Climate And Society: Climate As Resource, Climate As Risk

by Nico Stehr, Hans Von Storch

Overview

Climate and Society presents from a transdisciplinary view, climate and its changes, impact and perception. The history of climate and its different approaches over time — which are anthropocentric and more system-oriented, academic and application-driven — are reviewed, as are the possibilities of managing climate, in particular by steering the greenhouse gas emissions. Most importantly, the concepts of climate as a resource for societies are discussed and the emergence of climate non-constancy and its impact, studied. In essence, this book provides an absorbing account of the cultural history of climate and relates it to contemporary scientific knowledge about climate, climate change and its impact.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9789814280532
Publisher:	World Scientific Publishing Company, Incorporated
Publication date:	08/28/2009
Pages:	152
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.60(d)

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements v

1 Overview 1

2 A Historical Overview of Thinking about Climate 5

3 Climate as Limiting Condition and Resource 11

3.1 Climate as an Environmental Experience 13

3.2 Climate as a Scientific System 31

3.3 Climate as a Social Construct 43

3.4 Society and Humans as a Climate Construct 46

4 Climate as Risk and Hazard 61

4.1 The History of Ideas about Climate Change 65

4.2 Natural Climate Variability 71

4.3 Excursus: Who Owns the Weather in 2025? 79

4.4 Anthropogenic Climate Change 82

4.5 Climate Change as a Social Construct 95

4.6 The History of Anthropogenic Climate Catastrophes 106

4.7 The Influence of Climate Changes on Society 112

5 Zeppelin Manifesto on Climate Protection 129

6 Summary and Prospects 135

Index 139