The third edition of this introductory textbook for both science students and non-science majors has been brought completely up-to-date. It reflects recent scientific progress in the field, as well as advances in the political arena around climate change. As in previous editions, it is tightly focussed on anthropogenic climate change. The first part of the book concentrates on the science of modern climate change, including evidence that the Earth is warming and a basic description of climate physics. Concepts such as radiative forcing, climate feedbacks, and the carbon cycle are discussed and explained using basic physics and algebra. The second half of the book goes beyond the science to address the economics and policy options to address climate change. The book's goal is for a student to leave the class ready to engage in the public policy debate on the climate crisis.

This book is aimed at non-science-major undergraduates and is tightly focused on the problem of anthropogenic climate change. The first half of the book focuses on the science of modern climate change, including evidence that the Earth is warming and a basic description of climate physics. It also covers concepts like radiative forcing, feedbacks, and the carbon cycle. The book shows many algebra based calculations to illustrate the science. The second half of the book goes beyond science to address non-science issues such as the economics and our policy options to address climate change. The goal of the book is for a student to leave the class ready to engage in the public policy debate on this issue