Usable thoughts [electronic resource] : climate, water, and weather in the twenty-first century / by Michael H. Glantz and Qian Ye.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Glantz, Michael H.

Contributor:

Ye, Qian.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Climatology.

Climatic changes--Effect of human beings on.

Climatic changes.

Weather forecasting.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (271 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

New York : United Nations University Press, c2010.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Short quotations are often used to stimulate thought and evoke discussion. The intention of this book is no less ambitious. Drawing upon a series of quotations taken from the World Meteorological Organization-sponsored publication, Climate: Into the 21st Century, the authors set out to encourage thought and discussion on the earth's climate system, including its interrelatedness to human society and the environment, the impact of climate variability, and climate extremes and change.

Contents:

CONTENTS; Figures; Preface; Acknowledgements; Abbreviations; About this Book; Introduction; Rates and processes of a changing climate: The year 2020 is the new 2050; 1 Our Perceptions of Climate; A century of discovery; What is climate?; The challenge of measuring global climate; Climate patterns; Implications of variability; Where people live; What people think about their climate; The possible impact of human activities; Our increasing vulnerability; Changing sensitivity to climate; Climate from historical accounts; Twentieth century climate change; 2 The Climate System

Our knowledge of climateWhich events matter?; Learning by experience; exploiting new technologies; Northern middle latitude winter storms; Drought and dust; Understanding tropical cyclones; Trends in tropical cyclone numbers; El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO); Drought in Africa; Human effects on climate: Urbanization; Human effects on climate: Greenhouse gases; Human effects on climate: Atmospheric particulates; Human effects on climate: Deforestation and desertification; Human effects on climate: Ozone layer depletion; 3 Impacts of a Varying Climate; Suffering and costs

The impacts of climate fluctuationsLearning from experience; Climate and biodiversity; Weather, climate and warfare; Major temperate zone droughts; Storm surges; Tropical storms; Sahel - the human consequences; Sahel - the nature of desertification; Floods around the world; ENSO - impact on agriculture; Other ENSO impacts; Heatwaves; Exceptional weather and climate events; Freshwater: Life's precious resource; 4 Climate for a Better Society; The rise of technology; Climate knows no boundaries; Serving society's needs; Tracking climate; Predicting the seasons; Food and fibre production

Energy and societyThe earth's freshwater resources; Seeking answers on climate change; 5 The Century Ahead; Immediate challenges; Adapting to future change; Protecting the planet and its people; Future surprises?; Concluding Thoughts; The Limits to Growth and The Kyoto Protocol: The need for"tipping point" assessments; Selected Reading

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

92-808-7155-2

OCLC:

697175314