The Global Warming Reader: A Century of Writing About Climate Change

by Bill McKibben

This is a book for all of students, activists, Earthlings. Edited by perhaps the most widely-respected writer on the environment today, GWR is a comprehensive resource that collects seminal texts and voices on climate change from the phenomenon’s discovery in the late 19th century to the present. What is happening to our planet—and what can we do about it? This collection, which includes criticism of the very concept of global warming (by doubters U.S. Sen. James Inhofe and Michael Crichton), attempts to answer these all-important questions.
Divided into three parts—Science, Politics, and Meaning—the book contains a transcript of NASA scientist James Hansen's testimony before the U.S. Congress; George Monbiot's biting, convincing indictment of who is really using up the planet's resources; Elizabeth Kolbert's groundbreaking essay “The Darkening Sea,” and excerpts from the work of Al Gore, Naomi Klein, and many others. Even in this age of electronic archives, GWR is essential, as much for Bill McKibben's selection and introductions as it is for its broad spectrum of content.
Including original introductory paragraphs to each selection by the editor.

Genres: Environment, Climate Change, Science, Nonfiction, History, Sustainability, School

424 pages, Nook

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Bill McKibben is the author of Eaarth, The End of Nature, Deep Economy, Enough, Fight Global Warming Now, The Bill McKibben Reader, and numerous other books. He is the founder of the environmental organizations Step It Up and 350.org, and was among the first to warn of the dangers of global warming. In 2010 The Boston Globe called him "probably the nation's leading environmentalist," and Time magazine has called him "the world's best green journalist." He studied at Harvard, and started his writing career as a staff writer at The New Yorker. The End of Nature, his first book, was published in 1989 and was regarded as the first book on climate change for a general audience. He is a frequent contributor to magazines and newspapers including The New York Times, The Atlantic Monthly, Harper's, Orion Magazine, Mother Jones, The New York Review of Books, Granta, Rolling Stone, and Outside. He has been awarded Guggenheim Fellowship and won the Lannan Prize for nonfiction writing in 2000. He is a scholar in residence at Middlebury College and lives in Vermont with his wife, the writer Sue Halpern, and their daughter.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/billmc...

Reviews

[Stephie Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a collection of pieces written about global warming and its associated climate change. It is divided it to three parts: science, politics, and impact. The pieces in the science section cover research done over the past one hundred years or so; the pieces in the politics section present both sides of the issue—the science based and the science skeptics, although the majority are on the science side; the pieces in the impacts section look on the effects of global warming, both in general and more specific, like the greater impact on the poorer nations.

As in most anthologies, the quality and interest of the contributions varies, but Bill McKibben, the editor does a good job over all with his selections. I should mention that the two sides given coverage in the politics section are not given to give both sides a fair hearing, but rather to see the cherry picking and denials of the the science skeptics, as that side presents them. I'm sure that someone somewhere writing on war said--”know thy enemy.”

The book should be of interest to those who want to understand more on global warming in all its different aspects. It should also serve to broaden ones experience on what has been written on global warming. For the science skeptic it would probably all seem absurd, except those pieces written from their perspective.

[Cherie · Rating 4 out of 5]

B+ Some good stuff in here - a lot of historical stuff, but really gives a good picture of global warming in various ways.

[Rajiv Chopra · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The Global Warming Reader” by Bill McKibben is an excellent book. It is good for anyone who wants to get a broad picture of the discussions that have taken place around climate change.

He has divided the book into three sections–science, politics and impact.

It is interesting to go through the book to get a broad sweep on how the scientific discussions about climate change have developed over the decades.

Bill has been fair in presenting both sides of the political argument. His sympathies are apparent, but he does not attempt to influence the reader. This is good.

The section that discusses the impact of climate change is, in my view, weak. It could be better.

He should update this book. Bill published this in 2011. A lot has happened in the years that have followed the book’s publication.

[Tim Dunn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a decent collection, with diverse perspectives and some important historical sources. But many of the excerpts are a little too short, some are somewhat dull and not especially informative. It is hard to put together anything like a definitive collection of readings on a topic our knowledge of which is constantly changing and expanding. A good supplement, but readers wanting more detail will need to look for additional sources.

[nisha bouri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Science. Get with it, people.

[Thierry · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very sobering read indeed... Written ten years ago, and what have we done since? Exactly nothing. We are doomed.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bill McKibben has put together an excellent introduction and overview of the single most important issue our world is facing. I got exactly what I was looking for - an overview for the lay reader struggling to understand and make sense of a complex, highly technical topic. He divides the book into three section: Science, Politics and Impact. I struggled to understand some of the information in the Science section, but I understood enough to feel like I can talk more intelligently about it. The Politics and Impact selections were just what I wanted. My only criticism is that the impacts of global warming and our understanding of it are developing so rapidly that this two-year-old book already feels outdated. For background and history of this issue, however, it is a fabulous introduction.

[John Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an outstanding collection of various key documents in the history of our understanding of global warming. It provides both an informative view into the history of the science behind global warming and a broad collection of responses to this reality, which makes this book both extremely gripping and very useful as a reference.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

“The Global Warming Reader”, edited by environmentalist Bill McKibben, provides a good overview of the climate crisis and global warming over the past hundred years. The book is divided into three sections: science, politics, and impact. Each section contains environmental writings by people from all walks of life, including a few by Mr. McKibben. It is a worthwhile read.

[Fei · Rating 3 out of 5]

A rather diverse collection of writing on climate change. I enjoyed the ocean acidification article and letters from the religious leaders. It was also interesting (and infuriating) to read what the right wing climate skeptics thought. However, many of the articles were truncated for length and some were barely mentions, which made for frustrating reading.

[Julianne Will · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great and scary at the same time. A must-read. It looks at climate change from political, scientific, journalistic and sociological perspectives. And it makes very clear the fact that we must do something now.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-have book for the sustainability nerd, with many of the key essays in the history of the climate change issue.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Earlier readings were drier and boring. Otherwise a fantastic book and very informative

[Johnny Le Bon · Rating 3 out of 5]

[Eri Yamaguchi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read book about global warming

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well-rounded collection of scientific, political, and experiential viewpoints on climate change.