"This book argues that in spite of extreme views in the media, reasonable scientists agree that human activity has significantly increased greenhouse gases in the atmosphere (dramatically so since the 1970s), and that there is good reason for concern. Kerry Emanuel explains the basic science of global warming to non-experts and shows why it is very difficult to predict when it will have a dramatic effect on the climate. Nonetheless, change will come. Emanuel warns of more intense hurricanes, flooding, and the advancing of deserts, and he calls for urgent action to reduce greenhouse gases. He also blasts the media for underreporting the dangers of global warming: in search of a "balanced" story, journalists have turned to extremists in the scientific community to find people who will deny the problem. In addition, he suggests some solutions for reducing the threat of global warming. The second edition is updated throughout and covers two main developments that have occurred since publication of the first edition. The first development is the next round of the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) climate simulations, Assessment Report Five (AR5), which will provide an update on projections of climate change in the future.

The second development is the so-called climategate incident and the subsequent collapse of U.S. popular and political support for dealing with climate change. This is mostly a political phenomenon, and Emanuel provides some insight into what happened and the consequences going forward"--Provided by publisher.