BookBrowse Reviews The Weather Makers by Tim Flannery

All who read The Weather Makers will be left wiser and able to appreciate how fragile our climate is

From the book jacket: Sometime this century the day will arrive when the human influence on the climate will overwhelm all other natural factors. Over the past decade, the world has seen the most powerful El Niño ever recorded, the most devastating hurricane in two hundred years, the hottest European summer on record, and one of the worst storm seasons ever experienced in Florida. With one out of every five living things on this planet committed to extinction by the levels of greenhouse gases that will accumulate in the next few decades, we are reaching a global climatic tipping point.

The Weather Makers is both an urgent warning and a call to arms, outlining the history of climate change, how it will unfold over the next century, and what we can do to prevent a cataclysmic future. Along with a riveting history of climate change, Tim Flannery offers specific suggestions for action for both lawmakers and individuals, from investing in renewable power sources like wind, solar, and geothermal energy, to offering an action plan with steps each and every one of us can take right now to reduce deadly CO2 emissions by as much as 70 percent.

Comment: Every book is important to somebody, even if it is just to the person who wrote it, but there are some books that have a far greater impact than others.  The Weather Makers is one such book.  Published in both the UK and Australia last year, it has already had an impact on government policy in both countries. 

To quote Tony Blair, Prime Minister of Great Britain, "Climate change is perhaps the most challenging collective action problem the world has faced. Almost uniquely, The Weather Makers provides insights not only into the history, science, and politics of climate change, but also the actions people can take now that will make a difference. Only through understanding can problems be properly addressed and solved. All who read The Weather Makers will be left wiser and able to appreciate how fragile our climate is and how it is this generation who must act to protect it."

As Flannery emphasizes we are all weather makers - the world is in our hands. If there is one book you should read this week and share with your friends - this is it!

This review first ran in the March 2, 2006 issue of BookBrowse Recommends.