The introduction by a climate scientist gives a brief
mention of the years of work that have gone into
determining the cause of the rapid and accelerating
climate
changes we see today. Within one human lifespan we see the
results of accumulated industrial generations. A human
cause is given as the biggest factor for this CLIMATE
PERIL. Thus, people are responsible for the sea rise, sea
warming, glacier melt, forest fires and massive species
extinctions we now see. The book explains what the
observed occurrences are in each area, and the probable
outcome.
The author John J Berger has been working in the field for
forty years and has tried to write a book which is easily
accessible to newcomers to this topic, as well as to those
with background knowledge. The facts are simple but
staggering; half the Earth's population lives in coastal
areas, for example. Typhoons and hurricanes now pick up
more heat from water so become stronger and more
devastating when they hit land. Sea levels are rising
fast.
Earth's population is rising fastest in less developed
areas, which are more vulnerable to climate impact.
Berger states that in forty years we will have raised the
global temperature by 3.6 degrees. This is regarded as the
teetering edge between bad and catastrophic. Because of
the
added carbon dioxide in the air, the sea has absorbed much
of this gas and become acidic, eating away at coral and
shells of shellfish. Even if emissions were sharply cut,
Berger explains that the system will be unable to right
itself for thousands of years. By 2100 the globe could be
7
- 10 degrees hotter. This means obvious problems like
summer heat, extra irrigation and spread of insects and
disease. With the Arctic Ocean bare of ice, more heat will
be absorbed by dark water than reflected by pale surfaces,
and plankton now living under Arctic ice will be exposed
to
storms, so northern krill, fish, walruses, seals, polar
bears and whales will be virtually extinct. Greenland and
Antarctica will both continually lose enormous coatings of
land ice, raising the sea by half a foot every ten years.
On land, Berger says groundwater tables will drop in the
blistering heat, so both wells and crops will suffer
worldwide. Permafrost will melt, lakes shrink and
wildfires rage. Food prices will rise. Chemical plants,
waste dumps, nuclear plants and fuel depots will have to
be
moved from shore areas or be swamped by a steadily more
contaminated ocean. Cities will have to be expensively
protected, then evacuated inland. Rivers will dry up
without glaciers and snowmelt. Refugees will move country.
Disaster relief funds will be called on all too frequently
and a fatalistic 'compassion fatigue' will finally settle
on many taxpayers.
Continent by continent we see how the severe climate and
water issues will affect our future, with tourism a dying
income source and insufficient resources to protect
everyone. The most populous, corrupt and backward
countries
will be least prepared for change. The chapters describing
the climate system and how we measure change are rather
complex for a reader with no knowledge of the topic.
However I expect that most people have by now gained a
working knowledge of why our world is getting warmer and
storms are getting worse. We learn about climate
thresholds
and tipping points, why deforestation reduces rainfall and
how the Mayan civilisation collapsed due to prolonged
drought. The East Siberian Sea is supersaturated with
methane bubbling out of the sea floor, which has been
frozen for millennia. Useful photos, maps and charts help
us to understand the points being made. We also hear from
scientists, naturalists, world leaders and journalists,
such as Pulitzer Prize winning reporter Joel Brinkley, who
tells us that Iran is drying up and blowing away in
massive, almost daily dust storms.
There will be a follow-up book called Climate Solutions in
which the author will put forward the many ways in which
the most intelligent species on the planet can resolve the
looming threats. For the moment he looks just briefly at
taxing habits like smoking and gambling, closing corporate
tax loopholes and taxing hedge funds and security trading
to gain the resources to fund carbon-free energy
generation, such as solar, while suggesting removing the
global subsidies on fossil fuels. I was surprised to see
that Berger believes reducing emissions and taking
restorative measures 'has stuck in America's collective
craw' - Europe has been doing this for many years, to the
extent that Germany generates half its power from non-
fossil fuel sources. All temperatures in the American
edition are given in Fahrenheit, which scientists in
general do not use, and feet and inches are used instead
of
the metric system. I see no reason why these measures
could
not have been written in two scales. Otherwise CLIMATE
PERIL by John J Berger is a serious, scary and all-too
real
read.
In an easily accessible work of enormous scope and depth,
John J. Berger vividly evokes the looming hazards of a
warmer world. Based on the latest climate science, Climate
Peril reveals that the impacts of climate change on our
health, economy, and environment are far worse—and more
imminent—than many realize. The book identifies the
obstacles to climate protection and shows why steep and
unprecedented—yet affordable—cuts in greenhouse gases are
needed now to avert a global climate catastrophe.
Climate Peril portrays the radically altered world we will
create in 2100 A.D. if greenhouse gas emissions are not
reduced and documents the rapid and unnatural climate
change already taking place. The book explores all major
consequences of climate change, especially its astonishing
impacts on the economy, human health, other species, and
the oceans. Among other awesome risks, Climate Peril
describes the billions of ton of carbon lurking in ocean
sea beds and thawing permafrost and the global danger of
crossing an invisible threshold beyond which catastrophic
climate changes become inevitable.
While its conclusions are alarming, Climate Peril is above
all a realistic and authoritative book that you can use to
better understand how climate change may affect you and
your family.
Climate Peril is the second of a three book series. Volume
1, Climate Myths, focused on the political campaign waged
against climate science. Volume 3, Climate Solutions
(forthcoming), shows how to create a climate-safe world by
radically transforming global energy, transportation, and
land use practices.
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