Sudden and Disruptive Climate Change
Exploring the Real Risks and How We Can Avoid Them
Edited By Michael C. MacCracken, Frances Moore and John C. Topping, Jr.
'An excellent, broad-ranging overview.'
Future Survey
Paperback
Sample Chapter
December 2007 •
320 pages •
234 x 156mm •
ISBN 9781844074785
While changes in emissions and atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases are projected to be slow and smooth, the intensity and impacts of climate change on the environment and society could be abrupt and erratic. Surprising and nonlinear responses are likely to occur as warming exceeds certain thresholds, inducing relatively rapid and disruptive changes in the Greenland and West Antarctic ice sheets, precipitation intensity and patterns, coastal inundation, the occurrence of wildfire, the ranges of plant and animal species and more.
Written by a transdisciplinary group of internationally respected researchers, this book explores the possibilities of such changes, their significance for society and efforts to move more rapidly to limit climate change than current government measures.
'Recommended'
Choice
CONTENTS
Foreword by Ambassador John Ashton
Introduction
Part I: The Potential for Rapid Changes to the Weather and Climate
Introduction to Part I
Ten Reasons Why Climate Change May be More Severe than Projected
Potential Increased Hurricane Activity in a Greenhouse Warmed World
Potential Effects of Weather Extremes and Climate Change on Human Health
Part II: The Potential for Rapid Melting of Ice and Amplification of Sea Level Rise
Introduction to Part II
Changes in Polar Sea Ice Coverage
Changes in the Greenland Ice Sheet and Implications for Global Sea Level Rise
Why Predicting West Antarctic Ice Sheet Behavior is So Hard: What We Know, What We Don’t Know and How We Will Find Out
Part III: The Potential for Dramatic Changes in Coastal Regions
Introduction to Part III
The Potential for Significant Impacts on Chesapeake Bay from Global Warming
The Northern Gulf of Mexico Coast: Human Development Patterns, Declining Ecosystems and Escalating Vulnerability to Storms and Sea Level Rise
Threats and Responses Associated with Rapid Climate Change in Metropolitan New York
Increasing the Resilience of Our Coasts: Coastal Collision Course of Rising Sea Level, Storms, Coastal Erosion and Development
Preparing and Protecting American Families from the Onslaught of Catastrophe
Part IV: The End of Evolution? The Potential for Rapid Changes in Ecosystems
Introduction to Part IV
Where Will Ecosystems Go?
Increasing Vulnerability of Alaska’s Boreal Forest as a Result of Climate Warming and the Changing Fire Regime
Polar Bears in a Warming Arctic
Part V: The Potential for Accelerating Action to Limit Climate Change
Introduction to Part V
International Action to Buffer Against the Rapid Onset of Climate Change
A Moral and Profitable Path to Climate Stabilization
Moving Toward Climate Stabilization: Iceland’s Example
Climate Impacts in the Developing World: A Case Study of the Small Island States
Stimulating a Clean Energy Revolution
Recycling Energy to Reduce Costs and Mitigate Climate Change
Addressing Climate Change: Religious Perspectives and Initiatives
Climate Solutions on Today’s Campuses: How Today’s Students Must Drive a Modern Industrial Revolution
Strategies for Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reductions: The Role of Greenhouse Gas Offsets
Appendices
Index
Michael C. MacCracken is Chief Scientist for Climate Change Programs with the Climate Institute in Washington DC, and is past President of the International Association of Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences (IAMAS). Frances Moore spent five months with the Climate Institute after graduating from Harvard; she now is a researcher with the Earth Policy Institute. John C. Topping, Jr is founder and President of the Climate Institute.