Hot Air: The Inside Story of the Battle Against Climate Change Denial

Description

Ours is the age of global warming. Rising sea levels, extreme weather, forest fires. Dire warnings are everywhere, so why has it taken so long for the crisis to be recognised? Here, for the first time, climate scientist Peter Stott reveals the bitter fight to get international recognition for what, among scientists, has been known for decades: human activity causes climate change. Across continents and against the efforts of sceptical governments, prominent climate change deniers and shadowy lobbyists, Hot Air is the urgent story of how the science was developed, how it has been repeatedly sabotaged and why humanity hasn't a second to spare in the fight to halt climate change.

Professor Peter Stott is a Science Fellow in Climate Attribution at the Met Office's Hadley Centre and Professor in Detection and Attribution at the University of Exeter. He has played a leading role in the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and has been published in Nature and Science among many other journals.

'Hot Air is a compelling indictment of the people and organisations that, for whatever reasons, refuse to accept the evidence of human-induced global warming. The scientific case for this has been clear for more than thirty years. It is disappointing that there is still a need for this book, but gratifying to find such a clear exposition of the science and the politics. The most important book you are likely to see this year.' - John Gribbin 'Hot Air provides a deep insight into the nasty, iniquitous, and nefarious tactics used to deny the reality of climate change. Peter Stott's first-hand account brilliantly documents the 30-year war against climate scientists in the name of fossil fuels, political expedience, and climate denial.' - Prof. Mark Maslin, author of How to Save Our Planet 'Peter Stott has been a key figure both in demonstrating the strength of climate science and in fighting the climate deniers, and Hot Air is a thrilling, enthralling and, yes, enraging account of his years at the heart of the most important battle of our time.' - Rowan Hooper, New Scientist, author of How To Spend A Trillion Dollars 'A riveting despatch from the frontline of the fight against climate change. Essential reading for anyone interested in the greatest threat human society has ever faced.' - Michael McCarthy, former Environment Editor, The Independent, and author of The Moth Snowstorm