Beyond Smoke and Mirrors : Climate Change and Energy in the 21st Century

Global Climate Change Is One Of The Most Important Issues Humanity Faces Today. This Book Assesses The Sensible, Senseless And Biased Proposals For Averting The Potentially Disastrous Consequences Of Global Warming, Allowing The Reader To Draw Their Own Conclusions On Switching To More Sustainable Energy Provision. Burton Richter Is A Nobel Prize-winning Scientist Who Has Served On Many Us And International Review Committees On Climate Change And Energy Issues. He Provides A Concise Overview Of Our Knowledge And Uncertainties Within Climate Change Science, Discusses Current Energy Demand And Supply Patterns, And The Energy Options Available To Cut Emissions Of Greenhouse Gases. Written In Non-technical Language, This Book Presents A Balanced View Of Options For Moving From Our Heavy Reliance On Fossil Fuels Into A Much More Sustainable Energy System, And Is Accessible To A Wide Range Of Readers Without Scientific Backgrounds - Students, Policymakers, And The Concerned Citizen--provided By Publisher. Machine Generated Contents Note: Preface; List Of Units; List Of Conversion Factors; List Of Abbreviations; 1. Introduction; Part I. Climate: 2. Greenhouse Earth; 3. Climate Modelling; 4. The Past As Proxy For The Future; 5. Predicting The Future; Part Ii. Energy: 6. Taking Up Arms Against This Sea Of Troubles; 7. How Fast To Move: A Physicist's Look At The Economists; 8. Energy, Emissions And Action; 9. Fossil Fuels: How Much Is There?; 10. Electricity, Emission And Pricing Carbon; 11. Efficiency: The First Priority; 12. Nuclear Energy; 13. Renewables; 14. Biofuels: Is There Anything There?; 15. An Energy Summary; Part Iii. Policy: 16. Us Policy: New Things, Bad Things, Good Things; 17. World Policy Action; 18. Coda; References; Index. Burton Richter. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 219-221) And Index. Global climate change is one of the most important issues humanity faces today. This book assesses the sensible, senseless and biased proposals for averting the potentially disastrous consequences of global warming, allowing the reader to draw their own conclusions on switching to more sustainable energy provision. Burton Richter is a Nobel Prize-winning scientist who has served on many US and international review committees on climate change and energy issues. He provides a concise overview of our knowledge and uncertainties within climate change science, discusses current energy demand and supply patterns, and the energy options available to cut emissions of greenhouse gases. Written in non-technical language, this book presents a balanced view of options for moving from our heavy reliance on fossil fuels into a much more sustainable energy system, and is accessible to a wide range of readers without scientific backgrounds - students, policymakers, and the concerned citizen. Burton Richter on the Leonard Lopate Show - Listen to the Burton Richter talks about the book and the To view Part 2 of Burton Richter's interview, click to visit the book's supplementary web site. About the Author Dr. Burton Richter was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1976. He is a recipient of the E.O. Lawrence Medal from the U.S. Department of Energy, member of the National Academy of Sciences, past President of both the American Physical Society and the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics, and has served on many U.S. and international review committees on climate change and energy issues. Past Loeb Lecturer at Harvard and Astor Lecturer at Oxford, Dr. Richter now serves on the board of directors for Scientists and Engineers for America, and continues his energy work at Stanford University.