Jonathan Cowie
Climate Change: Biological and Human Aspects
Published in EOS Transactions of the American Geophysical Union 89 (35), 26 August 2008.
Several months ago young economist asked me if I could recommend a good book explaining global climate change. At the time, I coudn't think of anything appropriate for a nonscientist [sic]. Jonathan Cowie's new book can now meet this need and is especially appropriate for someone interested in human systems. As Cowie explains in his introduction, Climate Change: Biological and Human Aspects is written to be accessible to undergraduates, scientists outside of the life sciences, specialists reading outside of their field, and policy makers and analysts interested in climate change and its relevance to society. in this regard, he succeeds very well.
While the book focuses on biology and human ecology in relation to climate change, it touches on all important climatic factors and processes. It describes what we know about how Earth's climate and life have evolved from Earth's formation to the present. The scientific evidence and indicators of past and current climatic and biological changes are carefully explained. The book provides important perspective and context to help us understnad current climatic change and the prospects for future change. One example of how life influences climate comes from the Carboniferous period (roughly 359-299 million years ago) when the world's first tall forests absorbed carbon from the atmosphere and buried large amounts of it, enriching atmospheric oxygen in the process. The higher oxygen environment ultimately facilitated forest fires that returned carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, contributing to the end of glaciation in that period.
Cowie excels in clearly describing complex interactions and explaining the need to consider the influences of multiple interacting factors, the relative importance of which can vary across time. One such illustration is the explanation of how the intensity and duration of glacial and interglacial periods has been determined by interactions among the carbon cycle, the Earth's orbit (Milankovitch cycle), volcanism, and several other factors.
The first two chapters of the book provide essential background and definitions and explain the major factors involved in climate change. The second chapter includes a nice description of the types of evidence used to document past climates and interpret biological and ecological responses. It also explains how that information can be used. Strengths and limitations are described, as well as how multiple pieces of evidence, no one of which may be definitive, can come together to make strong inferences about past climate and its effects. I would recommend the book to a nonscientist for these sections alone.
A full third of the book (chapters 3-5) is devoted to a march through time, from 4.6 billion years ago to the present, detailing what is known about Earth's climatic history.
Climate Change: Biological and Human Aspects
Cambridge University Press,, 2007.
$52 (487 pp.). ISBN 978-0-521-69619-7
Reviewed by Diane E. WicklandPublished in EOS Transactions of the American Geophysical Union 89 (35), 26 August 2008.
Several months ago young economist asked me if I could recommend a good book explaining global climate change. At the time, I coudn't think of anything appropriate for a nonscientist [sic]. Jonathan Cowie's new book can now meet this need and is especially appropriate for someone interested in human systems. As Cowie explains in his introduction, Climate Change: Biological and Human Aspects is written to be accessible to undergraduates, scientists outside of the life sciences, specialists reading outside of their field, and policy makers and analysts interested in climate change and its relevance to society. in this regard, he succeeds very well.
While the book focuses on biology and human ecology in relation to climate change, it touches on all important climatic factors and processes. It describes what we know about how Earth's climate and life have evolved from Earth's formation to the present. The scientific evidence and indicators of past and current climatic and biological changes are carefully explained. The book provides important perspective and context to help us understnad current climatic change and the prospects for future change. One example of how life influences climate comes from the Carboniferous period (roughly 359-299 million years ago) when the world's first tall forests absorbed carbon from the atmosphere and buried large amounts of it, enriching atmospheric oxygen in the process. The higher oxygen environment ultimately facilitated forest fires that returned carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, contributing to the end of glaciation in that period.
Cowie excels in clearly describing complex interactions and explaining the need to consider the influences of multiple interacting factors, the relative importance of which can vary across time. One such illustration is the explanation of how the intensity and duration of glacial and interglacial periods has been determined by interactions among the carbon cycle, the Earth's orbit (Milankovitch cycle), volcanism, and several other factors.
The first two chapters of the book provide essential background and definitions and explain the major factors involved in climate change. The second chapter includes a nice description of the types of evidence used to document past climates and interpret biological and ecological responses. It also explains how that information can be used. Strengths and limitations are described, as well as how multiple pieces of evidence, no one of which may be definitive, can come together to make strong inferences about past climate and its effects. I would recommend the book to a nonscientist for these sections alone.
A full third of the book (chapters 3-5) is devoted to a march through time, from 4.6 billion years ago to the present, detailing what is known about Earth's climatic history.
I found this section interesting but poorly organized, repetitive, and
tedious. Many climatic events are discussed multiple time, in more or
less detail, and I found myself checking back and forth trying to
understand the differences and make sure I really understood the
information presented. Often, an acronym or shorthand reference to a
topic appears in the text before it is first introduced. Cowie explains
in his introduction that he made the book "a little repetitious"
because he wanted readers to be able to use the book as a reference
they could "dip into." Initially, I read the book cover to cover, and
found the repetitiou tiresome. Later, as I "dipped in" to review key
explanations, I would often find the "wrong" one (e.g., one with less
detail or a line of evidence missing). I am a little worried that
nonsicentists may have difficulty capturing the main points of these
chapters.
The final three chapters, on the ecosystem effects of current warming, human ecology, and policy, present an incredibly broad and insightful discussion of how human societies are both affected by, and respond to, climatic change and associated ecosystem changes. For example, I was impressed with the discussion of relationships between warmer temperatures and increased occurrences of food poisoning, including the observation of time lags associated with when domestic animals become infected and when their meat reaches the market. Cowie makes it easy both to appreciate the degree of societal impact associated with historical and current climatic variations and to consider what could happen in the future if more severe climatic changes occur. The analyses of human responses and actions, such as how agriculture, food prices, human demographics, and even religious practices changed during the Little Ice Age, are extremely interesting but not presented in great depth. One is left wishing for more.
The book is written in an informal style wherein the author reveals a lot about himself (through asides and anecdotes) and his personal views on climate change policy. This enhances interest and accessibility in many ways but detracts in others - the personal opinions, especially, may reduce the credibility of an otherwise reasonably balanced presentation. Also, a fair number of obscure colloquial British English expressions are used, and the book has more errors and typos than I am accustomed to seeing in a book from a major publisher. The figures are simple but effective.
Overall, Climate Change: Biological and Human Aspects is a fine treatment of global climate change and interactions with biological systems that can be used to inform a variety of readers. It has value as an educational introduction to climate change to nonscientists as well as a refresher for scientists. Almost everyone is likely to gain a fresh perspective or learn something new.
The final three chapters, on the ecosystem effects of current warming, human ecology, and policy, present an incredibly broad and insightful discussion of how human societies are both affected by, and respond to, climatic change and associated ecosystem changes. For example, I was impressed with the discussion of relationships between warmer temperatures and increased occurrences of food poisoning, including the observation of time lags associated with when domestic animals become infected and when their meat reaches the market. Cowie makes it easy both to appreciate the degree of societal impact associated with historical and current climatic variations and to consider what could happen in the future if more severe climatic changes occur. The analyses of human responses and actions, such as how agriculture, food prices, human demographics, and even religious practices changed during the Little Ice Age, are extremely interesting but not presented in great depth. One is left wishing for more.
The book is written in an informal style wherein the author reveals a lot about himself (through asides and anecdotes) and his personal views on climate change policy. This enhances interest and accessibility in many ways but detracts in others - the personal opinions, especially, may reduce the credibility of an otherwise reasonably balanced presentation. Also, a fair number of obscure colloquial British English expressions are used, and the book has more errors and typos than I am accustomed to seeing in a book from a major publisher. The figures are simple but effective.
Overall, Climate Change: Biological and Human Aspects is a fine treatment of global climate change and interactions with biological systems that can be used to inform a variety of readers. It has value as an educational introduction to climate change to nonscientists as well as a refresher for scientists. Almost everyone is likely to gain a fresh perspective or learn something new.
Diane E. Wickland, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Washington, D.C.
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