An internationally recognized expert on the geology of barrier islands takes on climate change deniers in an outstanding and much-needed primer on the science of global change and its effects

An internationally recognized expert on the geology of barrier islands, Orrin H. Pilkey is one of the rare academics who engages in public advocacy about science-related issues. He has written dozens of books and articles explaining coastal processes to lay readers, and he is a frequent and outspoken interviewee in the mainstream media. Here, the colorful scientist takes on climate change deniers in an outstanding and much-needed primer on the science of global change and its effects.

After explaining the greenhouse effect, Pilkey, writing with son Keith, turns to the damage it is causing: sea level rise, ocean acidification, glacier and sea ice melting, changing habitats, desertification, and the threats to animals, humans, coral reefs, marshes, and mangroves. These explanations are accompanied by Mary Edna Fraser’s stunning batiks depicting the large-scale arenas in which climate change plays out.

The Pilkeys directly confront and rebut arguments typically advanced by global change deniers. Particularly valuable are their discussions of “Climategate,” a manufactured scandal that undermined respect for the scientific community, and the denial campaigns by the fossil fuel industry, which they compare to the tactics used by the tobacco companies a generation ago to obfuscate findings on the harm caused by cigarettes.

"“ [Fraser’s] art meshes splendidly with the book’s written material, engaging the imagination at the same time as the text does the intellect. It adds an appropriate poignancy to the message of the threats climate change carries for human life on the globe. . . . The book is an excellent survey for the layperson who wants an overview of the science and an understanding of what it points to for human society.”" - Hot Topic: Global Warming and the Future of New Zealand

"“[T]he book does a good job of explaining the foundations of climate science to an interested novice. The chapter on climate change sceptics stands out for its passionate description of how industrial groups spread doubt among the public. . . . Mary Edna Fraser’s batiks . . . turn global catastrophes into works of art. Her beautiful illustrations have the same effect as the Earth from the Air photo series by Yann Arthus-Bertrand: landscapes are flattened into abstract patterns, illustrating our planet's unique beauty in the hope that, once impressed, you will want to protect it.”" - New Scientist

"“The Pilkeys are excellent writers and do an impressive, thorough job covering most of the issues involved in global climate change. . . . the breadth of subject matter is impressive. Anyone interested in examining a specific climate change topic would do well to start with this primer. . . . As an introductory book on global climate change, this is by far the best I’ve found. It’s ideal for the non-specialist who wants to learn more about the issues and get an appreciation for how far out to lunch the denial lobby is. This illustrations alone are worth the price.”" - Southern Fried Science

"“The Pilkeys have made the interesting choice to illustrate their book not with the expected facts and figures but with colorful batik prints of important climate sites illustrated by South Carolina artist Mary Edna Fraser. . . . The stunning images are somehow more effective than traditional images would be, as the ancient batik cloth-dying technique and indigenous designs it produces generated for this reader an overriding mood of mourning, loss and regret—as if the disaster has already happened, as if we've already failed to stop it.”" - Independent Weekly