Climate change

Climate Change continues to provoke debate and this book is aimed at providing the layman with enough information to engage in the debate in an informed way by presenting both sides of the key arguments in a manner comprehensible to the non-scientist. Climate has always been changing, but the problem now is the rate of change which is ten times faster than it has ever been and which could lead to a rapid rise in sea level, violent monsoons and tropical storms, severe floods and extreme droughts. There would be rapid population movement with social, political and economic implications. The more rapid rise in temperature is largely due to the burning of fossil fuels which provide most of our energy. The author concludes that, to keep Climate Change within acceptable limits, at least half our energy must come from renewable sources by 2050 and we must stop burning fossil fuels altogether before 2100. We shall eventually have to find alternatives to fossil fuels as reserves are finite. The author shows wind power will be the most important energy source but nuclear energy will also be needed. We have enough land to grow the biofuels needed for transport and still produce enough food for a population which, by 2100, may have leveled off at about 10 billion. The energy must also be available when and where it is needed and supply must be reliable and secure. Overall the author is optimistic. It will be possible to limit Global Warming and Climate Change to an acceptable level if the world takes the problem seriously now and if there is agreement among the major consumers.