The Forgiving Air: Understanding Environmental Change, Second Edition

Review
An important revision to a wonderful, readable introduction to Earth's environment and our impact on it. The recent scientific advances covered in this edition underline the importance of the topic to all of us on the planet. --Sally K. Ride, Ph.D., former astronaut, CEO of Sally Ride Science

Richard Somerville is one of the world's top climate scientists. He's also one of the clearest when it comes to explaining climate science and policy. His book is the ultimate resource for students, educators, and policy makers seeking to understand one of the most critical issues of our times. --James Gustave Speth, dean of the Yale University School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and author of The Bridge at the Edge of the World

This very readable book, written for the educated public, informs the reader about the many ways humankind is affecting the global environment in the new geological era, the Anthropocene. I highly recommend it. --Paul Crutzen, 1995 Nobel laureate in Chemistry


Product Description
The Forgiving Air is an authoritative, up-to-date handbook on global change. Written by a scientist for nonscientists, this primer humanizes the great environmental issues of our time--the hole in the ozone layer, the greenhouse effect, acid rain, and air pollution--and explains everything in accessible prose. This fully updated and revised edition takes into account the latest developments in climate research and policy. Highlighting the interrelatedness of human activity and global change, Richard Somerville stresses the importance of an educated public in a world where the role of science is increasingly critical.


About the Author
Richard C. J. Somerville is Professor of Meteorology at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego. He is also a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and a Coordinating Lead Author of the most recent report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).