Storms of My Grandchildren: The Truth About the Coming Climate Catastrophe and Our Last Chance to Save Humanity

by James Hansen

Overview

In his Q&A with Bill McKibben featured in the paperback edition of Storms of My Grandchildren, Dr. James Hansen, the world's leading climatologist, shows that exactly contrary to the impression the public has received, the science of climate change has become even clearer and sharper since the hardcover was released. In Storms of My Grandchildren, Hansen speaks out for the first time with the full truth about global warming: The planet is hurtling even more rapidly than previously acknowledged to a climatic point of no return. In explaining the science of climate change, Hansen paints a devastating but all-too-realistic picture of what will happen in our children's and grandchildren's lifetimes if we follow the course we're on. But he is also an optimist, showing that there is still time to take the urgent, strong action that is needed- just barely.
Praise for James Hansen and Storms of MyGrandchildren: "James Hansen gives us the opportunity to watch a scientist who is sick of silence and compromise ...offer up the fruits of four-plus decades of inquiry and ingenuity just in case he might change the course of history."-Los Angeles Times
"Dr. James Hansen is Paul Revere to the foreboding tyranny of climate chaos-a modern-day hero who has braved criticism and censure and put his career and fortune at stake to issue the call to arms against the apocalyptic forces of ignorance and greed."-Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
"When the history of the climate crisis is written, Hansen will be seen as the scientist with the most powerful and consistent voice calling for intelligent action to preserve our planet's environment."-Al Gore, Time magazine

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781608195022
Publisher:	Bloomsbury USA
Publication date:	12/21/2010
Pages:	336
Sales rank:	565,127
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Dr. James Hansen is perhaps best known for bringing global warming to the world's attention in the 1980s, when he first testified before Congress. An adjunct professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Columbia University and at Columbia's Earth Institute, and director of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, he is frequently called to testify before Congress on climate issues. Dr. Hansen's background in both space and earth sciences allows a broad perspective on the status and prospects of our home planet. This is his first book.

Table of Contents

Preface ix

1 The Vice President's Climate Task Force 1

2 The A-Team and the Secretary's Quandary 17

3 A Visit to the White House 28

4 Time Warp 59

5 Dangerous Reticence: A Slippery Slope 70

6 The Faustian Bargain: Humanity's Own Trap 90

7 Is There Still Time? A Tribute to Charles David Keeling 112

8 Target Carbon Dioxide: Where Should Humanity Aim? 140

9 An Honest, Effective Path 172

10 The Venus Syndrome 223

11 Storms of My Grandchildren 237

Afterword 271

Acknowledgments 278

Appendix 1 Key Differences with Contrarians 279

Appendix 2 Global Climate Forcings and Radiative Feedbacks 281

Q&A with Bill McKibben 282

Selected Sources 298

Index 303

Editorial Reviews

Dr. James Hansen is Paul Revere to the foreboding tyranny of climate chaos—a modern-day hero who has braved criticism and censure and put his career and fortune at stake to issue the call to arms against the apocalyptic forces of ignorance and greed.” —Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

“When the history of the climate crisis is written, Hansen will be seen as the scientist with the most powerful and consistent voice calling for intelligent action to preserve our planet's environment.” —Al Gore, Time magazine

“Rich in invaluable insights into the geopolitics as well as the geophysics of climate change, Hansen's guaranteed-to-be-controversial manifesto is the most comprehensible, realistic, and courageous call to prevent climate change yet. It belongs in every library.” —Booklist (starred review)

“Here Hansen takes off the gloves … As the author writes, we're simply out of time. With urgency and authority, Hansen urges readers to speak out—taking to the streets if necessary—to protect the Earth from calamity for the sake of their children and grandchildren.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“This is not the best-written science book ever, nor the easiest to understand. But it could be the most important one you'll ever read. It's not too late to avert disaster, Hansen says, but we need to change tack fast.” —New Scientist

“In Storms of My Grandchildren: The Truth About the Coming Climate Catastrophe and Our Last Chance to Save Humanity, James Hansen gives us the opportunity to watch a scientist who is sick of silence and compromise; a scientist at the breaking point — the point at which he is willing to sacrifice his credibility to make a stand to avert disaster, to offer up the fruits of four-plus decades of inquiry and ingenuity just in case he might change the course of history…An urgent book.” —Los Angeles Times

“Read these two books and you will become both a knowledgeable eyewitness to our unfolding crisis, and even an advocate for change.” —The Lincoln Journal Star

“Jim Hansen is the planet's great hero. He offered us the warning we needed twenty years ago, and has worked with enormous courage ever since to try and make sure we heeded it. We'll know before long if that effort bears fruit—if it does, literally no one deserves more credit than Dr. Hansen.” —Bill McKibben, coordinator 350.org and author of The End of Nature

“If you want to know the scientific consensus on global warming, read the reports by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. But if you want to know what the consensus will be ten years from now, read Jim Hansen's work.” —Dr. Chuck Kutscher, National Renewable Energy Laboratory and American Solar Energy Society (ASES), editor of ASES report "Tackling Climate Change in the U.S."

“This is "An Inconvenient Truth" on steroids. The book is well written, well presented, captivating, and depressing. The perfect Christmas gift for your favorite climate geek, or even your favorite denialist!” —Greg Laden's Blog

“Hands down the best, most informative, brilliantly written book on general climate science I've ever read…The book seamlessly integrates that original analysis and the latest scientific findings with the author's growing realization that the news is bad, getting worse, and too many elected leaders are either green-washing the issue or denying it exists…Readers from all across the political spectrum will quickly come to respect the fiercely independent, brutally honest Hansen as he heaps both encouragement and criticism equally on people and party…Storms of my Grandchildren will make an ideal Christmas gift for the science aficionado or climate change skeptic in your life, especially on the tight budgets plaguing so many Americans this year.” —DailyKos.com

From the Publisher