"Global Weirdness" by Climate Central

Global Weirdness: Severe Storms, Deadly Heat Waves, Relentless Drought, Rising Seas and the Weather of the Future by Climate Central

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This impressive-in-information but tightly written book is probably the best nonfiction work about climate change for laypeople that I've read. Written in chapters that span only 2-5 pages, the folks at Climate Central lay out the evidence for climate change, starting with an overview of how various parts of the ecosystem work and then moving into what the current peer-reviewed research shows, in the context of the basic scientific information presented earlier. One of the key points made is that predicting what will happen in future years is very tricky, because current data are outstripping what the models are built to examine and because the system is just so complex. The book ends with the question on everyone's mind: "Can we avoid the risks of climate change?" Short answer: probably not.

This book is the sort that you recommend to your friends and family because every informed citizen of the planet should have this information. By writing a book in accurate-yet-simple language that even a 5th grader could understand, the team of authors has developed a terrific resource for everyone.




View all my reviews