Why We Disagree about Climate Change: Understanding Controversy, Inaction and Opportunity

Front Cover
Cambridge University Press, Apr 30, 2009 - Business & Economics - 392 pages
Climate change is not 'a problem' waiting for 'a solution'. It is an environmental, cultural and political phenomenon which is re-shaping the way we think about ourselves, our societies and humanity's place on Earth. Drawing upon twenty-five years of professional work as an international climate change scientist and public commentator, Mike Hulme provides a unique insider's account of the emergence of this phenomenon and the diverse ways in which it is understood. He uses different standpoints from science, economics, faith, psychology, communication, sociology, politics and development to explain why we disagree about climate change. In this way he shows that climate change, far from being simply an 'issue' or a 'threat', can act as a catalyst to revise our perception of our place in the world. Why We Disagree About Climate Change is an important contribution to the ongoing debate over climate change and its likely impact on our lives.
 

Selected pages

Contents

Section 1
10
Section 2
35
Section 3
65
Section 4
72
Section 5
74
Section 6
79
Section 7
88
Section 8
101
Section 19
197
Section 20
204
Section 21
211
Section 22
215
Section 23
237
Section 24
240
Section 25
248
Section 26
260

Section 9
109
Section 10
117
Section 11
142
Section 12
153
Section 13
155
Section 14
165
Section 15
166
Section 16
178
Section 17
181
Section 18
189
Section 27
263
Section 28
271
Section 29
284
Section 30
287
Section 31
299
Section 32
315
Section 33
322
Section 34
327
Section 35
349
Section 36
367

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About the author (2009)

Mike Hulme is Professor of Climate Change in the School of Environmental Sciences at the University of East Anglia (UEA), and Founding Director of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research. He has published over 100 peer-reviewed journal papers and over 30 books or book chapters on climate change topics. He has prepared climate scenarios and reports for the UK Government, the European Commission, UNEP, UNDP, WWF-International and the IPCC. He is leading the EU Integrated Project ADAM (Adaptation and Mitigation Strategies) during the period 2006-2009, which comprises a 26-member European research consortium contributing research to the development of EU climate policy. He co-edits the journal Global Environmental Change and is Editor-in-Chief of the Interdisciplinary Review on Climate Change.