Six Degrees: Our Future on a Hotter Planet

There are already plenty of good, in-depth reviews that give you an indication of what you'll be reading if you get this book, so I won't duplicate. All I will say is that this book is well-written, easy to read, and chock full of references to studies and other supporting documentation for what the author discusses. There are literally pages and pages of citations at the back of the book so you can go check out the author's sources for yourself. If you read this book and STILL somehow find a way to deny that climate change is real, is happening right now, and will continue to happen for at least another ~100 years....there's just no help for you.I'd already read "Under a Green Sky" and other books that give a flavor of what now awaits us as a result of our having carelessly overloaded the planet with greenhouse gases. This book cited some of the same material, but also PLENTY of other research and studies that I hadn't come across yet.It is depressing to read this book, as some of the damage has already happened and can NEVER be reversed. I nearly cried reading the sparse (maybe ten sentences) description of how one species - the golden tree frog, in South America - was determined to be extinct. One single little male frog, all alone, showing up at the mating grounds for a couple of years in a row, giving out his mating call....but the only one there to know it was a scientist who had been studying the frogs. Then, the next year...nothing. The last little male frog didn't come to the mating grounds....nor was he there the next year, or the next....and it was concluded that the entire species was now extinct. All told in just a few sentences, unemotionally...but even sadder as a result. This is what our brutal ignorance is doing: murdering species one after the other, left and right...with only one, or a few, scientists even present at the "funeral".If that doesn't disgust you and make you unhappy with "politics as usual', and the human race in general, I doubt anything will - and reading this book won't change a thing in your mind.I applaud the author for writing this. I hope that his hopes for his daughter come true, that somehow things can be changed quickly enough to avoid the future predicted. That the book is depressing to read is NOT the author's fault - the topic itself is depressing. This book, however, takes the mature attitude that until and unless we, as a race, both KNOW and ADMIT what we are facing, nothing can be done. This is his attempt to bring light to the shadows created by opportunistic politicians and greed-meisters who think only of the next three months (or year at most).

Sobering.Full of evidence and very readable. This book is the best explanation I've found about what climate change means. The author lets the evidence and projections speak for themselves, and they are alarming.Everyone should read this book. Why is this information not being yelled from the housetops and part of every politician's speech?Other reviewers have criticized this book because the author is a journalist, not a scientist. Well, the scientists so far have done a poor job of explaining to the rest of us what climate change means. Al Gore's film The Inconvenient Truth also fell short. This author has obviously done extensive research and synthesized it for all of us. That is what journalists do. He deserves praise for this accomplishment.From this and other books I've read, it's apparent that climate change is now inevitable. The only question is how fast we want it to get very bad. Far from declining, world C02 emissions continue to rise exponentially. Even the amount of CO2 emitted so far is enough to eventually melt Greenland and raise sea levels tens of feet, as well as cause major storms and droughts, and decimate much of life in the oceans and on land. Critical tipping points are near, such as melting permafrost and releasing tons more methane.There is a film version of this book by National Geographic, for those who want an easy overview. Another good book on the topic is  The Climate Crisis: An Introductory Guide to Climate Change .After the evidence in this book has got you depressed, you can recover by checking out this more hopeful perspective, a PBS NOVA show describing possible solutions:  Nova: Power Surge: Are We Finally on the Brink of a Clean Energy Revolution? .

Overall, this is an excellent book which describes the most likely effects of warming of planet earth in six scenarios, warming between 1 and 6 degrees in one degree increments, based upon the scientific literature. (A collection of notes at the end of the book gives references to scientific articles.) There is also a short chapter describing policies for mitigation of climate change.The description of the six scenarios is consistent with what I’ve read from other sources. I agree that climate change is the most serious problem facing the species homo sapiens.According to the Fifth Assessment Report of the IPCC written in 2015, “projections suggest an increase in global mean temperature in 2100 of 3.7 to 4.8 °C, relative to pre-industrial levels.” But the report also suggests there is considerable uncertainty and the full range might be from 2.5 to 7.8 degrees Centigrade.What primarily drives climate change is release of carbon dioxide (and other greenhouse gases) into the atmosphere by humans using fossil fuels. However, as the author describes, there are various tipping points at which natural processes might be unleashed that accelerate global warming and make it less possible for humans to control climate change. These include “carbon cycle feedbacks” as heated soils in the tropics release additional carbon into the atmosphere, melting of the Arctic ice cap which further heats the planet due to the lower reflectivity of water as opposed to ice, and melting of the permafrost in the Arctic tundra which can release methane.These effects are nonlinear and it is hard to predict how they might interact. That is one of the reasons for the range in predictions of the various models.The suggested remedies in the last chapter are mostly already being pursued. These include the development of solar and wind energy, high efficiency standards for autos, and efforts to live closer to nature and use less energy.On the other hand, the author doesn't discuss the impact of population growth on global warming, nor the possibility that lower population growth might mitigate the suffering of people who leave the uninhabitable equatorial regions as the earth warms, and seek entry into the more temperate parts of the world.The population of Africa is slated to double again by 2050. In his discussion of three degrees, the author describes the effect of a warming climate on Botswana. At present Botswana is largely the Kalahari desert, although the northeastern part is the Okavango Delta which gets seasonal rain, and native people can live in this region in close contact with nature. But as the world warms, Botswana and large parts of surrounding countries will become drier, the region will turn to sand dunes, and the inhabitants will likely starve.Missionaries went to Africa and convinced many of the natives that birth control was sinful and abortion is downright murder. Wouldn’t it make sense to project the opposite message, that women should plan their family size, and large families lead to disaster in an overpopulated world? This might make it easier for Africans to survive the period of warming, which will gradually lower the carrying capacity of earth, causing deaths in the hundreds of millions.Restricting to just the US, which has a population growth of .7% per year, wouldn’t a limitation of growth to zero percent result in lower emissions in the long run because of the lower number of people using energy? That’s a small change, but every bit helps.The author equivocates when it comes to nuclear energy. But the issue here is safety, and I believe we should the option open by supporting research in new designs. This can speed up the replacement of oil and gas.All these issues need to be discussed in a public forum. That discussion is essential because we the public cannot make rational decisions unless they have considered all options for mitigation.

Envío inmediato y en perfectas condiciones. El libro resulta imprescindible para entender el mundo que viene.

‘Climate Change is the canvas on which the history of the 21st century will be painted’ - Introduction, Page 22A wealth of knowledge in this book. Reading this book is like gazing into the future. Through its six chapters, the author describes changes to the global climate, which are likely to occur, as the planet warms up degree by degree from one degree to six degrees over this century. Information presented in the book has been distilled from scientific literature on the subject; literature that is mostly read by specialists and not by the layman. The conclusion drawn is that, although the planet has seen warm periods before since life began, the present warming is occurring at a rate that most plants and animals will be unable to adapt fast enough and face extinction. Further, climate change will cause mass migration of humans, which in turn will lead to massive social unrest and turmoil. With a hostile climate, zones fit for human habitation will continuously shrink towards the poles as we head towards a six degrees world. The world as we have known it will entirely change. In sum, the book is a dire warning, alarming and a must read.

This book, written a decade ago, spells out in terrifying detail what is happening now and what will happen in the near future to our planet. The message is quite clear even if I was not able to understand all the details concerning climate change and the effects on our planet: each chapter describes in detail what will happen and where as the planet warms one degree Celsius more, until we arrive at 6 degrees Celsius when the planet will no longer be habitable for human life. This depressing picture is offset by the last chapter which indicates the necessary steps to be taken to avoid this outcome. Whether you are an optimist or a pessimist this book will certainly affect you and make you aware of the effects of climate change on our planet.Highly recommended.

I coud'nt stop reading this book. Although this is written more than ten years ago, many of his predictions and ideas are still true to today's circumstances.

Thoughtful and comprehensive description of the potential effects of increasing global warmth. Everyone who cares about the next generation should read this book and take from it motivation for action.