Public and media interest in the climate change issue has increased exponentially in recent years. Climate change, or "global warming," is a complex problem with far-reaching social and economic impacts. Climate Change in the 21st Century brings together all the major aspects of global warming to give a state of the art description of our collective understanding of this phenomenon and what can be done to counteract it on both the local and global scale.

Stewart Cohen and Melissa Waddell explain and clarify the different ways of approaching the study of climate change and the fundamental ideas behind them. From a history of climate change research to current attempts to mitigate its impact such as the Kyoto Protocol and carbon trading, they explore key ideas from many fields of study, outlining the environmental and human dimensions of global warming. Climate Change in the 21st Century goes beyond climate modeling to investigate interdisciplinary attempts to measure and forecast the complex impacts of future climate change on communities, how we assess their vulnerability, and how we plan to adapt our society. The book explores the impact of climate change on different ecosystems as well as what the social and economic understanding of this phenomenon can tell us; it also links discussions of climate change with the global discourse of sustainable development.

Climate Change in the 21st Century provides a comprehensive, understandable, but academically informed introduction to the world's biggest challenge for both students and concerned citizens.

Stewart J. Cohen is senior researcher in climate change impacts and adaptation, Adaptation and Impacts Research Division, Environment Canada, and adjunct professor, Department of Forest Resources Management, University of British Columbia.Melissa W. Waddell is a science and technical communicator, specializing in translating complex environmental and health issues for non-specialized audiences.

Stewart J. Cohen's profile page

Melissa W. Waddell is a science and technical communicator, specializing in translating complex environmental and health issues for non-specialized audiences.

Melissa W. Waddell's profile page

"Climate change is not just a science problem - it's a social one - Climate Change in the 21st Century provides a fresh perspective because it primarily focuses on specific examples of societal implications and responses to climate change" Jacqueline J. Shinker, University of Wyoming
"The authors bring together various kinds of science-oriented material around a complex topic that is usually addressed from only one perspective, highlighting issues and methods that are at the cutting edge of research about climate change" Elizabeth Malone, Joint Global Change Research Institute, College Park, Maryland "For students, major decision-makers, or concerned, college-educated voters, Climate Change in the 21st Century is a valuable guide to a global reality that is abstraction no more." Montreal Review of Books
"Recently, "ecophobia" has arisen as a debilitating problematic for ecocriticism. The fear is over performative incapacity. A major aspect of that fear is the sketchy scientific understanding among some ecocritics. Stewart Cohen's Climate Change in the 21st Century can help remedy that. (...) Ecocritics will especially appreciate [Cohen's] discussion of the fraught notion of sustainability that closes the book." David Heinimann, The Goose: Literature, Arts, Environment & Culture in Canada
"This book merits a place in every type of library and will be a useful resource for readers from diverse backgrounds." Choice Magazine