This atlas examines the possible impact of climate change on our ability to feed the world's people, avoid water shortages, conserve biodiversity, improve health, and preserve cities and cultural treasures. It also reviews historical contributions to greenhouse gas levels, and more.
If you just wanted to look at the statistics of climate change, then this book would serve that purpose, but if you wanting something a little more indepth, then i would suggest looking at the following book:
The Thinking Person's Guide to Climate Change 2e Paperback – 9 Apr 2019 by Robert Henson. This book will provide you with a more thorough look at how climate change is affecting our beautiful planet
I read the 2011 third edition and I found myself repeatedly checking the alarming things in here with the current data and getting more alarmed because of course everything is way worse than it was ten years ago because we as a species have done almost nothing even though the science has been alarming since the 90s at least.
In terms of the visual presentation of data I thought the book was a little weak. I think they could have had more data and a more exciting presentation. Their default thing is a world map with little info boxes pointing to places where something interesting is happening. Like the page about Agriculture, big map of the world with colors for how much of each country's CO2 is from agriculture, and then at the bottom of the page, a pie chart of which GHG agriculture produces and from which practices... instead of the other way around... which would be big pie chart of what agricultural aspects produces the most CO2 equivalent gas, and then what countries are doing the most of that. Then you could be like, OK, country X, stop doing that thing. Anyway, the charts and maps are cool and all but not mindblowing and don't help you to make you decisions about what policies are most urgent in your area or what you can do personally.
The next edition is or will be no doubt much better. The slimness and mostly visual communication make it a palatable pill for an overwhelming topic, and the general optimism of this atlas might help healthier people than me to not despair.
93. The Atlas of climate change: Mapping the World’s Greatest Challenge by Kirstin Dow and Thomas E. Downing A well put together book, and great illustrations, but it didn’t give me what I wanted. Perhaps one should not be reading this in the aftermath of Harvey and Irma, as well as a summer of Toronto flooding. I just want to see when we’re gonna drown. Lots of facts, but no punch. Or maybe too many for me.
Decent coverage of information, good enough visuals to help explain, uses as up to date of sources as possible. Will need to refresh frequently to keep the information current, let's hope that they can.
This is an actual atlas. No story, other then whats presented in the maps. I really like the graphic design of the atlases this publisher makes. Fun just to look at the design and informative.