The Rightful Place of Science: Disasters & Climate Change

In recent years the media, politicians, and activists have popularized the notion that climate change has made disasters worse. But what does the science actually say? Roger Pielke, Jr. takes a close look at the work of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the underlying scientific research, and the data to give you the latest science on disasters and climate change. What he finds may surprise you and raise questions about the role of science in political debates.

Table of Contents

1. Climate’s Legitimacy Wars
2. The Scientific Question Addressed Here
3. The IPCC Framework for Detection and Attribution
4. A Global Perspective on Disasters and Climate Change
5. Heat, Rain, Hurricanes, Floods, Tornadoes, Drought, Oh My!
6. What About Climate Policy and Politics?

About the Author

Roger Pielke, Jr. has been on the faculty of the University of Colorado since 2001 and is a Professor in the Environmental Studies Program and a Fellow of the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES). At CIRES, Pielke served as the Director of the Center for Science and Technology Policy Research from 2001-2007. Pielke’s research focuses on the intersection of science and technology and decision making. He is author, co-author, or co-editor of seven books, including The Honest Broker: Making Sense of Science in Policy and Politics, published by Cambridge University Press in 2007. His most recent book is The Climate Fix: What Scientists and Politicians Won’t Tell you About Global Warming.