Reference Reviews

Lawrence Looks at Books

Encyclopedia of Global Warning and Climate Change, edited by S. George Philander. 3 vols. 1,233p. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Reference, 2008. 978-1-4129-5878-3; 2008-6238. $375.

Encyclopedia of Global Warning and Climate Change In recent years, many scientists and United Nations officials have warned that climate change is the most serious security issue facing the world today. Regardless of whether human or natural factors are at the root of changes, the world needs to be prepared for the disruption that is likely to occur in the wake of melting ice caps and changing climate patterns. Hundreds of millions, if not billions, are likely to be displaced by coastal flooding. Hurricanes will become more intense as the amount of carbon in the atmosphere becomes greater and cause greater damage when they occur. Increasing droughts and water shortages will reduce the production of food and force many developing nations back into poverty. Warming will not just occur on dry land, but also in ocean temperatures, threatening the productivity of all-important cold water fisheries. As essential resources become scarce, poverty and the potential for conflict will increase. With the success of Davis Guggenheim’s film, An Inconvenient Truth, starring Al Gore, and with the agreements reached at the UN Climate Change Conference in Bali last year, attention is clearly being focused on the issue of global warming. Nonetheless, many policy makers and the general public lack the understanding of the science of climate change to undertake the commitment necessary for improving the outlook for future generations.

The avowed purpose of this new encyclopedia is to provide the essential intellectual framework for improving public awareness and preparedness for the challenges of climate change. At the heart of that understanding is not just the geological, atmospheric, and oceanographic factors affecting climate, but also the many human activities potentially causing change to pre-existing patterns. Thus, the 735 expert-written articles of this encyclopedia examine winds, waves, and weather as well as industrialization, deforestation, and sustainability. From sedimentary rocks to tree rings, the scope includes sources for climatic data from all geologic periods, not simply the past fifty years. Climate models and theories are explained. From shrinking glaciers to vanishing polar bears, the probable effects of climate change are examined. Surveys of each country in the world and every state in the nation assess regional efforts to mitigate climate change and likely local impacts of global warming. Biographies note the groundbreaking contributions of scientists like Norman Phillips and Gilbert Walker as well as controversial voices like Reid Bryson. Numerous entries document the efforts of governments, international agencies and research institutions to study issues involving climatology. Also described are the international programs and conventions that attempt to address climate change and to chart a plan of action. The full-color introduction, list of articles, index, and statistical appendix are repeated in each volume. Other supplemental aids include a brief chronology of climate change, a glossary and general bibliography. This excellent introduction to climate change with its straight-forward easy-to understand articles will serve audiences in high school, public and academic libraries.
—John R.M. Lawrence