Science

The Physics of Climate Change

The Physics of Climate Change

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  • Create Date：2021-10-13 09:54:58
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Lawrence M. Krauss
  • ISBN：1642938165
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Summary

The first book to briefly and clearly present the science of climate change in a way that is accessible to laypeople， providing the perspective needed to understand and assess the foundations and predictions of climate change。

“Brilliant and fundamental， this is the necessary book about our prime global emergency。 Here you’ll find the facts， the processes， the physics of our complex and changing climate， but delivered with eloquence and urgency。 Lawrence Krauss writes with a clarity that transcends mere politics。 Prose and poetry were never better bedfellows。” —Ian McEwan， Booker Prize-winning author of Solar and Machines Like Me

“Lawrence Krauss has written the ideal book for anyone interested in understanding the science of global warming。 It is at once elegant， rigorous， and timely。”—Elizabeth Kolbert， staff writer， The New Yorker， and Pulitzer prize-winning author of The Sixth Extinction

“A brief， brilliant， and charming summary of what physicists know about climate change and how they learned it。” —Sheldon Glashow， Nobel Laureate in Physics， Metcalf Distinguished Professor Emeritus， Boston University

“The distinguished scientist Lawrence Krauss turns his penetrating gaze on the most pressing existential threat facing our world: climate change。 It is brimming with information lucidly analysed。 Such hope as there is lies in science， and a physicist of Dr。 Krauss’s imaginative versatility is unusually qualified to offer it。” —Richard Dawkins， author of The Blind Watchmaker and Science in the Soul

“Lucid and gripping， this study of the most severe challenge humans have ever faced leads the reader from the basic physics of climate change to recognition of the damage that humans have already caused and on to the prospects that lie ahead if we do not change course soon。” —Noam Chomsky， Laureate Professor， University of Arizona， author of Internationalism or Extinction？

“Lawrence Krauss tells the story of climate change with erudition， urgency， and passion。 It is our great good luck that one of our most brilliant scientists is also such a gifted writer。 This book will change the way we think about the future。” —Jennifer Finney Boylan， author of Good Boy and She’s Not There

“Everything on climate change that I’ve seen is either dumbed down and bossy or written for other climate scientists。 I’ve been looking for a book that can let me， a layperson， understand the science。 This book does just what I was looking for。 It is important。” —Penn Jillette， Magician， author of Presto！ and God， No！

“The renowned physicist Lawrence Krauss makes the science behind one of the most important issues of our time accessible to all。” —Richard C。 J。 Somerville， Distinguished Professor Emeritus， Scripps Institution of Oceanography， University of California， San Diego

“Lawrence Krauss is a fine physicist， a talented writer， and a scientist deeply engaged with public affairs。 His book deserves wide readership。 The book’s eloquent exposition of the science and the threats should enlighten all readers and motivate them to an urgent concern about our planet’s future。” —Lord Martin Rees， Astronomer Royal， former president of the Royal Society， author of On the Future: Prospects for Humanity

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Reviews

Julian Worker ，

When I write this review， it's Horror Week at Goodreads。 This is quite appropriate because the contents of this book are quite horrifying if you care about the future of the planet we all inhabit。 Mr Krauss is not preaching to us， he's presenting the facts and then drawing conclusions from those facts。 If people think Covid leaves the world in a terrible place then heaven knows what they'll make of climate change。 The lack of global cooperation regarding Covid can't be repeated in regard to Clim When I write this review， it's Horror Week at Goodreads。 This is quite appropriate because the contents of this book are quite horrifying if you care about the future of the planet we all inhabit。 Mr Krauss is not preaching to us， he's presenting the facts and then drawing conclusions from those facts。 If people think Covid leaves the world in a terrible place then heaven knows what they'll make of climate change。 The lack of global cooperation regarding Covid can't be repeated in regard to Climate Change。 As you might expect， the people who least contribute to Climate Change will be the first ones to feel the full effects， namely the people in Bangladesh， the lower-lying areas of India， and the millions who live in the Mekong Delta where as the land sinks and the South China Sea rises， the land will be inundated with saltwater on a daily basis， destroying the world's largest area of rice paddies。There are so many tipping points and once these destabilising processes start， there's no going back - even our greatest technology can't refreeze the Greenland Ice Cap。 If that melts you're looking at sea levels rising by up to seven metres - imagine the effect this would have on London， New York， Shanghai， Lagos， and other coastal cities of the world。 This could well happen， if we don't start doing something now， by the end of the century and possibly well before。 Arctic sea-ice loss is amplifying regional warming and Arctic warming and Greenland melting are driving an influx of fresh water into the North Atlantic。 This could have contributed to a 15% slowdown since the mid-20th Century of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation （AMOC）， a key part of global heat and salt transport by the ocean。 The part of the AMOC most people will have heard of is The Gulf Stream。 Rapid melting of the Greenland ice sheet and further slowdown of the AMOC could destabilise the West African monsoon， triggering drought in Africa's Sahel region。 This slowdown could also dry The Amazon， disrupt the East Asia monsoon， cause heat to build in the southern oceans （further melting Antarctic ice）， dry South America， and incredibly dry Australia even more。 None of this can be reversed。The reason I didn't give the book 5 stars is because of the graphs which are slightly difficult to read in my opinion。 。。。more

Jason Waddle ，

Professor Krauss has written another insightful book on a pressing topic。 The information is well laid out—some may feel it's too complicated， however， this book is far from a textbook。 It was written， I think， for laypeople like myself。 I have no physics knowledge beyond first-year university and I was able to digest the material just fine。 Professor Krauss is a passionate teacher。 His love for truth in the sciences is one of the many attributes that arrests my attention。 If you doubt climate c Professor Krauss has written another insightful book on a pressing topic。 The information is well laid out—some may feel it's too complicated， however， this book is far from a textbook。 It was written， I think， for laypeople like myself。 I have no physics knowledge beyond first-year university and I was able to digest the material just fine。 Professor Krauss is a passionate teacher。 His love for truth in the sciences is one of the many attributes that arrests my attention。 If you doubt climate change is a real issue， prepare yourself to be persuaded by reason with one of the world's leading scientists。 。。。more

Billy ，

this book finished me

Dhruv ，

Nice bookWell presented， clear data without too much jargon。 A good book， though I would have liked to see some more breadth in understanding the consequences of climate change。

Marc Buckley ，

With basic math， Lawrence explains the physics of climate change。 This is really a great book for understanding the science behind climate change。 Written in a language that speaks to everyone。 I can really recommend this book and there are also lectures from Lawrence that you can part in online。 I had a great conversation with Lawrence on my podcast Inside Ideas。 You can find episode 118 here:https://youtu。be/AitHfqTKC-4Or check out any of the links below: https://www。innovatorsmag。com/the-phy。 With basic math， Lawrence explains the physics of climate change。 This is really a great book for understanding the science behind climate change。 Written in a language that speaks to everyone。 I can really recommend this book and there are also lectures from Lawrence that you can part in online。 I had a great conversation with Lawrence on my podcast Inside Ideas。 You can find episode 118 here:https://youtu。be/AitHfqTKC-4Or check out any of the links below: https://www。innovatorsmag。com/the-phy。。。https://medium。com/inside-ideas/prof-。。。 。。。more

Galen Weitkamp ，

Unsettled， by Steven E。 Koonin。The Physics of Climate Change， by Lawrence M。 Krauss。Review by Galen WeitkampThe Earth swims through a river of energy: 1361 Watts （on average） over every square， sunlit meter。 Nearly 30% of this energy is reflected by clouds， glaciers and snowfields back into space。 Some of this radiative energy is converted and stored by green plants into usable chemical energy。 These plants take up carbon dioxide and produce our oxygen。 Lest you think the Earth is too big and a Unsettled， by Steven E。 Koonin。The Physics of Climate Change， by Lawrence M。 Krauss。Review by Galen WeitkampThe Earth swims through a river of energy: 1361 Watts （on average） over every square， sunlit meter。 Nearly 30% of this energy is reflected by clouds， glaciers and snowfields back into space。 Some of this radiative energy is converted and stored by green plants into usable chemical energy。 These plants take up carbon dioxide and produce our oxygen。 Lest you think the Earth is too big and a green leaf is too small to have any effect upon it， contemplate the fact that before the evolution of photosynthesis， there was no breathable oxygen at all in the atmosphere; that we mammals didn’t exist then - we couldn’t have。 Even though some of the bright， radiative energy that pours over us is used by plants， and some is reflected back into space， most of it is converted almost immediately into heat; i。e。 the thermal motion uncountable jiggling and swirling atoms and molecules。 These jiggling charges produce their own electromagnetic waves and consequently Earth’s Sun-warmed surface， radiates heat in the form of electromagnetic waves。 The frequency of this emitted （blackbody） radiation depends on the temperature of the emitting body。 Earth receives most of its energy in the visible bands and emits it in the infrared。 The atmosphere is largely transparent to the incoming visible light。 What isn’t reflected （or scattered， the blues get scattered） comes right through and heats the Earth’s surface。 The outgoing infrared light doesn’t have it as easy。 Some atmospheric gasses with just the right molecular structure （water vapor， methane， carbon dioxide and other ‘greenhouse’ gasses） capture these infrared photons and re-emit them in all directions。 Instead of escaping into space， half of them get sent back toward Earth， get reabsorbed and re-emitted。 The Earth is in thermal equilibrium when the rate at which the Earth gathers up the incoming solar energy equals the rate at which the outgoing energy escapes back into space in the form of emitted infrared radiation。 The difference between these two rates （the direct measure of the energy imbalance） is called radiative forcing。 If for some reason， too little heat escapes， the Earth will warm up。 The rise in temperature will increase the rate at which the Earth radiates away its heat and its temperature will continue to rise until the rate at which energy escapes once again equals the rate at which it is received thereby establishing a new and hotter thermal equilibrium。 Vice-versa， if the rate of energy loss were higher than it is now， the Earth would cool off。 If， for example， we had no atmosphere at all blanketing us and slowing the rate of infrared emission into space， the Earth would be 33 degrees Celsius cooler than it is now。It was Svante Arrhenius， the nineteenth century chemist， who discovered the greenhouse stuffings that make our atmospheric blanket good at keeping us warm。 He established the mathematical relationship between thermal equilibrium and the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere showing that every time the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere doubles， the radiative forcing increases 3。7 Watts per square meter。 In 1750 （often taken to be the start of the industrial revolution） the concentration of carbon dioxide was 278 ppm （parts per million）。 Today the figure is 416 ppm。 This increase is anthropogenic。 According to the U。S。 Geological Survey volcanoes cough 200 million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere every year; however， automotive and industrial activity spews 24 billion tons of the stuff into the atmosphere every year。 Indeed the mean surface temperature of the Earth has been exponentially rising since that time as is the qualitative prediction of Arrhenius’s discovery。 All of this is well understood， tested and settled science。 What is more tenuous， less settled， is the science of drawing the exact quantitative connections between concentrations of greenhouse gasses and the magnitude of the Earth’s surface temperature in the future， or amount of ocean acidity， or the direction and volumetric flow of ocean currents， or the flow of the Jet Steam， or the future patterns of drought and flood。 How do we calculate the planetary consequences of human activities on individual weather and climate events？ By how much， for example， will sea levels rise， where， by when and to what extent will human activity be， or not be the cause？ The complexity and sizes of these systems make them very difficult to predict and the noise and their global scales make them difficult to measure。 Neither Steven E。 Koonin， nor Lawrence M。 Krauss are climate scientists。 They are both physicists who have written books which they hope will provide laypersons with the fundamental physics needed to understand and think about the climate issues that we hear about in everyday headlines。 Koonin， as one can surmise by the title of his book， wishes to persuade his readers that the role and influence humans have on climate is little understood and certainly not settled。 At first that might sound reasonable， but what he seems to maintain is that our influence is so small it’s questionable whether we have any effect at all。 He agrees temperatures have been rising since the start of the industrial age， but he remains unconvinced that human activity is responsible and wishes the newspapers would stop pretending “The Science” is settled。 Not only does Koonin disagree with journalists and their big scary headlines， he also has major disagreements with the IPCC and it would seem most other climate scientists。 If Koonin believes our effect on climate is negligible he is also pessimistic that we can do anything about stopping climate change。 He doesn’t believe adopting carbon-free energy sources will solve the problem， nor that the world is in the position to implement carbon-free programs。 He favors geo-engineering solutions instead， like increasing the Earth’s albedo so that it reflects away more of the Sun’s light。 Rather than solve the problem， he predicts humans will just live with a warming planet and adapt to it。 “Unsettled” wouldn’t be such an aggravating book， if Koonin didn’t seem to be quite happy with adaptation strategy。Lawrence Krauss does his best at presenting the fundamental physical principles of climate science。 He opens and closes the book with the example of Mekong River。 It provides fresh water to the world’s most productive ricebowl， supplying over a billion people with rice and fresh water fish。 The ocean tide rushes up the delta daily and is beaten back， thwarted by the Mekong。 In 2019 Dutch geographer Philip Minderhoud published new work in Nature establishing that elevations along the Mekong were much lower than previously believed。 Than in 2020， LIDAR measurements from Endeavor’s Shuttle Radar Topography Mission independently confirmed Minderhoud’s paper。 The mean elevation of the delta is only 8/10th of a meter above sea level。 Climate models predict （as anyone can by simply extrapolating current trends） that sea levels will rise by at least 1/2 meter by 2100。 Currently 12。3 million people live in the area that will by than be under the brine and a billion people will lose their food supply， making it pretty difficult to adapt。Without a doubt， increases in concentrations of greenhouse gasses can throw the Earth out of balance。 Just a few hundred parts per million can double or triple the concentrations。 Recall that Arrhenius’s law is exponential。 Without a doubt we’re substantially increasing those concentrations。 How exactly that effects winds， rains， snows， droughts， glaciers， tides， temperatures and sea levels is difficult to model and predict。 The science connecting these complex and chaotic climate systems is unsettled。 Suffice it to say， if there’s an energy imbalance in favor of the incoming solar energy， then all these subsystems will somehow parse the extra energy among themselves， perhaps in unpredictable ways， and the climate will become discernibly more energetic。 。。。more

Richard Marney ，

For the less-technically advanced reader （I raise my hand！！）， there are discontinuities in the reading of this fine book， where one has to put it down and study selected topics more deeply。 As a result， I took several weeks to navigate its 170 odd pages。 On finishing the book， I am pleased with my deeper understanding of the underlying drivers of climate change （global warming） due to CO2 buildup in the atmosphere， radiative forcing， the physics of the increase in surface / atmospheric temperatu For the less-technically advanced reader （I raise my hand！！）， there are discontinuities in the reading of this fine book， where one has to put it down and study selected topics more deeply。 As a result， I took several weeks to navigate its 170 odd pages。 On finishing the book， I am pleased with my deeper understanding of the underlying drivers of climate change （global warming） due to CO2 buildup in the atmosphere， radiative forcing， the physics of the increase in surface / atmospheric temperatures， etc。 The use of the Mekong Delta as a tragic victim of mankind’s （the developed economy part…。） reckless behaviour today creating catastrophic negative externalities for future generations reinforces the book’s policy message。 。。。more

Mihai Mocanu ，

Everyone should read this book， it is a bit technical sometimes but Lawrence does a great job of dumbing it down so that everyone gets it

Kam Yung Soh ，

An interesting book to read to learn about the physics behind global warming。 It combines a historical look at the science behind global warming with the physics and evidence for it。 In closing， the book does not mince words and shows that the world is already changing， and we had better adapt to a changing world while working to reduce the effects of global warming。Chapter One starts with a look at the Mekong River and the Delta it forms。 Much of the Delta is nearly at sea level， and it is only An interesting book to read to learn about the physics behind global warming。 It combines a historical look at the science behind global warming with the physics and evidence for it。 In closing， the book does not mince words and shows that the world is already changing， and we had better adapt to a changing world while working to reduce the effects of global warming。Chapter One starts with a look at the Mekong River and the Delta it forms。 Much of the Delta is nearly at sea level， and it is only the amount of water the Mekong River discharges that prevents seawater from inundating the Delta。 But this may change when global warming occurs。Chapter Two looks at the history of CO2 measurements。 Starting with the measurements started at Mauna Loa Observatory in the 1950s and mixing on to ice core measurements， the current atmospheric concentration is shown to be at an unprecedented high， exceeding even levels recorded in Earth's history。Chapter Three look at how carbon and carbon dioxide is recycled by the Earth both geologically and by living organisms and shows how humans are affecting the balance by digging up and releasing carbon that has been locked away geologically for millions of years。Chapter Four takes a look at what keeps the Earth warm。 Using some mathematics， it is shown that， without an atmosphere， the Earth's surface temperate would be below freezing。 Adding an atmosphere， and doing some simplified calculations， it can be shown that the atmosphere helps retain heat， absorbing some energy that would be lost to space， and radiating it back to the surface。Chapter Five looks at the work is scientists like John Tyndall （who determined which parts of the atmosphere helps to retain heat） and Svante August Arrhenius （who calculated the effects of increasing carbon dioxide would have on global temperatures） who helped to determine the effects humans would have on the Climate in the future。Chapter Six looks at the topic of 'radiative forcing'， which is the increase in the amount of thermal energy being retained by the atmosphere due to the increase in Carbon Dioxide。 This increase is due to the increase in the range of wavelengths of infrared energy being absorbed， but also by the increase in height before the energy is released into space by the atmosphere， which means even more of the atmosphere is retaining heat。Chapter Seven brings things to the present， by stating what climate scientists are already saying through climate simulations: that global temperatures are rising and at a rate that matches climate simulations。 The simulation results can also be verified by comparing them to temperatures in the past inferred through ice cores and found to be in agreement。Chapter Eight looks at current conditions and shows that even if we were to stop all emissions now， some effects of global warming will continue and parts of the world will still continue to warm for centuries。 Also shown is how as we delay making reductions in emissions， the amount of emissions that need to be reduced each year to meet targets get bigger。Chapter Nine looks at what might be in store for the world when major sources of ice like Greenland and the Antarctic start to melt。 While current sea level rise may be in the centimetre range for now， data from ice cores and other sources show that when large amounts of carbon dioxide was present or absent in the atmosphere， the sea level can change by meters in just centuries based on data from the Mediterranean and Red seas。Chapter Ten looks at whether it is possible to detect global warming from daily weather。 As it turns out， it may be possible from a study。 The study also shows that tropical countries are the first to feel the effects of rising temperatures， even though their carbon dioxide contributions are among the smallest。Chapter Eleven looks at uncertainties in global warming over possible tipping points that may affect glaciers， weather patterns， corals and forests。Chapter Twelve returns to the Mekong Delta featured in Chapter One。 Only now， using the information presented in the other chapters， the author shows that global warming will have a devastating impact on the area， displacing millions of people and submerging a huge rice producing area。 Other visual areas and cities around the world are also briefly mentioned。 And this is probably the world we have to prepare to live in。 。。。more

Mansoor ，

از کراس انتظار داشتم شرح دقیق‌تر و عمیق‌تری از موضوع ارائه کند، نه بازگویی همان چیزهایی که در نوشته‌های مدیای جریان اصلی به وفور یافت می‌شود

Cameron Millsom ，

Overall， I consider this to be an essential read。 The book is a good summary of climate change science。。。although I think that some sections probably aren't as accessible to lay people as the author hopes。 What （I think） sets this book apart from other books on climate science is that in addition to presenting information， he weighs it up and/or tests it in a variety of ways。 The insight into the mind of a scientist is fascinating。 Overall， I consider this to be an essential read。 The book is a good summary of climate change science。。。although I think that some sections probably aren't as accessible to lay people as the author hopes。 What （I think） sets this book apart from other books on climate science is that in addition to presenting information， he weighs it up and/or tests it in a variety of ways。 The insight into the mind of a scientist is fascinating。 。。。more

Michael ，

Not bad。 At times it was difficult to follow as an audio book， and Audible's integration of the accompanying pdf is pretty dismal。 I liked Krauss' calm， reasoned approach。 It's probably not the book I'd give to a climate skeptic， unless they had decent science literacy。 Not bad。 At times it was difficult to follow as an audio book， and Audible's integration of the accompanying pdf is pretty dismal。 I liked Krauss' calm， reasoned approach。 It's probably not the book I'd give to a climate skeptic， unless they had decent science literacy。 。。。more

Adrian Waters ，

This book was not as easy to understand as I hoped。 I have a reasonable knowledge of basic maths but there is a lot of complicated stuff presented here so I was able only to get the general gist which I largely knew already。 However， it was good to see that there is sound maths behind the theory of climate change。 I was unaware that so much of it had been known for so long - around a century for some aspects。 Not only is the maths presented but also a lot of data with information about their sou This book was not as easy to understand as I hoped。 I have a reasonable knowledge of basic maths but there is a lot of complicated stuff presented here so I was able only to get the general gist which I largely knew already。 However， it was good to see that there is sound maths behind the theory of climate change。 I was unaware that so much of it had been known for so long - around a century for some aspects。 Not only is the maths presented but also a lot of data with information about their source。This book will probably only be read by those who already accept climate change as a fact but is a shame that the knowledge cannot be more widely spread。 For those who suggest that there is no proof that climate change exists， or that it is not proven to be man-made， this book makes it clear that both are incorrect。I read this on my Kindle so all the graphics were in black and white which made them hard to understand as all the lines and shadings appeared as shades of grey。 。。。more

Deanne Godin ，

The most thorough to date This book contains the information I was seeking: a scientifically sound， in-depth explanation of the processes producing current climate change。 Some of the physics was over my head; however， the author's descriptions and explanations of the math were more than adequate。 Better to read above one's understanding than below it， in that it gives at minimum a feel for how much research and data exist beyond one's current learning capacity。 In other words。。。read this book i The most thorough to date This book contains the information I was seeking: a scientifically sound， in-depth explanation of the processes producing current climate change。 Some of the physics was over my head; however， the author's descriptions and explanations of the math were more than adequate。 Better to read above one's understanding than below it， in that it gives at minimum a feel for how much research and data exist beyond one's current learning capacity。 In other words。。。read this book if you want to seriously expand your understanding of where we are， how we got here， and the choices we will need to make as a society。 。。。more

Yves ，

Having read other books on climate change I would recommend this book to anyone open to reading about this topic。 One of the biggest challenges we face。 After having read it I felt a mix of cautious optimism and the awareness of the growing elephant in the room that Climate Change is to our present day life。I'm happy that Mr Krauss and others have put some energy in helping us， lay people， understand some of fundamentals。Highly recommend。 Having read other books on climate change I would recommend this book to anyone open to reading about this topic。 One of the biggest challenges we face。 After having read it I felt a mix of cautious optimism and the awareness of the growing elephant in the room that Climate Change is to our present day life。I'm happy that Mr Krauss and others have put some energy in helping us， lay people， understand some of fundamentals。Highly recommend。 。。。more

Srikar ，

As Krauss mentions in preface， it is true that there is not popular layman book on fundamentals of climate change。 How did we get from a popular graph showing increasing CO2 to Sea levels will rise， storms will intensify。。。etc etc。 This book in reasonable volume does a good job of covering that。 Shows how we measure CO2 in atmosphere， how we know that means more heating， how we know how much heating it is and how that translates to temperature and then to a variety of impacts。 Its also commendab As Krauss mentions in preface， it is true that there is not popular layman book on fundamentals of climate change。 How did we get from a popular graph showing increasing CO2 to Sea levels will rise， storms will intensify。。。etc etc。 This book in reasonable volume does a good job of covering that。 Shows how we measure CO2 in atmosphere， how we know that means more heating， how we know how much heating it is and how that translates to temperature and then to a variety of impacts。 Its also commendable that Krauss stayed away from all politics （could have stayed away from even hints of his stance， but that he didn't） and stuck with Just above。 Having read IPCC report in detail （not from cover to cover though）， I had a rough idea of Climate change mechanics。 A geology text book also covers some of this。 But this book did tie a lot more together。 It was a worthy read。 As for the failings of book， I will point few things。1 。 I wish a climate scientist has written it or shared authorship。 Its strange that no climate scientist thought such a book is necessary。 That will give both an extra dose of authenticity。 Krauss mentions he got this reviewed by some but not sure who。 This is nitpicking though。 None of this made the book any less valuable， just nags me if any of nuances necessary were omitted。 2。 While i appreciated equations， esoteric graphs， the explanations are not exactly lucid。 They require some google searches， may be a pen and paper to absorb what it means。 I like that， but even with my good engineering background， i felt the explanations were not seamless and one has to figure how Krauss went from A to B。 The pages where radiative forcing is being expounded and how net energy balance works。。。。it got quite convoluted。 I googled and found a harvard paper on this subject which got into more details， it was more orderly and that helped a bit。 Even that paper didn't explain it clearly。 For example this quote "Since （1-b） < 1， this means the power radiated at the surface of the Earth would have to be greater than it would be if b were 0。 Since the power radiated is proportional to the fourth power of its temperature， this in turn means the Earth’s temperature would have to be greater than it would otherwise be if some of the energy it would otherwise radiate into space didn’t get trapped in the atmosphere first"Lawrence should have provided a more accessible phrasing。 You see， he did not clarify what is Pa。 Then you see it later and circle back to original equation and it still doesn't add up。 The simpler detail is this。 When you add a gas blanket， it grabs and gives some of the outgoing radiating heat back to earth。 This extra heat warms ground。 That increases its temperature。 So in long run， when a new equilibrium is established ， you have a warmer ground than an earth without gas blanket。 Again no different from you using a blanket at night。 As analogy （pretty close one） this is all okay， but as soon as he gets into more than 100% of energy being radiated back to earth， and then from earth to atmosphere。。。。How is it more than 100% in each case when only 60% or so is the net energy received。 In another page he says"35 percent of the solar heat it absorbs up to the atmosphere via evaporation and convection， as well as depositing"Again， this was 60% before。 it doesn't explain the 50% before mismatch to 35% now。 May be，the answer lies in long term equilibrium。 The stored energy over a period radiating something back。 But the its not energy in the equation its power？！！。 So i couldn't fully follow and get the percentages right。 This is a key failure as this section is key to everything that follows。 3。 Similarly broadening of CO2 lines is not clearly explained。 4。 Another case of haphazard presentation is with determining temperature change from CO2 concentration using simple intuitive math:"the predicted range， and that the original radiated power from the Earth and atmosphere into space at equilibrium is about 245 W/m2， then we would find that the predicted change in surface temperature for a doubling of CO2 would be about 1°C。 Another way of expressing this is that for small changes in radiated power by the Earth， the factor relating radiative forcing in W/m2 to change in surface temperature in degrees Celsius， using this very simple approximation， is about 0。3"Why would you use so many words for expressing simple math。 Why is 1/4 th and not 4th root？ Something is amiss here。After writing everything down， i figured out a slightly alternative way of doing a simpler math from same Harvard paper:Doubling the CO2 concentration produces 3C temperature rise。 Now this is used as basis for simple math。 Using this， we establish 3。7 w/m2 radiative forcing produces 3c rise。Now how much would temperature rise when ppm level goes from 278 to 415。This uses earlier radiative forcing equation。 We find this change in ppm translates to 2。14 W/m2。Therefore the amount of radiative forcing change factor compared to doubling of CO2 is about 2。14/3。7 = 0。57。Corresponding temperature change is 0。57 x 3 = 1。5 CHe is using some other "naive" method but the error is about the same。 5。 When talking about temperature increases again， there are multiple places where the prefixes such as "an additional" ， "further rise of" are used before say 2C or 3C。 its not clear whether this is a gross increase or really an "additional" increase on top of something。 Luckily you just need IPCC report graphs to clarify this。 But what is the point of this book if one has to do this extra research。6。 The section where drying intensity across low northern latitudes were mentioned， it was too short and without a clear explanation。 This book is supposed to be about making a connection。 In this case， why a differential heating will lead to this"the differential long-term heating of the Southern Hemisphere versus a cooling of the Northern Hemisphere after emissions cease。 The net impact of this temperature shift is predicted to produce a consequent precipitation change: continued drying in the low latitudes of North Africa， South America， and Australia"There is no explanation given on why this is the case。 Its complex， sure。。。。。。but the how and why are important。 7。 Figure 8。11 has incorrect scale on the graph。 Y axis shows all curves peak below 30GT but we are at 40GT already。 Compare with previous graphs Figure 8。10 ， you can see the mistake is obvious。 Why nitpick on it？ Well， how difficult is to make an important graph error free？ 8。 On permafrost， he says " they contain huge stores of CO2 and methane"。 No， that is not accurate。 they don't contain anything。 They are frozen organic carbon which when thaws ， gets processed by awakened bacteria generating methane as waste。 its not a difficult explanation。 But strangely it got overlooked。 The new land that opens up for plants to grow will eventually sequester some CO2， but that is a much slower process and so the immediate impact of thawing is an accelerated warming。 I listed all above misgivings because I found the book to be quite useful and important for it fills a void thats unattended too long。 Therefore， i wished it was completely clear and error free。。these are a small list of issues but the rest of it is pretty good。 。。。more

Tai Tai ，

this is a snore。 too much science。

Max Booher ，

We are fucked。

Forrest Crock ，

Good easy read about exactly what the title states。 Gave it 4 stars instead of 5 stars because all of the figures were black and white and would have been easier to read if they had been colored。

Tripfiction ，

A sobering read focussing on the MEKONG DELTA"The Mekong has the richest density of freshwater fish in the world and is home to what is estimated to be over one thousand species of fish" Just let that sink in for a moment。 The Mekong supports over fourteen million people along its length。 The Mekong's delta - because it is so flat - is at the mercy of the slightest change in climate and the concomitant rise in sea levels。 The author says it is like the canary in a coal mine， it is even now urgen A sobering read focussing on the MEKONG DELTA"The Mekong has the richest density of freshwater fish in the world and is home to what is estimated to be over one thousand species of fish" Just let that sink in for a moment。 The Mekong supports over fourteen million people along its length。 The Mekong's delta - because it is so flat - is at the mercy of the slightest change in climate and the concomitant rise in sea levels。 The author says it is like the canary in a coal mine， it is even now urgently waving a red flag at the world。 Changes there will impact the world beyond South East Asia。 Climate change is a global issue and we can never forget that。Strong words from the author， indeed。 He ponders the notion that the earth has survived much and will continue to do so， Mother Nature being more powerful than humans。  And yet。。。Exponentially humans are releasing CO2 into the atmosphere which is upsetting the natural order and destabilising a very robust and harmonious system。 CO2， he stresses， has risen as human production has grown。The author ventured on a trip by boat along the Mekong， and in Vietnam， in the Delta， his thoughts gained sharp focus and coalesced。In the Mekong Delta it is a constant battle to keep the salty waters of the South China Sea at bay。 If seawater encroaches far up the Mekong River， then large scale destruction of rice crops will take place， and livelihoods will be under threat。 The freshwater fish - mentioned at the beginning - will die。 The inevitability of this happening is almost certain and the author suggests that the daily battle has already - depressingly - been lost。"。。the Mekong Delta represents， in microcosm， the threat facing much of the world's population from sea level rise" Vietnam is not alone。 Without intervention much of Bangladesh， Indonesia， Malaysia， Papua New Guinea as well as several countries in Europe （the Netherlands as a prime example， of course） will disappear。 Sobering！This is an interesting if not altogether original look at what is happening around the world。 There is a lot of scientific data  in the book， with diagrams and formulae and I have to be honest that my eyes glazed over at times because I am unfamiliar with many of the technical details。 A good read for anyone with a scientific penchant。 。。。more

Luis Brudna ，

Acho que o livro deveria ser "A físico-química das mudanças climáticas"。 :-）Ficou parecendo que alguns aspectos das mudanças climáticas não foram completamente abordados。 Acho que o livro deveria ser "A físico-química das mudanças climáticas"。 :-）Ficou parecendo que alguns aspectos das mudanças climáticas não foram completamente abordados。 。。。more

Roo Phillips ，

A great introductory book on the physics of climate change， but you really need to at least be interested in physics to enjoy this book。 I'm not sure this book is going to be useful for policy makers， which I believe was his intention。 It's more like a climate physics primer， with some anecdotes， and a few recent scientific journal references。 It's not too deep， it's scope is rather narrow， and there is little （if any？） mention of climate physics criticism。 He doesn't push his agenda very hard， A great introductory book on the physics of climate change， but you really need to at least be interested in physics to enjoy this book。 I'm not sure this book is going to be useful for policy makers， which I believe was his intention。 It's more like a climate physics primer， with some anecdotes， and a few recent scientific journal references。 It's not too deep， it's scope is rather narrow， and there is little （if any？） mention of climate physics criticism。 He doesn't push his agenda very hard， he does try to keep to the equations， but it comes through lightly at times。 I'm just not sure if I would recommend this book to anyone else。 。。。more

Davidcharlesbowmangmail。com ，

SeeSuch a title and author deserves better， and certainly I expected more polish and clarity。 I don't doubt that Krauss knows what he's doing， even though this isn't his area; and the evidence， argument and conclusions （and prognosis） presented here are incredibly important。 This is all the more reason why editing and printing needed a great deal more care。 He seemed to have expected his readers to be simultaneously mathematically adept， and not: some of his equations include natural logarithms， SeeSuch a title and author deserves better， and certainly I expected more polish and clarity。 I don't doubt that Krauss knows what he's doing， even though this isn't his area; and the evidence， argument and conclusions （and prognosis） presented here are incredibly important。 This is all the more reason why editing and printing needed a great deal more care。 He seemed to have expected his readers to be simultaneously mathematically adept， and not: some of his equations include natural logarithms， for example， but in the text he uses scare-quotes for the term。 Worse， some of them use symbols whose meanings aren't explained until later， if at all。 Some diagrams include features that aren't set out in the text: others are printed in black-and-white when evidently colour was used in the original。That said， it's sufficiently informative to be useful， and it has an engaging style。 I hope the next edition can be brought up to scratch。 。。。more

Joseph A。 ，

As always， Lawrence Krauss lays it on the line and explains clearly how climate is affected by industrial emissions and the long and short term possibilities。 It is not the final word。 Scientists are still on the learning curve but it is fairly clear where it's all going and the bottom line is that we have to make drastic changes to our way of life to stave off long term catastrophies and alterations of our atmosphere。 In the short term we will witness the early changes and destruction which wil As always， Lawrence Krauss lays it on the line and explains clearly how climate is affected by industrial emissions and the long and short term possibilities。 It is not the final word。 Scientists are still on the learning curve but it is fairly clear where it's all going and the bottom line is that we have to make drastic changes to our way of life to stave off long term catastrophies and alterations of our atmosphere。 In the short term we will witness the early changes and destruction which will take place and ultimitely bring on the big changes of which we will and are seeing happening now。The final chapter on the Mekong Delta is an eye opener and set your heart into palpitations。This book is a must read for those wanting to increase their understanding of how the Earths climate operates and the effect of our input into this fine tuned system。 。。。more

Grant ，

Nothing new but would make a good first read for those just getting into climate change literature。

Bernardo Ubaldo ，

The science behind climate change If you are concerned about climate change but don’t understand the science behind， then this book is for you。 I have to admit I found some parts difficult to understand， but the effort is worth it。

Nicole Barbaro ，

Great idea for a book but many of the chapters were not at all accessible to a general audience with out math or physics education given that the entirety of some chapters were presenting physics equations。

Serena Paigo ，

Nothing new here for those already well informed of the climate crisis。 It's meant to be just a concise covering of what we know and how we got to this point with minimal mathematics and jargon。 It's worth it for those looking for a quick overview， but more advanced readers can skip this。 Nothing new here for those already well informed of the climate crisis。 It's meant to be just a concise covering of what we know and how we got to this point with minimal mathematics and jargon。 It's worth it for those looking for a quick overview， but more advanced readers can skip this。 。。。more

Nagan ，

There are people who don't think climate change is a real thing and we are going to witness the consequences。 The book provides us with necessary data bout climate change and the physics behind it。 I hope this book helps such people。 There are people who don't think climate change is a real thing and we are going to witness the consequences。 The book provides us with necessary data bout climate change and the physics behind it。 I hope this book helps such people。 。。。more

Roberto ，

Excellent book！ Easy fast read， with some math equations that are very easy to understand with the graphs provided。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Physics of Climate Change

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Physics of Climate Change&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Physics of Climate Change&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0