The field of climate change is a rapidly advancing science. In the time it takes for a textbook to go from its final draft to the printed copy, much of the science has moved on, certainties strengthened, and new avenues of inquiry have opened within the field that might previously had been closed. It is therefore extremely difficult to find an up-to-date textbook for a course like this. I will also carefully express my opinion that the field of climate science still lacks their version of a Stephen J. Gould, Carl Sagan, or Neil deGrasse Tyson, who can communicate the complex and multidisciplinary science of climate change in an approachable and consistently understandable language. Until such a person arises and writes the definitive guide to climate change for undergraduates, I will not require a textbook in this class.
That said, it is very useful to “hear” the materials from lecture explained and covered by different voices. For this purpose, I can recommend any of the following books as optional reading material for this class. None of these are required to do well in the course. Some of these cover only part of the material that I cover, others cover more, and yet others cover the material at a lower or higher level. None of these books cover ALL of the materials we will talk about in this class.
Dire Predictions: The Visual Guide to the Findings of the IPCC, Second Edition (2015) by Michael Mann and Lee R. Kump (Used at Amazon.com)
Earth’s Climate: Past and Future, Third Edition (2014) by William F. Ruddiman
Global Climate Change (2011) by Orrin Pilkey and Keith C. Pilkey ONLINE VERSION HERE
Global Warming: The Complete Briefing, Fifth Edition (2015) by John Houghton ONLINE HERE (3rd Edition)
Introduction to Modern Climate Change, Second Edition (2016) by Andrew Dessler ONLINE HERE (1st Edition)
What we Know about Climate Change, Updated Edition (2018) by Kerry Emanuel and Bob Inglis ONLINE HERE
The Rough Guide to Climate Change; Symptoms, Science, Solutions, Third Edition (2011) by Robert Henson (Used at amazon.com)
The Weather Makers: How Man is Changing the Climate and What it Means for Life on Earth (2007) by Tim Flannery
DISCLAIMER: All of my exams are based on information I provide in my lectures. Whenever the books differ from my lectures, the latter are the final authority on exams.
