Earth's Climate: Past and Future

by William F. Ruddiman

At a time when the evidence is stronger than ever that human activity is the primary cause for global climate change, William Ruddiman's breakthrough text returns in a thoroughly updated new edition. It offers a clear, engaging, objective portrait of the current state of climate science, including compelling recent findings on anthropogenic global warming and important advances in understanding past climates.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Textbooks, Geology, School, Environment, Academic

464 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[Kelsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone with zero science background, I found Earth's Climate to be incredibly helpful in understanding climate change. The first few chapters explain the different ways how scientists study climate. Ruddiman then starts back in time and moves forward to look at climate change. Each chapter is packed with information, but in a good way - no word is unnecessary. However, since it is so dense in that way, it's incredibly difficult to retain all the information. This book is great to read (slowly), talk about with others, reread, and keep for reference.
Ruddiman wrote in a way that was easy to understand, but it didn't feel 'dumbed down'. A great intro into climate science and to get real information on how climate has naturally changed compared with the rate it's changing nowadays due to us humans.

[Magali S.]

Read it for the 2nd time ✌🏼 #nerd #AstronomicalClimateForcings&TimeScales

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s a science textbook, so uhhh, dry yet enagaging and cleverly organized. Ruddiman is a legend in the climate change-a-sphere and takes us 4 1/2 mya to Earth’s beginnings to bring us to the current anthropogenic climate disruptions to make his case. My main critique would be that it is dire need of an update since there is an abundance of research that needs to be added.

Which brings me to Professor Coats at the U of U, who taught this class with his TAs Cam and Marti, who all owned the semester. Great time and would rate their teaching
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 👏🏻

[Alex]

The things I will miss about this class; Ed referring to Russia as the Soviet Union, my TF roasting Ed and backseat teaching the class, my ability to turn on the lecture and go to sleep.

Things I will not miss; everything else xoxo <3

[Lia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful layout, very informative chapters, easy to navigate (ebook)... I enjoyed diving into so many aspects of Earth's climate and all the earth system knowledge in this book. I had two climate change classes during the same semester (one was an honors course), and it was interesting to have the two textbooks enhance each other and go beyond each other in different directions or with different emphases, and to see the differing interests and backgrounds of the authors. I would recommend reading multiple textbooks on the same subject for those dynamics and the richer learning.

The other textbook was "Global Climate Change: Convergence of Disciplines" by Arnold J. Bloom.

[Saskia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even for people who are not going to university, but are interested in paleoclimate, I can recommend this! It is a great starting point to understand the concepts of the past climate and how it has changes throughout. It illustrates all the feedbacks really good and has a constant style with its figures, which makes it easy to access. All the graphs that show timeseries are reduced to the basics, so that you don't get too intimidated and can focus on the main message. There are only a few equations in it, which are kept really simple to demonstrate how certain aspects influence something. Overall this book focuses on the understanding of the dynamics rather than the mathematical description.

[Philip · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, it's a textbook...

... so it's mostly pretty boring despite dealing with some really fascinating stuff.

So yeah, it's very interesting; and, in short, a pretty good primer/baseline for reading climate-related articles and books without having to take them at their word.
Seriously, it can't hurt to understand some of the basic processes and tendencies that so much of climate change is based on - and here it is, packaged with pretty pictures and (mostly dull) facts-boxes... at a "very special price for you"* ;)

*No, seriously, get the cheap(er) paperback version; and I'm sure you can find an as-new "used" one from your friendly neighborhood (D) college student!

[Peter Tillman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very nice, well-written, interesting ideas: but (almost) no cites! Ruddiman gets points for avoiding fashionable alarmism, and dealing with real science, but I don't know why he didn't include source notes. Still, a valuable textbook. 3.7 stars

[Dejanira Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

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[Soefae · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a good introduction textbook for someone (like me!) who has never looked into climate change.

[Gabriella]

i (partially) read this for my climate change class. it was supposed to be supplemental to what we were learning in the lectures, but it was just mostly unnecessary for me. the writing is dense and full of technical knowledge, so i wouldn't recommend it for anything other than actual studying.

[Henrik Haapala · Rating 5 out of 5]

As course literature great, in climate science 2009-2012.