Includes bibliographical references (pages 269-285) and index.

Machine generated contents note: -- ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS -- PREFACE: Why You Need To Know About Climate Change -- I. Climate Science Basics -- What is the greenhouse effect and how does it warm the Earth? -- Why are scientists so certain the climate system is warming? -- How does global warming increase sea levels and what has been observed to date? -- Where does most of human-caused warming go? -- What fraction of recent global warming is due to human causes vs. natural causes? -- How certain are climate scientists that humans are the primary cause of recent warning? -- How do scientists know that recent climate change is primarily caused by human activities? -- Why has the climate changed in the past, before there were human-caused greenhouse gas emissions? -- What are the climate system's amplifying feedbacks, which turn a moderate initial warming into a big ultimate warming? -- Is the current level of atmospheric CO2 concentration unprecedented in human history? -- Are recent climatic changes unprecedented? -- Has recent human-caused climate change been occurring faster or not as fast as scientists predicted? -- Is there a difference between global warming and climate change? -- What are the sources of the most important human-caused pollutants that drive global warming? -- How does deforestation contribute to warming? -- What is Global Warming Potential and why it is different for various greenhouse gases? -- Why does the rate of warming appear to vary from decade to decade? -- Has global warming slowed down or paused in recent years? -- Can we reach a point where emitting more CO2 into the air will not cause more climate change? -- Have we already crossed tipping points (points of no return) in the climate system? -- II. Extreme Weather and Climate Change -- What is the difference between weather and climate? -- Which extreme weather events are being made worse by climate change, and which are not? -- What is the role of natural climatic variation, such as the El Ni�no-La Ni�na cycle, in extreme weather? -- Did climate change cause hurricane Sandy (and why is that the wrong question to ask)? -- How does climate change affect heat waves? -- How does climate change affect droughts? -- How does climate change affect wildfires? -- How does climate change affect the chances of deluges or severe precipitation? -- Does climate change mean more snow or less, worse snow storms or weaker ones? -- How does climate change affect storm surge? -- Is climate change making hurricanes more destructive? -- What is Arctic amplification? -- Is Arctic amplification affecting extreme weather in the northern hemisphere? -- Is climate change affecting tornado formation? -- In a warming world, why do some winters still seem unusually severe? -- III. Projected Climate Impacts -- What kind of impacts can we expect this century from business-as-usual climate change? -- What are the biggest sources of uncertainty in projecting future global warming? What do previous hot periods in Earth's climate tell us about what the future may hold in store? -- How could the thawing permafrost speed up global warming beyond what climate models have projected? -- How could an increase in wildfires speed up global warming beyond what climate models have projected? -- What are some other key positive or amplifying feedbacks affecting the climate system? -- What will the impacts of sea level rise be? -- How will climate change lead to more destructive superstorms this century? -- What kind of droughts can we expect this century? -- What are the expected health impacts of climate change? -- How does global warming affect human productivity? -- Does carbon dioxide at exposure levels expected this century have any direct impacts on human health or cognition? -- What is ocean acidification and why does it matter to sea life? -- What is biodiversity, and how will climate change impact it? -- How will climate change affect the agricultural sector and our ability to feed the world's growing population? -- How is climate change a threat to national, regional, and global security threat? -- What is the plausible best-case scenario for climate change this century? -- What is the plausible worst-case scenario for climate change this century? -- What do scientists mean by "irreversible impacts" and why are they such a concern with climate change? -- IV. Avoiding The Worst Impacts -- What is the biggest source of confusion about what humanity needs to do to avoid the worst climate impacts? -- What is the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change? -- Why did scientists and governments decide 2�C (3.6�F) was the limit beyond which climate change becomes "dangerous" to humanity? -- What kind of greenhouse gas emissions reductions are needed to achieve a 2C target? -- What would the economic cost of meeting the 2C target be? -- What happens if we miss the 2C target? -- Can we adapt to human-caused climate change? -- What is geo-engineering and can it play a major role in reducing the impact of climate change? -- V. Climate Politics and Policies -- What climate policies are governments around the world using to fight climate change? -- What is a carbon tax? -- What are cap-and-trade and carbon trading? -- What is China doing to restrict carbon dioxide emissions? -- What is the United States doing to restrict carbon dioxide emissions? -- How do different political parties view climate science and policies in the United States and around the world? -- Is there are a large-scale effort to spread misinformation on climate science and if so, who funds it? -- What are climate science deniers? -- VI. The Role of Clean Energy -- What kind of changes in our energy system would a 2C target require? -- What is energy efficiency and what role will it play? -- Will nuclear power be a major factor in the effort to minimize climate change? -- What role does natural gas have in the right transition to a 2C world? -- How much can solar power contribute to averting dangerous climate change? -- How big a role will windpower play in averting dangerous climate change? -- What is carbon capture and storage (aka carbon sequestration) and what role can it play? -- What is bio-energy and what is its role in cutting carbon pollution? -- What other carbon-free forms of energy can contribute to cutting greenhouse gas emissions? -- How can we reduce carbon dioxide emissions in the transportation sector? -- What challenges have limited the marketplace success of alternative fuels and alternative fuel vehicles to date? -- What role can electric vehicles play? -- What are hydrogen fuel cells and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles? -- What are the challenges facing hydrogen fuel cell vehicles as a climate solution? -- What role can energy storage play in the clean energy transition? -- What can the agricultural and livestock sector do to minimize climate change -- What is energy conservation and what role can it play? -- VII. Climate Change and You -- How will climate change impact you and your family in the coming decades? -- How might climate change affect the future price of coastal property? -- How might climate change affect decisions about where to live and retire in the coming decades? -- What should students study today if they want to prepare themselves for working in a globally warmed world? -- Should climate change affect how you invest for the future? -- How can you reduce your carbon footprint? -- What role can dietary changes play in reducing your carbon footprint? -- What is the best way to talk to someone who does not accept the growing body of evidence on climate science? -- PRIMARY SOURCES -- ENDNOTES -- INDEX.