The Heat Is On: The Climate Crisis, The Cover-up, The PrescriptionIn The Heat Is On, Ross Gelbspan exposes the deliberate campaign by oil and coal interests, teamed with conservative politicians, to confuse the public about global warming and the disruptive weather patterns that mark its initial stages. He shows how these fossil fuel proponents have supported the efforts of a small but highly vocal group of "scientific skeptics" whose statements distort the nature of scientific debate, raising doubts in the public mind about this threat which is, in fact, a matter of solid scientific consensus. Gelbspan sets the record straight with contributions from four of the world's leading climate scientists. Ironically, The Heat Is On also shows that the news about climatic change is now so bad that it may well help to save us as it brings the worldwide insurance industry, saddled with billions in unprecedented claims from weather-related damage, into the battle against fossil fuels. The book explains what this emerging alliance among the insurance industry, environmentalists, and a number of the world's most vulnerable nations must do to save the planet. Capturing both the global scope and the historical uniqueness of our dilemma, it shows that the price of inaction may extend well beyond flood-prone lowlands and drought-prone agricultural lands. One casualty could be democracy itself as nations faced with weather-related destabilization resort to totalitarian measures to control their populations. |
Contents
INTRODUCTION | 1 |
Of Termites and Computer Models | 15 |
The Battle for Control of Reality | 33 |
Copyright | |
8 other sections not shown
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
aerosols areas Assessment Bert Bolin carbon dioxide China climate change climate crisis climate models climate negotiations climate scientists climate sensitivity coal and oil corporate decade degrees developing countries developing world droughts earth economic effects emissions energy transition Environment environmental estimate floods forcing fossil fuel fossil fuel industry Fred Singer funding glaciers global climate change Global Climate Coalition global warming greenhouse gases greenhouse skeptics Hadley Centre heat human ICCP impacts of climate increase Institute interview by author IPCC IPCC report issue Jerry Mahlman Journal Larsen ice shelf Lindzen lobbies Mahlman Marshall Institute ment Michaels Michaels's million nations natural observed oceans officials oil and coal OPEC ozone panel peer-reviewed percent planet political predicted problem projections recent record renewable energy response Rohrabacher Santer says scientific sea level solar sulfate aerosols testimony tion trend uncertainties United weather Western Fuels Wigley