Product Description

"The Hot Topic" is a collaborative work by one of the most respected scientists and one of the most dynamic writers in the field of climate change. Sir David King, world-renowned scientist and the Government's Chief Scientific Adviser, is widely credited with persuading Tony Blair to act on climate change and with getting key international figures around the negotiating table, and has a significant media profile. On publication of "The Hot Topic" his previous obligation not to comment publicly about New Labour's attitude to the ever-growing problem of global warming will be lifted and he will finally be able to speak out. Gabrielle Walker is a respected author, journalist and radio presenter, and a regular contributor to New Scientist, whose 8-part series "Planet Earth Under Threat" was a major success last year for BBC Radio 4. Last year awareness about global warming reached a tipping point."The Hot Topic" goes beyond a statement of the problem to address in detail what can be done to answer the challenge on a personal, social, national and international level. A clear, short and engaging book that approaches the whole issue - the present problem and the future solutions - in a straightforward way, it is bound to receive massive attention from industry, the media and government alike. While there have been many other books about the problem of climate change, none has addressed what we can and should do about it so clearly and persuasively.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #36884 in Books
• Published on: 2008-01-21
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 309 pages

Review
'In a world full of misinformation, 'The Hot Topic' is a beacon of clarity' Al Gore 'With the clarity that Gore rightly commends, they do a fine job ['The Hot Topic'] is a material gain for the axis of good' Sunday Times 'A masterful book, wonderfully well-written. It should become the authoritative statement on climate change and what to do about it for years to come.' James Lovelock, author of 'Gaia' and 'The Revenge of Gaia' --various

The Sunday Times, 13th January 2008
'With the clarity that Gore rightly commends, they do a fine job ... ['The Hot Topic'] is a material gain for the axis of good.'

Tim Flannery, author of 'The Weather Makers'
'This is a fantastic book. It's just what the world needs right now.'

Customer Reviews

Balanced and rational
The Hot Topic is an exemplary piece of science writing. It spells out the issues clearly and rationally, and presents evidence and analysis of supporting research.

I hope this book will reach a wide audience, because it educates the reader by informing but not by invoking mass hysteria (as, unfortunately, some mainstream media seems to view as essential when discussing this topic).

My only criticism would be that the subject is obviously very complex, with a number of interdependencies between climatic effects (e.g. positive feedback loops). More graphical representation of all this would be helpful for the layman. I found myself needing to go back and re-read some sections to keep all the concepts in my mind, and a few more diagrams would probably make for a useful, and more rapid, reference. However, the format of the book would probably need to be larger, and glossier, to do that successfully, and I suspect the cost would go up accordingly. This book is something that needs to be read by as many as possible, so producing it cheaply is probably wise. It would be great to see it on the national curriculum as a science text book in future.

Let's hope that Gabrielle Walker and Sir David King write a follow up handbook, for those that wish to pursue the topics further. They've certainly done a great job with this book.

No Spin, No Hype, No Hidden Agendas! The Best Book on Global Warming Yet
Dr, Gabrielle Walker, one of the UK's best science writers (actually one of the UKs best writers full stop) and Sir David King, the government's top science advisor whose behind-the-scenes knowledge of international energy politics is second-to-none, strip away the hyperbole and hysteria coming from all sides of the Global Warming debate and lay out the facts, the politics behind the facts and what our options are and will be as things continue to heat up. If you want to understand, discuss or-- better yet-- argue about climate change "The Hot Topic" is an invaluable resource. It also happens to be a cracking good read.

No hype - just the facts and a good read to boot!
The first 100 pages tell you succintly what's happening, why it's happening and what we have to achieve together to help ourselves.

Given the authors credibility you also know that you're getting the right information without worrying about anyone's "agenda" or "spin".

I've done a lot of reading around the subject and for me this book is the best of them.