Table of Contents
CHAPTER 1 1
DO HUMANS HARM THE ENVIRONMENT? 1
CAN GLOBAL WARMING DESTROY THE EARTH? 2
THE OCEANS ARE KEY 3
ECONOMIC GROWTH, PROSPERITY, AND THE ENVIRONMENT 6
DISEASE AND HEALTH 8
LIFE EXPECTANCY 16
IS THE ENVIRONMENT DETERIORATING? 22
PROSPERITY 22
CHAPTER 1 CONCLUSIONS 25
CHAPTER 1 SUMMARY 29
CHAPTER 2 31
POPULATION GROWTH AND THE FOOD SUPPLY 31
POPULATION GROWTH 32
THE EFFECT OF CO2 AND GLOBAL WARMING ON OUR FOOD SUPPLY 38
MALNOURISHED CHILDREN, WAR AND CLIMATE CHANGE 40
FOOD PRODUCTION 43
CHAPTER 2 CONCLUSIONS 55
CHAPTER 2 SUMMARY 56
CHAPTER 3 59
THE COST OF GLOBAL WARMING 59
WHAT IS THE ACTUAL COST OF GLOBAL WARMING? 60
MITIGATION AND ADAPTATION 63
THE TIME VALUE OF MONEY AND THE DISCOUNT RATE 64
THE COST OF REDUCING CO2 EMISSIONS 67
THE PARIS AGREEMENT 68
COSTS VERSUS BENEFITS 72
CHAPTER 3 CONCLUSIONS 76
CHAPTER 3 SUMMARY 79
CHAPTER 4 81
GLOBAL TEMPERATURES IN THE HOLOCENE 81
HOLOCENE CLIMATIC OVERVIEW 83
OCEAN TEMPERATURES AND THEIR SIGNIFICANCE 84
GREENLAND ICE CORES 91
GREENLAND VERSUS THE REST OF THE WORLD 94
EXAMINING THE MARCOTT, ET AL. PROXIES 97
PROXY SELECTION 100
SUMMARY OF THE RECONSTRUCTIONS 110
ANTARCTIC (90S TO 60S) 110
MID-LATITUDE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE 112
TROPICS 114
NORTHERN HEMISPHERE MID-LATITUDES 118
THE ARCTIC 120
THE GLOBAL RECONSTRUCTION 123
A WORD ABOUT ERROR 127
CHAPTER 4 CONCLUSIONS 129
CHAPTER 4 SUMMARY 132
CHAPTER 5 135
EXTINCTIONS AND THE GULF STREAM 135
GLOBAL WARMING IS CAUSING A “GREAT EXTINCTION” EVENT 135
THE “GREAT” QUATERNARY MEGAFAUNA EXTINCTION 142
POLAR BEARS 149
GLOBAL WARMING WILL SHUT DOWN THE GULF STREAM AND CAUSE A MINI-ICE AGE. 152
CHAPTER 5 CONCLUSIONS 157
CHAPTER 5 SUMMARY 159
CHAPTER 6 161
CLIMATE-RELATED DEATHS AND INSECURITY 161
THERE WILL BE MORE HEAT-RELATED DEATHS 161
INSECURITY 169
CHAPTER 6 CONCLUSIONS 172
CHAPTER 6 SUMMARY 174
CHAPTER 7 175
GLOBAL WARMING AND EXTREME WEATHER 175
GLOBAL WARMING AND THE FREQUENCY AND SEVERITY OF NATURAL DISASTERS 175
GLOBAL WARMING WILL INCREASE THE FREQUENCY AND SEVERITY OF HURRICANES 180
HISTORICAL HURRICANE DATA 184
THE CLAUSIUS-CLAPEYRON RELATIONSHIP 189
GLOBAL WARMING WILL INCREASE FLOODING 190
GLOBAL WARMING WILL INCREASE THE FREQUENCY OF DROUGHTS AND THEIR SEVERITY 192
CHAPTER 7 CONCLUSIONS 194
CHAPTER 7 SUMMARY 195
CHAPTER 8 197
SEA-LEVEL RISE AND GLACIERS 197
THE CURRENT RATE OF SEA-LEVEL RISE 200
GLACIERS ARE RETREATING 208
GLOBAL WARMING WILL CAUSE EXCESSIVE SEA-LEVEL RISE 212
CHAPTER 8 CONCLUSIONS 219
CHAPTER 8 SUMMARY 220
CONCLUDING REMARKS 221
ABOUT THE AUTHOR 223
WORKS CITED 225
LIST OF TABLES 273
LIST OF FIGURES 275
INDEX 285
