What we know about climate change / Kerry Emanuel ; afterword by Judith A. Layzer and William R. Moomaw.

1. The myth of natural stability -- 2. Greenhouse physics -- 3. Why the climate problem is difficult -- 4. Determining humanity's influence -- 5. The consequences -- 6. Science and the media -- 7. The politics of global climate change.

"The vast majority of scientists agree that human activity has significantly increased greenhouse gases in the atmosphere - most dramatically since the 1970s. Yet some continue to dismiss this broad scientific consensus." "Kerry Emanuel outlines the basic science of climate change and how the current consensus has emerged. Although it is impossible to predict exactly when the most dramatic effects will be felt, he argues, we can be confident that we face real dangers: an increase in the intensity and power of hurricanes and flooding, and more rapidly advancing deserts."--BOOK JACKET.