Elizabeth May - Climate Change For Dummies

Climate Change For Dummies®

Published by: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.,111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774, www.wiley.com

Copyright © 2022 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey

Published simultaneously in Canada

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without the prior written permission of the Publisher. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) 748-6011, fax (201) 748-6008, or online at www.wiley.com/go/permissions .

Trademarks: Wiley, For Dummies, the Dummies Man logo, Dummies.com, Making Everything Easier, and related trade dress are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc., and may not be used without written permission. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book.

LIMIT OF LIABILITY/DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY: WHILE THE PUBLISHER AND AUTHORS HAVE USED THEIR BEST EFFORTS IN PREPARING THIS WORK, THEY MAKE NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF THE CONTENTS OF THIS WORK AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. NO WARRANTY MAY BE CREATED OR EXTENDED BY SALES REPRESENTATIVES, WRITTEN SALES MATERIALS OR PROMOTIONAL STATEMENTS FOR THIS WORK. THE FACT THAT AN ORGANIZATION, WEBSITE, OR PRODUCT IS REFERRED TO IN THIS WORK AS A CITATION AND/OR POTENTIAL SOURCE OF FURTHER INFORMATION DOES NOT MEAN THAT THE PUBLISHER AND AUTHORS ENDORSE THE INFORMATION OR SERVICES THE ORGANIZATION, WEBSITE, OR PRODUCT MAY PROVIDE OR RECOMMENDATIONS IT MAY MAKE. THIS WORK IS SOLD WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT THE PUBLISHER IS NOT ENGAGED IN RENDERING PROFESSIONAL SERVICES. THE ADVICE AND STRATEGIES CONTAINED HEREIN MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR YOUR SITUATION. YOU SHOULD CONSULT WITH A SPECIALIST WHERE APPROPRIATE. FURTHER, READERS SHOULD BE AWARE THAT WEBSITES LISTED IN THIS WORK MAY HAVE CHANGED OR DISAPPEARED BETWEEN WHEN THIS WORK WAS WRITTEN AND WHEN IT IS READ. NEITHER THE PUBLISHER NOR AUTHORS SHALL BE LIABLE FOR ANY LOSS OF PROFIT OR ANY OTHER COMMERCIAL DAMAGES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR OTHER DAMAGES.

For general information on our other products and services, please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at 877-762-2974, outside the U.S. at 317-572-3993, or fax 317-572-4002. For technical support, please visit https://hub.wiley.com/community/support/dummies .

Wiley publishes in a variety of print and electronic formats and by print-on-demand. Some material included with standard print versions of this book may not be included in e-books or in print-on-demand. If this book refers to media such as a CD or DVD that is not included in the version you purchased, you may download this material at http://booksupport.wiley.com . For more information about Wiley products, visit www.wiley.com .

Library of Congress Control Number: 2022933663

ISBN: 978-1-119-70310-5

ISBN 978-1-119-70317-4 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-119-70312-9 (ebk)

1 Cover

2 Title Page

3 Copyright

4 Introduction About This Book Foolish Assumptions Icons Used in This Book Beyond This Book Where to Go from Here

5 Part 1: Understanding Climate Change Chapter 1: Covering the Basics of Climate Change Getting a Basic Overview — Global Warming 101 Tapping into The Roots of Global Warming Examining the Effects of Global Warming around the World Positive Politics: Governments and Global Warming Solving the Problem Chapter 2: Looking Closely at Greenhouse Earth Examining Greenhouse Effect 101 Focusing On Carbon Dioxide: Leader of the Pack Checking Out the Other GHGs Chapter 3: Recognizing the Big Deal about Carbon Considering Other Causes of Global Warming Making the Case for Carbon Eyeballing the Consequences of Continued Carbon Dioxide Increases

6 Part 2: Tracking Down the Causes Chapter 4: Living in the Dark Ages of Fossil Fuels From Fossils to Fuel — How Fossil Fuels Came to Be Examining the Different Types of Fossil Fuels Fueling Civilization’s Growth: Adding to the Greenhouse Effect Chapter 5: Getting Right to the Source: The Big Emitters Power to the People: Energy Use The Road to Ruin: Transportation and GHGs Draining the Carbon Sinks: Land Use Chapter 6: Taking It Personally: Individual Sources of Emissions Driving Up Emissions: Transportation and GHGs Using Energy around the House You Are What You Eat: Food and Carbon Wasting Away

7 Part 3: Examining the Effects of Climate Change Chapter 7: Focusing on Not-So-Natural Disasters H 2Oh No: Watery Disasters Stormy Weather: More Intense Storms and Hurricanes Forest Fires and Wildfires: Trees and Grasses as Fuel Turning Up the Heat Examining the Negative Side Effects of Positive Feedback Loops Chapter 8: Risking Flora and Fauna: Impacts on Plants and Animals Understanding the Stresses on Ecosystems Warming the World’s Waters: Threats to the Underwater World Risking Earth’s Forests Preparing for Mass Extinctions Chapter 9: Hitting Home: Global Warming’s Direct Effect on People Focusing on the Health Scare — Outbreaks and Diseases Putting Pressure on the Fields Paying the Price for Global Warming Feeling the Heat First: Unequal Effects

8 Part 4: Political Progress: Fighting Global Warming Nationally and Internationally Chapter 10: Voting for Your Future: What Governments Can Do If They Had a Million Dollars … Wait — They Do! — Funding Measures Putting Programs into Place Cleaning Up Transportation Redefining Long-Term Investments Laying Down the Law Identifying Some Success Stories Chapter 11: Beyond Borders: Progress on a Global Level Understanding Why Global Agreements Are Important Examining the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change Looking At the Paris Agreement Introducing the World’s Authority on Global Warming: The IPCC Chapter 12: Developing in the Face of Climate Change Identifying Challenges Faced by Developed and Developing Nations Promising Developments: Looking at Progress in China, Brazil, and India Choosing Sustainable Development

9 Part 5: Solving the Problem Chapter 13: Powering the World — Renewable Green Energy Addressing Energy Demand Changing How to Handle Fossil Fuel’s Emissions Reducing Energy Demand Investigating Renewable Energy Options Exploring Another Nonrenewable Energy Source: Nuclear Power Chapter 14: Show Me the Money: Business and Industrial Solutions Processing and Manufacturing Efficiently Trading Carbon between Manufacturers — The Carbon Market Constructing Greener Buildings Identifying Corporate Success Stories Recognizing Corporate Nonsuccess Stories Focusing on Support from the Professional Service Sector Looking At Farming and Forestry Chapter 15: Activists without Borders: Nongovernmental Organizations Understanding What NGOs Do Meeting This Generation Getting Involved Chapter 16: Lights, Camera, Action: The Media and Climate Change Growing News Coverage Focusing on Science on the Red Carpet Worldwide Warming: Climate Change Blogs Bestselling Books: Reading between the Lines Chapter 17: Figuring Out How to Change before Global Warming Is Unstoppable Asking Tough Questions Making the Changes in Limited Time Addressing What Needs to be Done Understanding Disruption Ending the Dominance of Fossil Fuels as Humanity’s Main Source of Energy Understanding How Disruption Can Be Accelerated Getting There from Here: A Conversation among Citizens