The Oxford Companion to Global Change is an up-to-date, comprehensive, interdisciplinary guide to the range of issues surrounding natural and human-induced changes in the Earth's environment. In one convenient volume, the Companion brings together current knowledge about the relations between technological, social, demographic, economic, and political factors as well as biological, chemical, and physical systems. It is an essential reference work for students, teachers, researchers, and other professionals seeking to understand any aspect of global change.
Features:
* Over 200 succinct, accessible A-Z entries by noted experts in the field
* Current scientific data, using the most recent reports of the IPCC
* Strong coverage of the regions most affected by global change, including China, India, the Arctic, tropical rainforests, and boreal forests
* Over 250 illustrations, including up-to-date charts and tables
* Extensive bibliography
* A Guide to Websites directing readers to additional current, reliable data.
Clear, thorough, and meticulously researched. An invaluable resource for our changing world.--Elizabeth Kolbert, author, Field Notes from a Catastrophe
"This remarkable book is an authoritative guide to the impact of humanity on earth. The contributors are respected experts, the editors adept in their balanced coverage of all the major issues facing humankind at a time of sustained climatic change. No one concerned with the biosphere, the environment, and the future of Earth can afford to be without this important Companion ."--Brian Fagan, author of The Great Warming
"Rapid advances in global change science pose a great challenge to those who seek to keep us informed about the state of this diverse and fascinating endeavor. The Oxford Companion to Global Change rises admirably to this challenge."--Kerry Emanuel, author of Divine Wind: The History and Science of Hurricanse and one of Time Magazine 's 100 Influential People of 2006