Conversations about climate change are filled with challenges involving
complex data, deeply held values, and political issues. Understanding
Climate Change examines climate change as both a scientific and a
public policy issue. Sarah L. Burch and Sara E. Harris explain the
basics of the climate system, climate models and prediction, and human
and biophysical impacts, as well as strategies for climate change
adaptation and mitigation. The second edition has been fully updated
throughout, including coverage of new advances in climate modelling and
of the shifting landscape of renewable energy production and
distribution. A brand new chapter discusses global governance, including
the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris
Agreement, as well as mitigation efforts at the national and subnational
levels. This new chapter makes the book even more relevant to climate
change courses housed in social sciences departments such as political
science and geography.
An effective and integrated introduction to an urgent and controversial
issue, this book is well-suited to adoption in a variety of introductory
climate change courses found in a number of science and social science
departments. Its ultimate goal is to equip readers with the tools needed
to become constructive participants in the human response to climate
change.
