Index

ACIA. See Arctic Climate Impact Assessment

acid rain, 39

adaptation to global warming, 91-92, 113

aerosols, 40

Africa, 13, 27, 37, 71, 72, 111

agriculture. See farming

air travel, 106-107

Alaska, 69

albedo, 42, 56, 131

Algeria, 99

Alps, 21

alternative energy. See renewable energy

aluminum, 29

Amazon, 88

Antarctica, 12, 15, 16, 20, 41, 56, 71, 77

Arctic, 12, 13, 24, 56, 61, 68, 76-77

Arctic Climate Impact Assessment (ACIA, 2004), 76-77

Argentina, 20, 29

Arrhenius, Svante August, 38

Asia, 13, 26, 27, 71

asphalt, 80

asthma, 39, 48

Atlantic Ocean, 20, 36-37, 49, 68-70. See also Gulf Stream

atmosphere, 34-36, 131. See also stratosphere, troposphere

Australia, 13, 19, 21, 29, 71, 72, 73, 94

automobiles. See cars

Avoiding Dangerous Climate Change Symposium (2005), 76

Bangladesh, 19, 55

Barcelona, 110

barley, 69

Basel, 105

Bay of Fundy, 96

beavers, 69

beetles, 17
forest infestation by, 51, 69, 74

Belgium, 100

biomass, 79, 86, 95, 96, 109

birches, 51

birds, 14, 60, 97, 101

Bogotá, 105, 109

Bohr, Niels, 64

BP, 93, 96

Brazil, 27, 28, 112

British Columbia, 107, 117

Browning, Robert, 24

butterflies, 14, 101

Byers, Stephen, 9

California, 94, 98

Canada, 13, 19, 20, 29, 72, 96, 110

carbon, 18, 42, 47

carbon cycle, 42-45, 130

carbon dioxide
and fossil fuels, 15, 18, 38, 44
and oceans, 54
and photosynthesis, 59
and temperature, 16-17, 38
as a greenhouse gas, 34-35, 78
atmospheric, 18, 29, 30, 34, 43-45, 47, 58, 67, 79
Carbon Dioxide and Temperature (graph), 15
Carbon Dioxide Emissions Per Capita (chart), 19
Carbon Dioxide in the Atmosphere (chart), 44
emissions, 18-19, 66-67, 81, 82, 87, 91, 92, 94, 104, 105, 108
sequestration, 99. See also carbon sinks

carbonic acid, 54

carbon sinks, 15, 43-45, 47, 59, 79, 102, 130

caribou, 62

Carlyle, Thomas, 90

cars, 18, 26, 30-31, 39, 82-84, 85, 94, 104-106
Car Free Days, 105, 109, 111
car sharing, 105, 109
fuel cell, 100-101
fuel efficient, 80, 93, 104, 105
hybrid, 65, 88, 94, 95, 104, 105

catalytic converters, 39

cedars, 51

cement. See concrete

Central America 71, 72

cereal crops, 71-72, 101. See also barley, corn, oats, rice

CFCs. See chlorofluorocarbons

chalk, 42

chaos theory, 66

Chernobyl, 87

Chile, 110

China, 13, 17, 19, 21, 28, 31, 72, 75, 83, 85, 95, 102, 109, 111, 112, 113

chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), 35, 41, 130

cities, 26, 56, 62, 85

Climate Action Network, 134

Climate Ark, 134

climate system, 33-45, 130

Climate Wire, 134

clouds, 40, 42, 66

coal, 18, 26, 28, 39, 45, 81, 85, 92, 99. See also fossil fuels

cod, 53

coffee, 72

Colombia, 14

Columbia Glacier, 69

compact fluorescent lightbulbs, 108, 109

computer models. See General Circulation Models

concrete, 29

congestion charges, 93, 110

consumerism, 82

continental shift, 24

Cool Biz, 104, 127

Copenhagen, 105

Copenhagen Accord, 113

copper, 29

coral reefs, 14, 53, 54, 75, 116

corn, 60

Cornwall, 38

Costa Rica, 20

crocodiles, 24

crops. See farming, food crops

crows, 60

cyclones, 130. See also hurricanes, tropical storms

Denmark, 95, 111

deserts, 21, 44, 52

Diamond, Jared, 78, 112

dinosaurs, 25, 60, 73

drought, 9, 13, 20, 21, 32, 48, 50-52, 60, 62, 73, 91, 92

DuPont, 92

Earth Summit, 128-29

Ecuador, 71

Egypt, 17

electricity, 18, 81-82, 104

elephants, 25

El Niño, 49, 131

energy, 29, 30, 32, 81-82, 103. See also renewable energy efficiency, 93, 94, 101, 103-104
Where the World’s Energy Comes From (chart), 81

environmental groups, 106-107

Esso. See ExxonMobil

Europe, 11, 13, 63, 73, 75, 85, 95, 96, 110, 111
2003 heat wave, 9, 48, 76

European Union, 95

Exeter, 76

extinctions, 72-73

ExxonMobil, 86, 106-107

farming, 26-28, 47, 54, 55. See also food crops

feedbacks, 47

Fiji, 21

firs, 51

fishing industry, 70

flies, 60

floods, 9, 21, 49-50, 55, 62, 74, 75, 91, 92, 111

food crops, 50-51, 58, 60, 62, 71-72, 78, 101

Ford, Henry, 26

forest fires, 51, 60, 91, 92
in Alaska, 69
in Canada, 20
in Russia, 9

forests, 15, 18, 24, 27, 28, 45, 47, 51, 59, 67, 69, 88-89, 102, 111. See also forest fires
as carbon sinks, 15, 18, 28, 43, 44, 45

fossil fuels, 15, 18, 29, 32, 39, 42, 44, 79, 87, 88, 91, 95, 96, 108, 131. See also coal, natural gas, oil

Fourier, Jean Baptiste Joseph, 38

France, 19

fresh water, 12, 39, 56, 58-59, 62, 63, 71, 74, 75, 78, 91, 101

frogs, 20

frost-free seasons. See growing seasons

fruit trees, 60

fuel cells. See hydrogen fuel cells

Fukushima, 87

Ganges River, 55

gas. See gasoline, methane, natural gas

gasoline, 39, 80, 88, 94. See also oil

General Circulation Models (GCMs), 65-66, 101, 131

General Electric, 92-93

geothermal energy, 79, 95, 96-98, 110, 131

Germany, 95-96, 100

glacial lakes, 56, 58

glaciers, 12, 20, 21, 25, 38, 39, 56, 58, 64, 101

glass, 29

Glen Canyon Dam, 13

Global Temperature Record (graph), 10

global warming
adaptation to, 91-92
and human activity, 11, 22-23, 34-35
and ozone, 41
and smog, 39
and tropical storms, 9, 49
caused by natural forces, 22, 24
definition of, 131
overall effect on humans, 77
rapid rate of, 11
technological solutions to, 98, 101

grapes, 59

grasshoppers, 51

Great Barrier Reef, 72. See also coral reefs

Great Britain, 19, 20, 70, 76, 93, 107

Greenhouse Effect, 34-37, 38, 131

greenhouse gases, 10, 34-35, 36, 49. See also carbon dioxide, CFCs, methane, nitrous oxide, ozone, water vapor
emissions, 65, 67, 70, 78, 84, 85, 86, 87, 89, 91, 93, 94, 97, 103, 131
Kyoto Protocol, 112-13

Greenland, 12, 56, 68, 77

Greenpeace, 106-107

groundwater, 21, 39, 40

growing seasons, 21, 27, 59, 69, 72

Gulf Stream, 36-37, 38, 68-70

habitats, shifting, 60-61, 64

Hadley Centre, 76

heat waves, 9, 48, 62, 91
2003 in Europe, 48, 76

Himalayas, 12, 55, 109

hippos, 25

Hoover Dam, 13

Hudson Bay, 20, 74

humans, 61-62, 66-67. See also population
history of, 25-32
overall effect of global warming on, 73, 77

hurricanes, 20, 49, 131. See also tropical storms
Katrina, 9

hybrid cars. See cars

hydrocarbons, 18

hydrogen, 98, 100

hydrogen fuel cells, 92, 95, 96, 99-101, 111, 131

hydrologic cycle, 34, 38-40, 49, 50, 131

hydro power, 32, 71, 81, 109, 131

ice, 12, 20, 25, 47, 55-57, 68. See also
albedo, glaciers, sea ice, West Antarctic Ice Sheet

ice ages, 10, 11, 25, 131

icebergs, 17

ice caps, 38, 40, 56, 70, 74

ice cores, 15, 16, 46, 101

Iceland, 12, 72, 96-98, 110

Iceman, 57

IEA. See International Energy Agency

India, 19, 83, 107, 112

Indonesia, 27, 94

Industrial Revolution, 14, 26, 29, 131

insects, 51, 60, 73. See also beetles, mosquitoes

insurance companies, 65

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), 10, 13, 68, 73, 76, 77, 122, 124, 131, 133

International Energy Agency (IEA), 85, 86, 121-22

Ireland, 38

iron, 29

Italy, 57, 87

James Bay, 38

Japan, 19, 30, 85, 87, 101, 102

jet effluent trails, 107

jet stream, 131

Kangerdlugssuaq Glacier, 120

Katrina (hurricane), 9

Kyoto Protocol, 112-13

Labrador, 70

Lake Mead, 13

Lake Powell, 13

landfills, 34

Latin America. See Central America, South America

lead, 29

leaf pores, 17

lightbulbs, 107-108, 109

limestone, 42, 43

livestock, 60

London, 39, 105, 110

Lovelock, James, 46

Los Angeles, 9

Maathai, Wangari, 111

Madison, 105

Maine, 110

malaria, 73. See also mosquitoes

Malaysia, 94

mammoths, 25, 57

Manhattan, 11, 55

marine ecosystems, 61. See also coral reefs

Mediterranean, 63, 71, 72

methane, 10, 34-35, 58, 110

Michigan, 100

migration, 14, 60-63, 72, 73, 91

Mississippi River, 74, 110

Mobility Weeks, 105

mold, 48, 51

Mongolia, 111

monsoons, 131. See also hurricanes, tropical storms

mosquitoes, 14, 58, 73

mountain regions, 12, 14, 40, 55, 58-59, 61, 71

mummies, 57

natural gas, 18, 28, 34, 45, 81, 106. See also fossil fuels

Nepal, 21

Nevada, 98

New Jersey, 100

New Orleans, 9

New York City, 55

New Zealand, 27, 70

Nile River, 75

nitrogen, 34

nitrous oxide, 35

North America, 13, 25, 27, 29, 30, 36, 51, 52, 71, 72, 73, 96, 104

northern hemisphere, 12, 21, 68

Northwest Passage, 74

nuclear energy, 32, 81, 86, 87

oaks, 51

oats, 69

oceans, 24, 36, 40, 41, 99. See also coral reefs, plankton, sea ice, sea levels, thermohaline circulation
as carbon sinks, 43-45
currents, 36-38, 46, 56, 68-70
warming, 13-14, 49, 52-55

oil, 18, 26, 30, 45, 56, 80, 81, 88, 93, 94, 95, 96. See also fossil fuels

Oregon, 94

Orlando, 100

oxygen, 34, 41, 43

ozone, 35, 41

Pacific Ocean, 37, 49, 70, 75

Pakistan, 9

Paris, 105

Pennsylvania, 26

Pentagon, 62

permafrost, 10, 57-58, 69, 77, 131. See also tundra

Perth, 21. 95

Peru, 74

Philadelphia, 110

Philippines, 27

pines, 51, 74

plankton, 41, 43, 54, 123

plants, 47, 50-51, 59-60. See also food crops
shifting ranges, 14, 59-60, 71-72

plastics, 29, 80

polar bears, 12, 25, 61, 74

polar regions, 12, 14, 38, 47, 55, 61, 67

pollen, 17, 48

pollution, water, 12-13, 55

population, 26, 27, 31, 32, 35, 50, 54, 62, 67, 81
World Population Then and Now (chart), 31

potatoes, 60

poverty line, 84

precipitation, 33, 47, 48, 50, 52, 56-57, 58, 71, 72, 75

predation, 60

Prince Edward Island, 96

proxy evidence, 16-17, 46

public transit, 93, 104, 105, 109

Quelccaya Ice Cap, 74

railroads, 101, 104, 109

rainfall. See precipitation

rainforests. See forests

rats, 60

renewable energy, 79, 80, 81, 86-87, 92, 94, 95-98, 109, 132. See also biomass, geothermal energy, solar energy, tidal energy, wind energy

rice, 34-35, 60

rock carvings, 17

Russia, 9, 27, 87. See also Siberia

Rwanda, 71

Sacramento, 100

Sahara, 17

salmon, 53

Samoa, 21

Saskatchewan, 99

Scandinavia, 63, 65, 72

Science and Development Network, 133

Scotland, 95, 110

sea ice, 12, 56, 61

sea levels, 14, 25, 38, 50, 54-55, 68, 70, 73, 74, 91, 110

sea sediments, 7

sequestration. See carbon sequestration

Shell Oil, 98

Shetland Isles, 96

shipping lanes, 56

Siberia, 10, 57

smog, 29, 30, 88, 105

snow, 47, 56, 68

soil, 59

solar activity, 22, 24, 33, 39, 66, 80

solar energy, 79, 86, 92, 95, 98, 105, 107, 109, 110

South America, 27, 72

southern hemisphere, 12

Southwest (US), 13

soybeans, 41, 51, 59, 89

Spain, 95, 100

Spanish flu, 57

spider mites, 51

sports utility vehicles. See SUVs

steam engine, 16, 26, 28. See also Industrial Revolution

steel, 29

Stockholm, 96

Stop Esso Day, 107

storms, 60, 62. See also tropical storms

stratosphere, 41, 133

suburbs, 31, 84

Sumeria, 17

sun. See solar activity

SUVs, 84, 107

Sweden, 19

Taipei, 111

technological solutions to global warming, 98, 101

Teilhard de Chardin, Pierre, 33

THC. See thermohaline circulation

temperatures, 33, 40, 46, 47
and carbon dioxide, 15, 16, 38
and sex determination, 61
during last ice age, 11
Global Temperature Record (graph), 10
measuring, 16
rising, 11, 46, 67-68
Warmest Years on Record (chart), 11, 68

Thailand, 27, 94

thermohaline circulation (THC), 36-38, 132
map, 37

Thoreau, Henry David, v

tidal energy, 96

tin, 29

Titusville, 26

tomatoes, 59

Toronto, 100

Trans Alaska Pipeline, 69

tree rings, 17

tropical storms, 9, 48, 49. See also cyclones, hurricanes, typhoons

troposphere, 41, 133

tundra, 34, 58, 132. See also permafrost

turtles, 61

Tuvalu, 70

typhoons, 130. See also hurricanes, tropical storms

Uganda, 72

ultraviolet radiation, 41

United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), 13, 133

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), 129

United States, 9, 13, 18-19, 20, 27, 28, 29, 62, 85, 88, 93, 94, 102, 113

Unst, 96

Utah, 98

Vancouver, 100

vegetation belts. See plants

volcanic activity, 22, 24, 43, 66

WAIS. See West Antarctic Ice Sheet

warming. See also global warming, temperatures
human-induced, 14-15
Warmest Years on Record (chart), 11
Warming Around the World (map), 20-21

water. See fresh water, pollution

water vapor, 34, 39, 40, 42

Watt, James, 26, 28

weather, 36, 46, 132
extreme, 48, 91

weather stations, 16

weeds, 59

West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS), 68, 76, 77

Western culture, 82

wilderness corridors, 91

wildlife preserves, 91

wind energy, 65, 79, 80, 86, 88, 95-98, 109, 110, 111

winds, 33, 47, 49

World Glacier Monitoring Service, 12

World Meteorological Organization (WMO), 13

World War II, 28

World Wildlife Fund, 106

Yangtze River, 111

Yellow River, 21