Arguments
New textbook on climate science and climate denial
Posted on 22 January 2013 by John Cook
Around 2 years ago, I was honoured to be invited by geologist and long-time educator Tom Farmer to collaborate on a textbook that expounded on the principles of climate science as well as put climate change denial in perspective. That collaboration has now been published by Springer; the textbook is Climate Change Science: A Modern Synthesis (volume one of a two volume set).
The textbook is written for the introductory science student at the undergraduate college level. We describe the discipline of climate change science, and individual climate scientists whose expertise spans Earth history, geology, geography, biology, oceanography, astronomy, mathematics, physics, chemistry, engineering and more. We've attempted to cover a variety of the empirical evidence for and the effects of Earth's changing climate.
Significantly (and unique in climate textbooks to my knowledge), there is a detailed analysis of the phenomenon of climate change denial. Students learning climate science will need to put into proper context the myths and attacks on science conducted by those who deny the scientific consensus. One chapter is "Understanding Climate Change Denial", examining the social, psychological and rhetorical aspects of climate change denial. Another is "Rebuttals to Climate Myths" that debunks many of the most common climate myths (and yes, I made sure we adhered to the principles of the Debunking Handbook).
The book is available in hardcover and in e-book form (PDF format). You can also pre-order the hardcover from Amazon. You can find out more details including the full Table of Contents at the Springer website.
About the authors:
Tom Farmer has over 20 years of experience teaching environmental sciences at the undergraduate level, at the University of Virginia, University of Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky University and Howard University. He wrote the initial curriculum and taught Geology at James Madison University and served as Associate Editor for The Professional Geologist. He has published 3 books: Earth Materials and Earth Processes, The Groundwater Monitoring System and Hydrogeology at Love Canal and Peat Bogs and Hydrology in the Lake Superior Region.
John Cook is the creator of Skeptical Science, winner of the Australian Museum 2011 Eureka Prize for the Advancement of Climate Change Knowledge. He is currently a research fellow in climate communication at the Global Change Institute, University of Queensland. He co-authored the book Climate Change Denial: Heads in the Sand with Haydn Washington and the online booklet The Debunking Handbook with Stephan Lewandowsky.
I do have a question regarding the textbook described above.
In general, this site (correctly) places a great deal of importance on the peer-review process for papers presented in the technical literature.
Could you please explain what kind of review a textbook such as this receives before publication?
Hopefully SkS visitors will send a link to this article to instructors/professors of climate-related classes whom they may know (I'm doing so now). It's unfortunate that introductory-level textbooks like this are too pricey for a more general audience, because we desperately need more widespread knowledge about climate science in order to make progress on actually mitigating climate change and leaving the next generation a tolerable planet. Thanks for this good work!
When I worked for Simon & Schuster many years ago most textbooks would go out to just two or three 'content reviewers' while more than a dozen people poured over layout, spelling, grammar, presentation, et cetera. Basically, if there weren't any obvious errors the content would be approved. Other publishers might not check accuracy at all.
Springer is a large and fairly well known publisher, and thus I suspect that maintaining their reputation is an important part of the business model. Thus, some sort of content review seems likely, but I doubt it would be as detail oriented as scientific peer review. Of course, textbooks also tend to cover 'settled' issues rather than cutting edge new research.
My only concern has to be the price. With several climate books on my shelves, shelling out 89 to 90 euros is quite steep, especially as SkS is readily available!
Any chance of a paperback edition? Is the target audience the academic community? It does not seem the type of book that will attract your ordinary "popular science" reader.
I say that in jest, but there is a need for a very short version of the same thing. Sort of a pocket climate science, for the general public.
After looking at the contents I definitely want the book and might even shell out $100 for my own personal consumption, but I've also been discussing another possibility that I'll mention here in case anyone finds it useful. Get together with one or more people and share a book, even a person on the other side of the country or the world because mailing is pretty cheap. The downside is that I'd want to end up with the book to have for reference, plus I'd want flexibility about when and how fast to read it. Anyway, it's just a thought...
The advantage of doing this is that as well as getting to read it you make it available for other readers.
"There will also be coverage of health impacts on both animals and plants throughout Earth history."
Often people mention warming trends in the past without the context of mentioning what the flora and fauna of the time were or how those past condition are relevant to the needs of humans today; especially 7 billion humans.
Excuse me for posting on a thread that has no relevance to what your discussing but as far as I can tell my post was never noticed or it wasn’t worth commenting on.