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THE FORGIVING AIR
UNDERSTANDING ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE, 2nd EDITION
by Richard C. J. Somerville
FULLY UPDATED AND REVISED with the latest advances in climate science and policy
© 2008, 224 pages paperback
ISBN 13: 978-1-878220-85-1
List: $22; AMS Member: $16
AMS Order Code: TFA
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"Richard Somerville is one of the world's top climate scientists. He's also one of the clearest when it comes to explaining climate science and policy. His book is the ultimate resource for students, educators, and policy makers seeking to understand one of the most critical issues of our times."
- James Gustave Speth, dean of the Yale University School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and author of The Bridge at the Edge of the World
"An important revision to a wonderful, readable introduction to Earth's environment and our impact on it. The recent scientific advances covered in this edition underline the importance of the topic to all of us on the planet."
- Sally K. Ride, Ph.D., former astronaut, CEO of Sally Ride Science
Topics include: The greenhouse effect, acid rain, air pollution, and the ozone hole.
It might be a great comfort to us all if our planet and its climate were constant and unchangeable. They are not. They have been changing naturally for as long as the Earth has existed. Now, nearly seven billion people are collectively such a potent force that their influence on the global environment has begun to rival that of Mother Nature. Scientist Richard C. J. Somerville is a Distinguished Professor Emeritus at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, and one of the authors of the most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report. The 2007 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded in equal shares to the IPCC and Al Gore for bringing the science behind global change to the world. In The Forgiving Air, Somerville weaves those critical findings into a more accessible story, making the most important issues of our time understandable to all.
Praise for the First Edition:
"A fascinating, well-written book [that] could be used as a supplementary text in a college-level course on global change for nonscience majors." - Geotimes
"An exceptionally accessible and current account of the greatest environmental challenges of our time. A must-read for teachers of... Earth system science." -Earth Pulse News
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PDF: - The Forgiving Air: Understanding Environmental Change
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EXCERPTS
"The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has created a successful process for summarizing what climate science has discovered. This organization has no close parallel in other fields where science and policy interact. Its open and transparent nature, the high caliber of the people involved, and the many levels of review have led to the IPCC's current excellent reputation. The firm foundation of the IPCC report allows climate scientists to speak to humanity as wise planetary physicians. Their message is simple and persuasive. Check credentials; be suspicious of policy advocates with ulterior motives; be alert for signs of ideology and spin. And when you have a preponderance of evidence from carefully assessed, peer-reviewed scientific research, pay close attention."
"Perhaps the most important function of climate science on an issue of broad interest like global warming is to help educate the public and to provide useful input into the policy process. Governments, corporations, and individuals should listen to and learn from the science, just as intelligent people listen to their physicians when their health is in question. Good science input can inform wise policymaking. The role of scientists is to help assess the science and present it in an intelligible way that is policy relevant."
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REVIEWS
Praise for the first edition of The Forgiving Air: Understanding Environmental Change
"An elegant explication of the environmental and human forces changing the atmosphere, written for non-scientists and including the history of scientific discoveries which pioneered current environmental concerns."
-- Book News
"Aware citizens who seek authoritative information about potentially devastating atmospheric changes will find this book user-friendly, with technical definitions deftly interwoven into anecdotal descriptions."
-- Choice
"An exceptionally accessible and current account of the greatest environmental challenges of our time,... an inside look at the process of science,... the author possesses the rare ability to communicate technical subject matter in a clear, jargon-free form,... a must-read for teachers of current topics in Earth system science."
-- Earth Pulse News
"The Forgiving Air is a fascinating, well-written book, which nonscientists can easily understand... It could be used as a supplementary text in a college-level course on global change for nonscience majors. A helpful glossary, bibliography, and list of original sources are included."
-- Geotimes
"This well-written, timely volume contains much illuminating information... A serious reading of this book - especially by our youth and politicians - would result in a useful intellectual guideline for recognizing needed public policies."
-- Science Books and Film
"Somerville ... has performed a useful service by explaining these events in simple prose, with scholarly modesty about what is actually known, and interesting side remarks on the complex character of modern science and the diverse motivations of its practitioners."
-- Foreign Affairs
"Intended for the general public and written by an atmospheric scientist, the book offers the first up-to-date scientific guide to global change."
-- Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society
"A stunningly readable little book about global change, an antidote for overwrought tracts about the ozone hole and greenhouse effect. Engaging insights."
-- San Diego Union Tribune
"A clear authoritative overview of one of the most controversial - and important - subjects in science today. This book gets timelier by the minute."
-- Jonathan Weiner, Pulitzer Prize winner
Early Reactions to the Second Edition
"Richard Somerville is one of the world's top climate scientists. He's also one of the clearest when it comes to explaining climate science and policy. His book is the ultimate resource for students, educators, and policy makers seeking to understand one of the most critical issues of our times."
-- James Gustave Speth, dean of the Yale University School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and author of 'The Bridge at the Edge of the World'
"An important revision to a wonderful, readable introduction to Earth's environment and our impact on it. The recent scientific advances covered in this edition underline the importance of the topic to all of us on the planet."
-- Sally K. Ride, Ph.D., former astronaut, CEO of Sally Ride Science
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|
|
THE FORGIVING AIR
UNDERSTANDING ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE, 2nd EDITION
by Richard C. J. Somerville
FULLY UPDATED AND REVISED with the latest advances in climate science and policy
© 2008, 224 pages paperback
ISBN 13: 978-1-878220-85-1
List: $22; AMS Member: $16
AMS Order Code: TFA
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Richard Somerville is Distinguished Professor Emeritus and Research Professor at 