something about global warming or climate change on the news,

or reading about the subject in the papers.

Indeed to most people, including myself before writing this

book, the issues seemed so complex, confusing and contradictory,

that it was hard to know exactly what was really going on: whether

the world really was warming up, whether the situation was being

exaggerated or whether the causes of global warming, if occurring,

were manmade or not.

It is now clear that something is indeed going on with Earth’s

climate. Polar ice caps appear to be melting, or at least the pictures

on the news seem to show this to be the case. There is constant

mention of rising carbon dioxide levels, and there always appear

to be high-powered meetings going on between nations to discuss

the climate. One only recently took place in Bali in December

where climate change and global warming were hotly (excuse

the pun) discussed.

Following a viewing in the cinema in November 2006 of Al

research, read about and find out as much as I could on the subject

of climate change and global warming. I bought numerous books,

scanned the internet and trawled through enormous amounts of

information written on the subject, from multiple sources, in order

to gain as comprehensive an understanding as I could on the issues

of global warming. Information for this book came from

organisations such as the National Aeronautics and Space

Administration (NASA), The National Oceanic Atmospheric

Administration (NOAA), the Stern Review on The Economics

of Climate Change, The World Wildlife Fund (WWF), and

Mongabay, to name a few. After a while I conceived the idea

of an A–Z on the subject, which would make it quick and easy

for anyone who wanted a good knowledge of global warming

with a book that got straight to the heart of this very complex

topic.

All the related issues of global warming and climate change

have been packed into A–Z format, with each chapter dealing

with a specific point on the subject.

I have used the term ‘global warming’ as in my view it most

accurately describes what is in fact happening to planet Earth

on a global scale. However, as a result of global warming, there

will of course be climatic change in different parts of the world,

whether it be higher temperatures, rainfall, drought or hurricanes,

or even perhaps localised cooling.......

Simon Rosser, August 2008.