This volume offers a comprehensive survey and a close analysis of efforts to develop actionable climate information in support of vital decisions for climate adaptation, risk management and policy. Arising from submissions and discussion at the 2011 Open Science Conference (OSC) of the World Climate Research Program (WCRP), the book addresses research and intellectual challenges which span the full range of Program activities.

Climate change is one of today's most important issues, presenting an intellectual challenge to the natural and social sciences. While there has been progress in natural science understanding of climate change, social science research has not been as fully developed. This collection of essays breaks new theoretical and empirical ground by presenting climate change as a thoroughly social phenomenon, embedded in our institutions and cultural practices.

Climate Change Adaptation for Health and Social Services addresses concerns from the health and community services sector, including local government, about how to respond to climate change and its impacts on communities. What should an intervention framework for the community-based health and social services sector contain and how can it complement an organisation's core values, role and work programs? What current direct and indirect impacts of climate change are most relevant to organisations and the communities they serve? Which population groups are most vulnerable to climate change and what are the impacts on them? Above all, what can be done to reduce the current risks from climate change to clients, communities and organisations? Written by expert researchers and practitioners, this book presents existing research, innovative practice and useful tools to support organisations taking practical steps towards adaptation to the impacts of climate change on people. It examines the evidence of climate change impacts on six of the most vulnerable population groups – people with disability; older people; women and children; Aboriginal people; rural people; and people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds – as well as discussing effective interventions. Other key issues covered include health and social impacts of climate change, adaptation, mitigation, climate change communication, organisational adaptation and a case study of innovation illustrating some of the book’s themes. Accessible, informative and incorporating extensive evidence and experience, Climate Change Adaptation for Health and Social Services is relevant for anyone within the health and community services sector concerned about climate change and its impacts on their community.

Though the scientific community largely agrees that climate change is underway, debates about this issue remain fiercely polarized. These conversations have become a rhetorical contest, one where opposing sides try to achieve victory through playing on fear, distrust, and intolerance. At its heart, this split no longer concerns carbon dioxide, greenhouse gases, or climate modeling; rather, it is the product of contrasting, deeply entrenched worldviews. This brief examines what causes people to reject or accept the scientific consensus on climate change. Synthesizing evidence from sociology, psychology, and political science, Andrew J. Hoffman lays bare the opposing cultural lenses through which science is interpreted. He then extracts lessons from major cultural shifts in the past to engender a better understanding of the problem and motivate the public to take action. How Culture Shapes the Climate Change Debate makes a powerful case for a more scientifically literate public, a more socially engaged scientific community, and a more thoughtful mode of public discourse.

The U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) is an interagency program, established by the Global Change Research Act (GCRA) of 1990, mandated by Congress to "assist the Nation and the world to understand, assess, predict, and respond to human-induced and natural processes of global change". Since the USGCRP began, scientific understanding of global change has increased and the information needs of the nation have changed dramatically. A better understanding of what is changing and why can help decision makers in the public and private sectors cope with ongoing change. Accomplishments of the U.S. Global Change Research Program highlights the growth of global change science in the quarter century that the USGCRP has been in existence, and documents some of its contributions to that growth through its primary functions of interagency planning and coordination, and of synthesis of research and practice to inform decision making.

This three-volume set presents entries and primary sources that will impress on readers that what we do—or don't do—today regarding climate change will dramatically influence what life on this planet will be like for untold numbers of generations. How are the behaviors of birds, butterflies, and other migratory animals connected to climate change? What does the term "thermal inertia" mean, and what does this geophysical effect have on predicting what the planet's future will be like? What is the context for the effects we are seeing on various forms of animal life, from migrating birds to polar bears to mosquitoes that transmit Zika and other diseases? Climate Change: An Encyclopedia of Science, Society, and Solutions combines entries describing Earth's variable climatic history, references to scientific literature, weather record data, and selected primary documents to present readers with a comprehensive account of global warming's effects worldwide. By examining verifiable, quantitative information such as the frequency and intensity of hurricanes and changes in the hydrological cycle, as well as clear patterns and trends of alternating droughts and deluges and wildfires, melting ice, and rising seas, readers will be able to understand why scientists are so concerned about the future of our climate. Researchers will benefit from detailed explanations of scientific topics such as thermal inertia, feedbacks, and tipping points; and receive invaluable context on the role of energy use in climate change, including automobiles and air travel. Readers will learn about the role of China in the current global climate and in the future; the widespread effects of climate change on agriculture; and how indigenous peoples' lives are being impacted, from drought and the Navajos to hunters' lives in the Arctic. The work concludes with thought-provoking debates regarding potential solutions, from wind power and solar power to geo-engineering.