The change in the weather

the long version

"Is something going on with the weather?" "Examining today's headline-making questions through the lens of science and history, New York Times science reporter William K. Stevens's The Change in the Weather offers a definitive look at the science of climatic change. He introduces us to the international community of scientists leading the effort to determine whether a new era of climate has already dawned, one in which the extreme will become increasingly commonplace in an ever-warming world.". "Charting the "grand drama" that began with the formation of the planet and its atmosphere billions of years ago, Stevens reveals the patterns of extreme climate change that have always characterized earth history. He explores the inextricable link between the fate of humanity and the climate - from the shaping of human evolution to the devastation of entire civilizations - and our efforts to make sense of these vast forces beyond our control. And he both shows us these forces at work today, as manifested in melting Alaskan glaciers or distressingly brown New England autumns, and offers an informed speculative glimpse at what may be in store for the end of our new century."--BOOK JACKET.