Book contents
- Climate Change Science
- Reviews
- Climate Change Science
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Epigraph
- Contents
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- Part IEight Articles from the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
- 1Reflections on the UN Climate Change Negotiations in Bali
- 2The Passing of a Climate Prodigy
- 3Climate Change, Irreversibility, and Urgency
- 4Climate Change and the 2016 Election
- 5How to Deal with Climate Change Denying Uncle Pete
- 6Wildfires and Climate Change
- 7Facts and Opinions about Climate Change
- 8Weaning a House and the World from Fossil Fuels
- Part IIUnderstanding and Communicating Climate Change Science
- Part IIIScientific Investigations of the Climate System
- Part IVThe Future
- Appendix: Curriculum Vitae of Richard C. J. Somerville
- Glossary
- Resources: Recommended Websites and Books
- References
- Index
6 - Wildfires and Climate Change
from Part I - Eight Articles from the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 13 November 2025
Book contents
- Climate Change Science
- Reviews
- Climate Change Science
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Epigraph
- Contents
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- Part IEight Articles from the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
- 1Reflections on the UN Climate Change Negotiations in Bali
- 2The Passing of a Climate Prodigy
- 3Climate Change, Irreversibility, and Urgency
- 4Climate Change and the 2016 Election
- 5How to Deal with Climate Change Denying Uncle Pete
- 6Wildfires and Climate Change
- 7Facts and Opinions about Climate Change
- 8Weaning a House and the World from Fossil Fuels
- Part IIUnderstanding and Communicating Climate Change Science
- Part IIIScientific Investigations of the Climate System
- Part IVThe Future
- Appendix: Curriculum Vitae of Richard C. J. Somerville
- Glossary
- Resources: Recommended Websites and Books
- References
- Index
Summary
Hillel, some 2,000 years ago, gave a brief explanation of the five books of the Torah. These books are known to Christians as the first five books of the Old Testament. Hillel said, “Treat others as you would wish them to treat you. That is the entire Torah. The rest is commentary. Now go and study.” I am certainly not Hillel, science is obviously not religion, and the IPCC reports are not the Torah. But I think the essence of the most recent IPCC report can be summarized in 12 succinct points. Here they are: It is warming. It is us. It has not stopped. The heat is mainly in the sea. Sea level is rising. Ice is shrinking. CO2 makes oceans more acidic. CO2 in the air is up 50% since the 1800s. It is now the highest in millions of years. Cumulative emissions set the warming. Reducing emissions limits the warming. Climate change will last for centuries.
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- Climate Change ScienceAn Essential Reader, pp. 29 - 32Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2025
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