For the first time in recorded history, humans are altering the planet in ways that endanger its basic life-support systems. Human emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases have changed the Earth's atmosphere, unleashing potentially catastrophic climate changes that threaten the survival of human civilization.
This book focuses on international efforts to confront the crisis and provides a colourful overview of the history of global climate negotiations, explaining why international cooperation between poor and rich nations has become critical.
Graciela Chichilnisky has worked extensively in the Kyoto Protocol process, creating and designing the carbon market that became international law in 2005. Professor Chichilnisky acted as a lead author on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which received the 2007 Nobel Prize for its work in deciding world policy with respect to climate change. UNESCO Professor of Mathematics and Economics and Director of the Columbia Consortium for Risk Management at Columbia University, she is the author of some 200 scientific articles and 13 books, including Environmental Markets: Equity and Efficiency (Columbia University Press, 2000). Kristen A. Sheeran is Associate Professor of Economics at St Mary's College of Maryland and Interim Executive Director of Economics for Equity and the Environment. She has written many articles on environmental issues and has lectured on climate change.