In this accessible primer, Dessler and Parson combine their expertise in atmospheric science and public policy to help scientists, policy makers, and the public sort through the conflicting claims in the climate-change debate. The authors explain how scientific and policy debates work, summarize present scientific knowledge and uncertainty about climate change, and discuss the available policy options. Along the way, they explain WHY the debate is so confusing. Anyone with an interest in how science is used in policy debates will find this discussion illuminating. The book requires no specialized knowledge, but is accessible to any college-educated general reader who wants to make more sense of the climate change debate. It can also be used as a textbook to explain the details of the climate-change debate, or as a resource for science students or working scientists, to explain how science is used in policy debates.

"Each of the key aspects of global climate change is covered, with up-to-date and well-referenced information throughout. Its impressive breadth and the provision of succinct overviews of source material in the further reading sections of each chapter mean that teachers, lecturers and researchers will all find this book a useful starting oint for in-depth study."
David Reay, Edinburgh University"This is a book which all scientists and the educated general public should read and reflect upon before it is too late to halt the apparently inevitable progress to Armageddon."
Chromatographia"Ensure[s] fluent reading for non-expert, yet educated, citizens. The book is logically structured and it should become a key reading and teaching source in georgaphy and environmental sciences. It can also be valuable to doctoral students and senior researchers interested in learning about climate change science and politics. Overall it is a book worth having on one's shelf."
Environmental Sciences"provides perhaps the most comprehensive and comprehensible analysis of the debates around climate change and is likely to become a foundational text for students, scholars, policymakers, and citizens seeking clarity on this topic. The scholarly value of The Science and Politics of Global Climate Change is indisputable. Dessler and Parson independently possess significant authority on both the science and the politics of climate change. Their treatment of the subject illustrates the complexity of the problem with remarkable ease and clarity. By juxtaposing the scientific and the political processes, they enrich the academic literature which has traditionally separated the two and open up new avenues for exploring policy solutions. Scientists will find value in the discussion of how their work is used by policymakers. Those knowledgeable about the politics of climate change will find value in the discussion of the science."
Global Environmental Politics"Excellent overview of an increasingly critical issue."
Future Survey"I found the book quite well written, with a good explanation of a suitable range of relevant scientific, "political" and economic concepts...I believe it is a good candidate for a primer for mulitdisciplinary classes devoted to climate policy..."
Canadian Public Policy, Randall M. Wigle, Wilfrid Laurier University"It explains scientific and policy debates, discusses areas of knowledge and uncertainty regarding climate change, and offers possible policy options."
American Meteorological Society

Combining their expertise in atmospheric science and public policy, the authors present an accessible description of the scientific and political issues involved in the climate-change debate. This introductory primer will help students and the general public to sort through the conflicting claims made by scientists, politicians and the media.

An introduction to the climate change debate for non-specialists.

Climate variability has become the primary environmental concern of the 21st Century. Yet, despite the scientific community's warnings of the imminent dangers of global warming, politicians world-wide have failed to agree on what to do about this potentially devastating environmental problem. This introductory primer informs scientists, policy makers and the general public by clarifying the conflicting claims of the debate.

1. Global climate change: a new type of environmental problem; 2. Science, politics, and science in politics; 3. Climate change: present scientific knowledge and uncertainties; 4. The climate change policy debate: impacts and potential responses; 5. The present impasse and steps forward; Glossary; Appendices; Bibliography; Index.