, including evidence that the Earth is warming and a basic description of climate physics. Concepts such as radiative forcing, climate feedbacks, and the carbon cycle are discussed and explained using basic physics and algebra. The second half of the book goes beyond the science to address the economics and policy options to address climate change. The book's goal is for a student to leave the class ready to engage in the public policy debate on the climate crisis.
List of contents
Contents; Preface; 1. An introduction to the climate problem; 2. Is the climate changing?; 3. Radiation and energy balance; 4. A simple climate model; 5. The carbon cycle; 6. Forcing, feedbacks, and climate sensitivity; 7. Why is the climate changing?; 8. Predictions of future climate change; 9. Impacts of climate change; 10. Exponential growth; 11. Fundamentals of climate change policy; 12. Mitigation policies; 13. A brief history of climate science and politics; 14. Putting it together: A long-term policy to address climate change; Index.
About the author
Andrew E. Dessler is a climate scientist and professor of atmospheric sciences at Texas A&M University. He researches atmospheric chemistry, climate change, and climate change policy. He is a fellow of the American Geophysical Union and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. The first edition of this book won the Louis J. Battan Author's Award from the American Meteorological Society. He has authored two books on climate change: this one, and The Science and Politics of Global Climate Change: A Guide to the Debate (with Edward Parson; third edition published in 2019; Cambridge).
Summary
The third edition of this highly acclaimed textbook has been brought completely up-to-date. Appropriate for both science students and non-science majors, it provides a complete description of modern climate change, covering both science - explained using basic physics and algebra - and economic and political aspects of the issue.
Additional text
'Dessler does an excellent job of simply explaining the science … should be on the reading list of anyone with an interest in climate science, if for no other reason that it introduces a complex subject in such a coherent and comprehensible fashion.' John Brittan, The Leading Edge
Report
'Andrew Dessler is that rare breed of scientist who can contribute at the leading edge of scientific discovery while adeptly explaining the science and its implications to lay audiences. With his newly revised edition of Introduction to Climate Change, Dessler provides a comprehensive, up-to-date and engaging account of the science, the impacts, and the policy dimensions of the climate crisis. Climate change is the defining challenge of our time and this textbook is the ideal choice to ensure students are informed about it.' Michael Mann, Penn State University, author of The New Climate War and Dire Predictions
