Includes index.

"This book is derived from material originally published as The rough guide to climate change"--Title page verso

Part 1. The basics : global warming in a nutshell. Climate change : a primer -- The greenhouse effect -- Who's responsible? -- Part 2. The symptoms : what's happening now, and what might happen in the future. Extreme heat -- Floods and droughts -- The big melt -- Oceans -- Hurricanes and other storms -- Ecosystems and agriculture -- Part 3. The science : how we know what we know about climate change. Keeping track -- The long view -- Circuits of change -- Part 4. Debates and solutions : from spats and spin to protecting the planet. A heated debate -- The predicament -- Political solutions -- Technological solutions -- Part 5. What can you do? : reducing your footprint and working for action. Getting started -- Home energy -- Transport and travel -- Shopping -- Offsetting