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Climate Change:
The Science, Impacts and Solutions
Second Edition
By
A Barrie Pittock
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Citation Manager
Climate Change
Book
| Published in 2009
DOI:
10.1071/9780643098381
ISBN (electronic):
978-0-643-09875-6
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Table of Contents
Book Info
PDF
Page
ix
Foreword
By
Dr Rajendra K Pachauri, Chairman, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
PDF
Page
xi
Acknowledgements
PDF
Page
xiii
Introduction
PDF
Page
1
1
.
Climate change matters
PDF
Page
2
Turning up the heat
PDF
Page
7
Why is the present rapid warming happening?
PDF
Page
10
The importance of delayed climate responses
PDF
Page
12
Observed impacts
PDF
Page
15
Trends in human vulnerability
PDF
Page
16
Projections of future climate change
PDF
Page
17
Facing the challenge
PDF
Page
18
Conclusion
PDF
Page
19
Endnotes
PDF
Page
23
2
.
Learning from the past
PDF
Page
24
Proxy data
:
Clues from the past
PDF
Page
26
The record of the ice ages
PDF
Page
27
The causes of past climate change
PDF
Page
28
Variations in the Earth’s orbit
PDF
Page
29
Role of greenhouse gases in amplifying climate changes
PDF
Page
30
Variations in solar output
PDF
Page
31
Volcanoes, cosmic collisions and aerosols
PDF
Page
32
Rapid climate changes in the past
PDF
Page
35
The last 10 000 years
PDF
Page
37
Conclusions from the past record
PDF
Page
39
Endnotes
PDF
Page
43
3
.
Projecting the future
PDF
Page
43
The need for, and nature of, foresight
PDF
Page
44
Predictions, scenarios and projections
PDF
Page
45
The emissions scenarios used by the IPCC
PDF
Page
49
Projections of socio-economic futures
PDF
Page
51
Forecasting the weather
PDF
Page
52
Why climate projections are different
PDF
Page
53
How good are climate models?
PDF
Page
56
The state of climate projections
PDF
Page
57
Endnotes
PDF
Page
59
4
.
Uncertainty is inevitable, but risk is certain
PDF
Page
59
Despite uncertainties, decisions have to be made
PDF
Page
60
Uncertainty in climate change projections
PDF
Page
63
From polarisation to probability and risk
PDF
Page
67
Estimating risk
PDF
Page
69
Uncertainty and the role of sceptics
PDF
Page
73
Application of the ‘Precautionary Principle’
PDF
Page
74
Endnotes
PDF
Page
77
5
.
What climate changes are likely?
PDF
Page
78
Projected climate changes
PDF
Page
80
Surface warming
PDF
Page
82
Regional warmings
PDF
Page
82
Precipitation and evaporation
PDF
Page
84
Extreme events
PDF
Page
87
Sea-level rise
PDF
Page
93
Thresholds and abrupt or irreversible changes
PDF
Page
97
Scenarios in a nutshell
PDF
Page
99
Endnotes
PDF
Page
107
6
.
Impacts
:
Why be concerned?
PDF
Page
109
Climate change impacts – reasons for concern
PDF
Page
110
Thresholds and abrupt changes
PDF
Page
111
Risks to unique and threatened systems
PDF
Page
115
Risks from extreme climate events
PDF
Page
118
Distribution of impacts
PDF
Page
121
Aggregate impacts
PDF
Page
122
Waking the sleeping giants
PDF
Page
122
Effects of a breakdown in the ocean circulation
PDF
Page
124
Rapid sea-level rise from melting ice sheets
PDF
Page
125
Runaway carbon dynamics
PDF
Page
126
Security implications
PDF
Page
126
Stabilisation of greenhouse gas concentrations
PDF
Page
128
Growing reasons for concern
PDF
Page
129
Endnotes
PDF
Page
133
7
.
Adaptation
:
Living with climate change
PDF
Page
133
Adaptation concepts and strategies
PDF
Page
136
Costs and benefits of adaptation
PDF
Page
137
Implementation
PDF
Page
140
Effects of different rates of climatic change
PDF
Page
141
Equity issues in adaptation
PDF
Page
144
Enhancing adaptive capacity
PDF
Page
145
Endnotes
PDF
Page
149
8
.
Mitigation
:
Limiting climate change
PDF
Page
149
Why mitigation is necessary
PDF
Page
150
Targets
:
How much mitigation is needed?
PDF
Page
157
Where we are now
PDF
Page
159
How difficult is mitigation?
PDF
Page
165
The looming peak in oil production
PDF
Page
167
Mitigation options
PDF
Page
167
Increased energy efficiency
PDF
Page
170
Changes in infrastructure and behaviour
PDF
Page
172
Fuel substitution
PDF
Page
174
Nuclear power
PDF
Page
176
Hydropower
PDF
Page
177
Solar energy
PDF
Page
180
Wind power
PDF
Page
182
Biomass energy
PDF
Page
186
Tidal and wave energy
PDF
Page
187
Geothermal power
PDF
Page
188
The hydrogen economy
PDF
Page
190
Carbon capture and sequestration
PDF
Page
194
Land-based carbon sinks
PDF
Page
197
Geoengineering possibilities
PDF
Page
201
Technological innovation
:
Attitude is vital
PDF
Page
202
The road to effective mitigation
PDF
Page
206
Endnotes
PDF
Page
223
9
.
Climate change in context
PDF
Page
225
Surface air pollution and climate change
PDF
Page
225
Stratospheric ozone depletion
PDF
Page
226
Land-use change, biodiversity, agriculture and forestry
PDF
Page
227
Land degradation and desertification
PDF
Page
227
Freshwater supply
PDF
Page
229
Population growth
PDF
Page
231
Synergies and trade-offs
PDF
Page
232
Integration, sustainable development and equity
PDF
Page
234
Postscript
:
Connections between economic and climate crises
PDF
Page
236
Endnotes
PDF
Page
239
10
.
The politics of greenhouse
PDF
Page
239
Is the science credible?
PDF
Page
241
What about the uncertainty?
PDF
Page
242
How realistic are the scenarios?
PDF
Page
243
Choosing global and local emissions targets
PDF
Page
246
How urgently do we need to act?
PDF
Page
247
How much will reducing emissions cost?
PDF
Page
249
Meeting targets most efficiently
PDF
Page
254
International equity
:
What is fair?
PDF
Page
260
The importance of equity within countries
PDF
Page
261
Equity between generations
PDF
Page
262
The role of governments and NGOs
PDF
Page
264
What role should business take?
PDF
Page
268
The role of state and local governments
PDF
Page
270
So what are the politics of greenhouse?
PDF
Page
271
Endnotes
PDF
Page
277
11
.
International concern and national interests
PDF
Page
277
A brief history
PDF
Page
280
The Kyoto Protocol
PDF
Page
282
National interests and climate change
PDF
Page
283
African nations
PDF
Page
284
Australia and New Zealand
PDF
Page
289
China
PDF
Page
291
European Union
PDF
Page
293
India, Pakistan and Bangladesh
PDF
Page
295
Latin America
PDF
Page
296
The Russian Federation
PDF
Page
298
Small Island States
PDF
Page
300
United States of America
PDF
Page
306
The common interest in global solutions
PDF
Page
307
Endnotes
PDF
Page
317
12
.
Accepting the challenge
PDF
Page
321
Looking beyond the Kyoto Protocol
PDF
Page
324
Addressing the key issues
PDF
Page
326
Endnotes
PDF
Page
348
Glossary (with acronyms)
PDF
Page
337
Index
More From
Climate
See also:
Natural Environment
Wattles of Victoria and Tasmania
Drought Country
Australian Soil and Land Survey Field Handbook
Applied Environmental Genomics
Ending Plastic Waste
Australia’s Megafires
Soil Hydrology in a Changing Climate
Global Application of Prescribed Fire
Australian Deserts
Understanding Soils in Urban Environments
Wildland Fire Behaviour
Environmental Offsets
Read Online
Read
Citation Manager
Climate Change
Book
| Published in 2009
DOI:
10.1071/9780643098381
ISBN (electronic):
978-0-643-09875-6
Citation Manager Formats
BibTeX
Bookends
EasyBib
EndNote (tagged)
EndNote 8 (xml)
Mendeley
Papers
RefWorks Tagged
Ref Manager
RIS
Zotero
Share
Reddit
Facebook
Email
Tweet Widget
Facebook Like
Google Plus One
Search within this book
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