This book updates a 2005 volume by this Australian author (Climate Change: Turning up the Heat), so it covers the 2007 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPPC) Reports, the Stern Review (2008), recent shifts in the ‘greenhouse’ policies of the USA, Australia and China, and the global economic downtown (2008–10). In one volume, the author presents a comprehensive and readable analysis of most aspects of climate change.

The first section presents evidence for recent accelerated global warming and its possible causes. The author, a major contributor to all four IPPC reports, has clear views on climate change, but he still addresses the doubts and scepticism of ‘contrarians’. The text then turns to forecasting future greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations, temperature and sea-level rises, with an assessment of likely impacts this century. Most climate models show wide ranges in their predicted outcomes, but the text includes a useful discussion of risks, uncertainty and the ‘precautionary principle’. The author concludes that action is needed urgently to limit the damaging effects of climate change, whilst recognizing the long time lags before GHG concentrations stabilize or even fall. The final chapters cover the political aspects of mitigation measures in terms of equity, both within and between countries, and the book ends with the author's statement of the targets, policies and actions needed to reduce emissions to ‘safe’ levels.

Agriculture and forestry receive special attention including their contribution to emissions, their role in carbon sequestration and the differential effects of climate change in different regions.

This comprehensive volume is strongly recommended for all who are concerned about climate change, from laypersons and students to policymakers.