"This fully illustrated reference for nonscientists and scientists alike is an updated and expanded revision of Robert Henson's The Rough Guide to Climate Change, previously published in the UK. It provides the most comprehensive, yet accessible, overview of where climate science stands today, acknowledging controversies but standing strong in its stance that the climate is changing - and something needs to be done."--Cover.

Includes index. "This book is derived from material originally published as The rough guide to climate change"--Title page verso.

Pt. 1. TheThe Pt. 2. The The Pt. 3. The The Pt. 4. The Pt. 5. What can you do?: Reducing your footprint and working for action : -- Getting started ; -- Home energy ; -- Transport and travel ; -- Shopping ; -- Offsetting Part 1. The basics : global warming in a nutshell. Climate change : a primer -- The greenhouse effect -- Who's responsible? -- Part 2. The symptoms : what's happening now, and what might happen in the future. Extreme heat -- Floods and droughts -- The big melt -- Oceans -- Hurricanes and other storms -- Ecosystems and agriculture -- Part 3. The science : how we know what we know about climate change. Keeping track -- The long view -- Circuits of change -- Part 4. Debates and solutions : from spats and spin to protecting the planet. A heated debate -- The predicament -- Political solutions -- Technological solutions -- Part 5. What can you do? : reducing your footprint and working for action. Getting started -- Home energy -- Transport and travel -- Shopping -- Offsetting.