About the Book

Heat waves in Delhi and Athens. Hurricane Mitch in Central America and tornadoes in the USA. Floods in Britain and China. All unprecedented in severity. Unprecedented in frequency. What is happening to the world‘s weather? What are the world‘s governments doing about it? This book takes us through the science, and behind the politics, to explore:

* Climate instability: do we need to worry?

* Global warming: what is the evidence?

* The likely impact of increases in average temperatures, rising oceans, shifts in rainfall patterns -- not just on lowlying countries and islands in both the industrialised and developing countries, but on all regions of the world.

* Most important of all, what can be done? What is the precautionary principle? What are scientists recommending? What are the disagreements among them, and among governments? Why are our politicians failing -- at the climate change negotiations at Kyoto, the Hague and right now -- to settle on effective, rather than cosmetic, action?

This book makes clear for the general reader what is at stake; the difficulties of concerted action; the varying concerns of countries North and South; and the urgent necessity for all of us to press our politicians to take climate instability seriously.

About the Author

Joyeeta Gupta

Contents

Contents
1. Introduction: Weathering the Weather
2. Climate Instability and global warming: the evidence
3. Coping with Uncertainty: Is there need for action?
4. A history of the Negotiations: From initial optimism to pragmatism
5. The agreements as they stand today
6. The players and concerns: Caught between domestic support and international commitments
7. The key negotiating issues: Controversy and conflict
8. Due process and rule of law: Towards decreasing transparency
9. The problem revisited: What is climate change?
10. The solution revisited: Saving Face is Saving Faith
11. Conclusion

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