A Global Warming Primer: Answering Your Questions About The Science, The Consequences, and The Solutions

by Jeffrey O. Bennett

2017 NSTA, Outstanding Science Trade Books
2017 Children's Book Council, Best STEM Books
Nautilus Book Award, Silver, Ecology and Environment

Is human-induced global warming a real threat to our future? Most people will express an opinion on this question, but relatively few can back their opinions with solid evidence. Many times we’ve even heard pundits say “I am not a scientist” to avoid the issue altogether. But the truth is, the basic science is not that difficult. Using a question and answer format, this book will help readers achieve three major To see that anyone can understand the basic science of global warming;  To understand the arguments about this issue made by skeptics, so that readers will be able to decide for themselves what to believe; To understand why, despite the “gloom and doom” that often surrounds this topic, the solutions are ones that will not only protect the world for our children and grandchildren, but that will actually lead us to a stronger economy with energy that is cheaper, cleaner, and more abundant than the energy we use today.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Climate Change, Environment

128 pages, Paperback

Published September 1, 2016

Reviews

[Tom Schulte · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gentle yet detailed introduction to climate science and the evidence for and effects of fossil-fuel related climate change. There are plenty of point-by-point approaches to sceptics' arguments. Any non-expert can learn something here. I learned that carbon isotope and oxygen lowering are atmospheric evidence that rising carbon greenhouse gases are from burning fossil fuels and not other natural causes.

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent study in global climate change for both the science versed and the novice. Data is explained clearly. Arguments, where they exist, are described and then clearly reasoned through. I would love for each of my science students and fellow science teachers to read this book. Highly recommended.

[Marcie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am adding this as one of my professional books of the year. Although it is really for high school students. I found it one of the clearest books for adults as well. Thanks Dr. Bennett!

[Iamasteriix · Rating 1 out of 5]

I mostly didn't like this book, and the taste soured when Bennett somehow brought a misguided take on Socialism into the debate that didn't even need to be there. His rhetoric carries a naive realism to it in a way that is blatantly patronizing, and his arguments, while substantive, predicate on a lot of appeal to authority, half-baked convictions, and bad analogies. Throughout the book, I kept wondering if his rhetoric would convince anyone who did not share his opinion on climate change because he kept saying things like if you don't believe x, it doesn't make sense and scientists say y and models prove z, so it must make sense. He gave me my answer with his last solution when he said:

Whether or not you favor government regulation in general, and whether or not you favor an unfettered free market in general, in this particular case the market economics are sufficiently clear to make the case for a carbon tax one that almost everyone can agree on.

On top of being absurd, this is very ironic. First, there are way better solutions to the climate crisis that literally everything he talked about in the Solutions section. Better food management across the world could reduce food greenhouse gas emissions by up to 30%. I could on, but I only wanted to emphasize that his solutions are thoughtless.

I find it silly that earlier he said that switching to natural gas would not be enough because we would still have some carbon emissions instead of none, then his best solution involved "trading carbon emissions," so to speak.

Also, he literally tells us twice (which he really didn't have to) that he is a believer in the power of the free market, so let's take a look at a few things the free market does to skirt around carbon taxes where they have been enforced:

corporations relocate production facilities to countries/regions with lower or no carbon taxes to avoid higher production costs. Unless every government on the globe agrees and enforces a standard, this merely closes one gate and opens another.
corporations also invest in carbon capture technologies that are currently demonstrably inefficient to benefit from tax credits without reducing their emissions.
greenwashing is also a thing that exists. BP literally invented "the carbon footprint" to guilt-trip regular people and excuse themselves from their horrible impact on the planet!

These are a few examples of the power of the free market that Bennett naively expects us to simply agree with because it is "common sense."

Also, does he think Right-wing citizens are children? I genuinely found it interesting at the beginning when he invoked Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher to start his book, but towards the end, I realized he only used it as some sort of bait to patronize right-wing climate deniers, a stupid strategy if you ask me. I don't understand what he thought he was doing with those quotes. Did he really believe that quoting a few Right-wing politicians will somehow convince climate-change skeptics' minds? If not, why include those specific quotes?

There also exists a nascent tone of American exceptionalism in a few parts of the book, but the part that disgusted me the most was when he said that oil money has been used to fund enemies of democracy and freedom. This is very absurd!

He does acknowledge that his solutions will be opinionated, but I think he was right to think that he should have ended the book without providing them.

[Eduardo Bracher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Global warming primer: answering your questions about the science, the consequences and the solutions

I searched for a book that could give me a solid foundation on global warming after reading the NYT article “Losing Earth, the decade we almost stopped climate change”. First of all, I was impressed to see how many publications are written by authors with an intent of contesting the facts and importance of climate change. Fortunately, Jeffrey Bennett’s is a well researched and well referenced book that gives an in-depth explanation of the relevant aspects of the subject: the basic physics, meteorological changes, addressing clearly each of the many questions sceptics usually pose to contest the importance of global warming, the dire consequences of allowing it to continue unchecked and the possible solutions available. Written with an even-minded line of argumentation and avoiding taking a partisan position, his prose is fluid and interesting and the question and answer format works very well: after reading each question you get curious to know what the possible answer might be. A number of charts and figures illustrate clearly quantitative aspects of the problem and references to a number of interesting websites help broaden the theme as you read each chapter. It is a great introductory book on a subject that is becoming more important by the day.

[David Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read and really impressed with how well the author, Jeffrey Bennett is able to explain the science of global warming; and great that he cuts through the political noise too. I liked how he addressed the skeptics too with helpful explanations. The ideas to reduce the carbon dioxide entering the atmosphere and oceans are interesting such as finding ways to commercially implement nuclear fusion with hydrogen; microbes and solar energy from space.

Worth reading for sure! I am curious on how we solve issues in our diesel fueled supply chain — it appears far off to move freight using renewables or electric vehicles at this time; and this supply chain makes it possible to feed so many people who are rich and poor so I wonder if the socialized part of us effectively subsidizing fossil fuels (by not paying for the additional damage they do)—. is offset already by our ability to feed so many people. With 2021 inflation, and supply chain issues largely but not fully caused by our heavy demand for oil I wonder how close we are to a solution in fossil fuel reduction, but it would be interesting how Mr Bennet considers those issues— and I’m sure he probably does as he put much thought into this book.

I highly recommend this book!

[Jeremy Spinks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent book that pretty much answered all my questions about global warming. It started out strong but got progressively less rigorous with each section. When it stuck to the issues for which the science is conclusive it was great. When it ventured into areas that required more speculation and conjecture it became less informative and less convincing. Nevertheless, it addressed the topics I needed addressed, specifically skeptics’ claims about the severity of the problem, the postulated mechanisms of the indirect effects of global warming like increases in harmful weather activity and ocean acidification, and a rough overview of potential solutions.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Global Warming Primer is a great book for anyone with questions about global warming or who believes in global warming but can't give a good reason for why. It's written at a high school level, which is perfect for communicating a complex scientific topic to non-scientists (like me). At only 100 pages, it is well worth the minimum time investment to understand the basic principles behind global warming.

[Manske · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-argued case forAGWI at a basic level

A pretty good summary of the case for AGW, something I had not seen in one place in its entirety. Not entirely convincing but worth the exercise of understanding the rationale. Recommended for Alarmists or Skeptics or Lukewarmers.

[Scott Cox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book now and do what you can to save the world!

Everyone should read!
I am 70 years old and must apologize to my 4 grandchildren for what my generation has done and, unfortunately, continues to do. The book provides real solutions which I hope are followed!

[Thor Larsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little dated by now, but the ideas are relevant and definitely still hold true. Worth a read, and interestingly enough, some of the concepts illustrated can also be applied to the current pandemic (at least when viewed on a macro scale).

[Brad Jerris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bring on the deniers. I can now logical refute.

[Debra George]

Very informative. Clearly written

[Kirsten Coons · Rating 5 out of 5]

Climate change is real, and humans are to blame. We can also do something about it!

[Wendawg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great introduction to the climate crisis. Very digestible for readers of all ages.

[Tim Donnelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short, objective, and good introduction to the science behind climate change, responses to skeptics, and what can be done about it.

[Ford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally a global warming book that admits that nuclear energy is part of the solution not the problem. The fact his solution is a free market on real generation energy cost is also a plus for me. But my solution would be the nuclear option.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good intro to just the basics on climate science one needs to know to understand climate change.

Check out my book review here: https://skepticalscience.com/Book-Rev...

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very concise, but informative introduction to the subject for the layperson.

[Kyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful, short book delivering exactly what it says. Bennett does a nice job of laying out the logic for global warming, and then providing all of the data that climate scientists have accumulated over the past years in an easily accessible format. His question and answer method of pedagogy seems to be very effective to me, and it was a nice review of how we know that global warming is occurring, how we know it's due to human causes, and how we could possibly "fix" it.

While the author's (and my) views on this issue are obvious, Bennet also (appears to me, at least) do a good job of engaging a skeptic, and answering the questions that might come to a skeptic's mind in a convincing way. I encourage anyone to read about this very important issue, and to consider the arguments. They are extremely convincing.

[Enrico Bertini · Rating 4 out of 5]

That's a very nice little book on the science behind climate change. I was tired of listening to people debate about climate change and not being able to form an opinion for lack of knowledge (not that I expected people who engage in debates to be more knowledgeable than me). What is the basic science? What do we know? And what is it that we don't know yet?

If you, like me, feel like you need to understand the basics this is the book for you.

The book is very concise and yet it addresses many issues in sufficient depth. The author does a great job at explaining the science with a simple language and covers most of the important questions.

The book covers: the basic science, the main arguments climate change deniers have and how they relate to the existing science, what are possible solutions to the problem.

I particularly enjoyed the non-ideological approach the author uses and the way he covers a lot in such a small space. After reading it I feel like I have a much better grasp of the problem and most of the questions I had have been answered.

In short: if you want to educate yourself on what climate change is, what people think about it and what (pragmatic) options for possible solutions are, this is a great concise book to read in a few hours.

[Delford · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished this and I thought it was really well done. It explains the science of global warming very clearly and understandably. It breaks down some of the skepticism and discusses possible consequences and solutions. I would highly recommend it to anyone.