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Introduction

On Monday, news reports tell you the ice caps are melting, and people everywhere are about to be swept off in a giant flood. On Tuesday, you hear a radio interview with a scientist who says global warming is galloping faster than expected. Wednesday finds you standing in the grocery line, listening to people upset to see deaths in the unprecedented heatwave. By Thursday, you just don’t know whether it’s time to actively dig in to be engaged in the issue.

Think of today as Friday — the day all these stray pieces come together right here in your hands, thanks to Climate Change For Dummies.

Climate change is here. It’s no longer a future threat — catastrophic events due to global warming occur somewhere around the world daily. Wildfires, extreme droughts, heatwaves, more intense hurricanes, and deadlier tornados are causing massive economic losses and tragic loss of lives.

We don’t know how bad things can get; we only know that humanity has time to avoid the worst. The more climate changes around the world, the more you have to understand what global warming is. But you know what? It’s really quite exciting. Although global warming is connected to scary scenarios featuring soaring temperatures and worsening hurricanes and monsoons, it’s also a link to a better future. Global warming is opening doors for the development of new types of energy, leading the shift to reliable energy sources, and creating a vision of a greener tomorrow. And the best part? You’re right in the middle of it all, helping to make those changes.

About This Book

Climate Change For Dummies is your guide to climate change. We use the terms climate change, climate emergency, climate crisis, and global warming interchangeably in this book, though they’re slightly different things, as we discuss in Chapter 1. This book gives you the basics so that you can understand the problem, relate it to your daily life, and be inspired to start working on solutions to this complex and important issue.

In this book, we explain the concepts behind global warming clearly and simply by using the latest, most credible science, mainly from the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The IPCC is a team of more than 2,000 scientists who assess peer-reviewed climate change science and compile the assessments into a number of reports. These reports are mainly to inform the politicians and bureaucrats at the United Nations’ decision-making table, but anyone looking for detailed scientific information on climate change can read them. The IPCC is the most credible source of climate change information in the world today. (We discuss the IPCC in greater detail in Chapter 11.)

Although this book covers what climate change is and its impact on the world, Climate Change For Dummies isn’t just about the science. The handy guide also looks at a wide range of solutions to tackle climate change. We explore everything from the big-picture solutions that governments and businesses can implement to a slew of practical, can-do-it-today solutions for you at work, at home, and on the road.

In this book we include the following updates:

 The increased urgency of acting to hold to 1.5 degrees C

 The Paris Agreement

 The significant and growing threat of ocean acidification

 The good news of rapid acceleration of renewable energy

Foolish Assumptions

We wrote this book assuming that you know zero, nil, zilch about global warming. You don’t have to look up the definitions of big, ridiculous words or drag out your high school science textbook to read this book.

We also assume, however, that you know climate change exists, that you recognize humans contribute to this problem, and that you want to understand why global warming is happening.

Icons Used in This Book

Throughout this book, you see little icons sprinkled in the left margin. These handy symbols flag content that’s of particular interest.

This icon marks feel-good stories and major advances in the fight against climate change.

This icon marks a piece of information that’s important to know in order to understand global warming and the issues that surround it.

Don’t worry about reading paragraphs with this icon. This icon flags material that we think is interesting, but might be a little too detailed for your tastes.

Ready to make a difference? This icon points you to simple solutions that can help you reduce your greenhouse gas emissions or become a part of a bigger solution.

This icon marks paragraphs in which we talk about serious issues that humanity needs to deal with as soon as possible.

Beyond This Book

This book is full of information in plain English about climate change. If you want some additional pieces that you can refer to on a regular basis, check out the book’s Cheat Sheet at www.dummies.com. Just search for “Climate Change For Dummies Cheat Sheet.”

Where to Go from Here

This book like all other Dummies books is linear, meaning you can read any chapter or section that interest you. If you already know something about the subject or want to find out more about a specific topic, you can open any chapter and start reading. You also can scan the Table of Contents or the index, find a topic that piques your interest, and turn to that chapter to begin reading.

If you’re entirely new to the subject of climate change, you’ll likely want to read this book the old-fashioned way, starting at the beginning and working through to the end. Or, if you’re interested in reading about potential solutions, head to Part 5. No matter where you start, you can find out about causes, effects, progress, and probable solutions.