Four Degrees of Global Warming: Australia in a Hot World

by Peter Christoff (editor)

At Copenhagen in December 2009, the international community agreed to limit global warming to below two degrees Celsius to avoid the worst impacts of human-induced climate change. However climate scientists agree that current national emissions targets collectively will still not achieve this goal. Instead, the 'ambition gap' between climate science and climate policy is likely to lead to average global warming of around four degrees Celsius by or before 2100. If a 'Four Degree World' is the de facto goal of policy, we urgently need to understand what this world might look like.Four Degrees of Global Australia in a Hot World outlines the expected consequences of this world for Australia and its region. Its contributors include many of Australia's most eminent and internationally recognized climate scientists, climate policy makers and policy analysts. They provide an accessible, detailed, dramatic, and disturbing examination of the likely impacts of a Four Degree World on Australia's social, economic and ecological systems.The book offers policy makers, politicians, students, and anyone interested climate change, access to the most recent research on potential Australian impacts of global warming, and possible responses.

Genres: Climate Change, Science, Nonfiction

270 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[Patrick Harrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a great resource about a depressing topic. Written in 2013 it really shows its age - when it gets to climate policy and is talking about a "global consensus" which has been effectively dismantled, particularly when it comes to carbon taxing or cap-and-trade schemes. So in a way this is a relic of climate policy that's since been left in the dustbin of history.

As a resource for climate science, though, particularly what will happen in Australia if we stick to business as usual emissions, it's the best I've ever read. Did you know that the east coast of Australia will suffer a lot more damaging hailstorms in a warmer world? I didn't.

Finally, Ross Garnaut's chapter made me scream. Endorsement of market-based solutions to climate change effectively amounts to being a climate pretender, someone who is actually not advocating for real change, when it's so clear that market mechanisms can't solve climate change, and we need direct social action to bring our emissions in line with the science.