Product Description

If you listen to the media, you would think that man-made environmental catastrophe was about to engulf the world and imperil civilization. From Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth to nightly jeremiads about CO2 emissions and carbon footprints, we are bombarded around the clock with alarmist reports that disasterous global warming is on the rise and that it's our fault. In Climate Confusion, noted climatologist Roy Spencer shows that fears about global warming are vastly exaggerated and are driven by politics, not truth. He shows that a global superstorm has already arrived-but it is a storm of hype and hysteria. Climate Confusion is a ground-breaking book that combines impeccable scientific authority with great wit and literary panache to expose the hysteria surrounding the myths of global warming and climate change. Spencer shows that the earth is far more resilient than exopessimists pretend and that increasing wealth and technology ingenuity, far from being the enemies of the environment, are the only means we possess to solve environmental problems as they arise.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1288 in Books
• Published on: 2008-03-27
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 184 pages

From the Author
I wrote Climate Confusion for several reasons. In contrast to other works, I wanted it to be an entertaining and easily understood primer on how weather and climate works, showing why manmade global warming is unlikely to be a serious problem for humanity. Furthermore, I wanted to explore the political, philosophical, and religious underpinnings of beliefs in catastrophic global warming, helping the reader to better appreciate why scientific research in this area has become tainted and untrustworthy. Finally, and possibly most importantly, by using basic economic concepts I wanted to counter currently proposed policy "solutions" to global warming that will have devastating effects on the world's poor.

From the Back Cover
Climate Confusion is the best book length treatment of global warming science that is available to the literate citizen. The title says it all. Spencer explains the broad agreement over the existence of some climate change and the existence of some human role, but he also explains why these have little to do with the implausible and overheated projections of environmental disaster. The author thus cuts through all the rhetorical brickbats of `denialism' and `salvationism' to allow the citizen to reach rational conclusions. Despite a light touch, Spencer does not pull punches when it comes to unclothing the moral pretenses of many in the environmental movement - pretenses often disguising some truly immoral agendas.

Richard S. Lindzen, Alfred P. Sloan Professor of Atmospheric Sciences

"An outstanding discussion of the many scientific, political and religious problems associated with the acceptance that humans are the primary cause of global warming. A must read for anyone wanting a full and balanced understanding of the global warming debate."

William M. Gray, Professor Emeritus, Department of Atmospheric Science, Colorado State University

Roy Spencer's "Climate Confusion" is needed to put the global warming hysteria in its rightful place. He has done a yeoman's job in making the issue understandable and accessible to the general public without a sacrifice in the rigor of his arguments.

Walter E. Williams John M. Olin Distinguished Professor of Economics George Mason University

If you have an interest in global warming, but are intimidated by equations and scientific terminology, this book is for you. The author explores the philosophy of global warming (and cooling), examines the limitations of global numerical models for which all alarmist statements are based, and discusses the economics of alternative actions that might be pursued. This book is an excellent read! Neil L Frank Former Director National Hurricane Center

About the Author
Roy W. Spencer is a Principal Research Scientist at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, where he directs a variety of climate research projects. He received his Ph.D. in Meteorology from the University of Wisconsin in 1981, and was formerly a Senior Scientist for Climate Studies at NASA. Dr. Spencer also serves as the U.S. Science Team Leader for the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for EOS (AMSR-E) flying on NASA's Aqua satellite. He is co-developer of the original satellite method for precise monitoring of global temperatures from Earth-orbiting satellites. He has authored numerous weather and climate research articles in scientific journals, and has provided congressional testimony several times on the subject of global warming.

Customer Reviews

Excellent Primer on Climate, Weather, and Warming
Dr. Spencer lays out his objectives for the book in the introduction which primarily is to provide climate information to climate lay people (which is most everyone on the planet).

I found this book to be very informative regarding the atmosphere, basic weather (energy, wind, currents, temperature, etc.), theories of global warming, government policy creation, and overall just how much is unknown about warming, weather, and climate change.

He also provides information on his experience working for the government and his experience with environmentalists (including Al Gore) and alarmists.

As a bonus Dr. Spencer has a chapter on basic economics (related to policy creation) that should be required reading for all.

I would recommend this book.

Is Global Warming discussion bad for your health?
The global warming fight is bad for your health because it shifts the policy focus to global warming, to so called "greenhouse gases" and away from toxic pollution, such as SO2, NO and particulate matter. No one is claiming these are not bad for your health and were particularly bad in Southern California and London before they enacted sensible regulations to curb it.

Lets shift to using fuel cells in cars and for electric power not to reduce greenhouse gases but to reduce or eliminate toxic pollution. Lets not throw out the baby with the bathwater, i.e. the battle against toxic pollution because of the likely spurious concern with "greenhouse gases".

Climate Confusion?
Don't be put off by the title, this is an interesting and thought provoking book written by an open, sceptical but trained scientific mind. The author's acceptance of the differences of opinion in the scientific community regarding the degree of human attribution to the perceived threat of global warming/climate change precludes him from giving the reader direct answers to the fundamental questions, but rather he provides them with much of the material to get the answers, or make valued judgements for themselves. This is done with humour and is intellectually insightful, but without presumption of any kind I would say. All in all, a thoroughly good read and one that successfully pricks the bubble of the many preposterous predictions we see promulgated by the media on the subject, but, somewhat worryingly, not challenged by the many informed individuals who know better but prefer to remain silent. Recommended without reservation.