Britannica Guide to Climate Change


Book Description

There are a few subjects that divide opinion more than climate change. What is the truth? Can the solution be found in a global political treaty or individual action? This Britannica guide gives a clear overview of the scientific evidence, from data showing how the atmosphere has changed in the last 4.5 billion years to more recent studies on the symptoms of a warming planet and the global effects of greenhouse gases, deforestation, and population. The guide introduces you to the possible solutions and to key figures in the debate, from the origins of environmentalism through to the Kyoto Protocol and beyond. In his wide-ranging introduction, Robert M. May, leading commentator and former President of the Royal Society, looks at the current scientific debates concerning climate change and shows how our actions can change the future.




The Brittanica Guide to Climate Change


Book Description

Climate Change is one of the most controversial subjects of our age. While scientists have been observing radical changes in the earth's ecosystem, politicians and activists argue the causes and possible outcomes. The Britannica Guide to Climate Change will explore the evidence surrounding hot topics like the Kyoto Agreement, the environmental damage to the ice caps, Gaia, green architecture, and the impact of green policies—including energy-saving light bulbs, carbon foot printing, and recycling. This book is an unbiased, comprehensive, and accessible guide to the symptoms, debates, and solutions to this key issue.




The Britannica Guide to Theories and Ideas That Changed the Modern World


Book Description

Discusses the scientific and philosophical theories and ideas that have been turning points in modern civilization, highlighting the key figures and cultural perspectives behind each concept.




The No-nonsense Guide to Climate Change


Book Description

"The No Nonsense Guide to Climate Change" charts up-to-the-minute developments on climate change, explores the extent that the human race is responsible for the catastrophes and suggests what can be done to prevent them.




The Rough Guide to Climate Change


Book Description

The Rough Guide to Climate Change gives the complete picture of the single biggest issue facing the planet. Cutting a swathe through scientific research and political debate, this completely updated 3nd edition lays out the facts and assesses the options-global and personal-for dealing with the threat of a warming world. The guide looks at the evolution of our atmosphere over the last 4.5 billion years and what computer simulations of climate change reveal about our past, present, and future. This updated edition includes scientific findings that have emerged since the 2007 report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), as well as background on recent controversies and an updated politics section that reflects post-Copenhagen developments. Discover how rising temperatures and sea levels, plus changes to extreme weather patterns, are already affecting life around the world. The guide unravels how governments, scientists and engineers plan to tackle the problem and includes information on what you can do to help. Now available in epub format.




Britannica Guide to Genetics


Book Description

The Britannica Guide to Genetics is the ideal companion for students or general popular science readers who wish to know the facts behind the latest research and discoveries. After the Introduction from bestselling science writer and geneticist Steve Jones the book covers the entire history of genetics from Gregor Mendel’s first experiments with peas at the end of the nineteenth century to the announcement of the Human Genome Project in 1998. Throughout the twentieth century new discoveries about the qualities of our genes have been heralded as essential leaps of progress in modern science forcing us to ask how much do our genes determine our personalities? What makes us different from other species? But as we enter the twenty-first century and we have begun to manipulate genes and the genome the questions have changed.




Britannica Guide to Russia


Book Description

The Britannica Guide to Russia offers a panoramic view of Russia, telling the history of the nation since 1917 as well as the story of its culture, religion, arts, and literature in the twentieth century and beyond. Russia is one of the fastest growing economies in the world attracting billions of dollars of investment every year. As the nation re-emerges from the Cold War it is increasingly important to know where it is heading. Russia is a land of superlatives, it is also a country of extremes and by far the world’s largest country, it extends across the whole of northern Asia and the eastern third of Europe, spanning eleven time zones. The guide also covers the major places to visit such as Moscow, St Petersburg, and Kiev as well as a particular focus on the contemporary nation since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. Out of the ashes of the cold war, a new super power has emerged including the rise of the Oligarchs, the presidency of Vladimir Putin, and the role of Russia in the new world order.




Britannica Guide to India


Book Description

An ancient culture and a new economic power in the world India in the twenty-first century stands on the verge of being one of the world’s newest superpowers with a population of 1.1 billion. In the sixty years since its independence, it has transformed into a modern nation with limitless resources—yet it is also a nation of extremes. It is a people with 15 official languages, over 166 million mobile phone users, and an economy that spans from traditional village farming to the cutting edge of new technology. From the snowy mountains of the Himalayas to the tropical waters of Kerala, India is the 6th most popular tourist destination in the world. This guide is the perfect introduction for the reader who wants to know more than the guide books and gain a deeper understanding of India’s history and culture as well as the key sites to visit.




Britannica Guide to the Islamic World


Book Description

Exploring the beliefs, history and politics of Islam, The Britannica Guide to the Islamic World is a clear and unbiased reference resource, compiled by experts in the field. It introduces the ideas as well as the places at the centre of one of the most important religions of our time. Founded in the seventh century by the prophet Mohammed, Islam has now spread across the world and every culture. Exploring Islamic history, beliefs and scriptures, it will be an invaluable and comprehensive guide to Muslim faith. In addition, the Guide reveals the role that Islam plays today including the conflict in the Middle East, the rise of Islamism, and the divisions between the Sunni and Shi’ite sects. As the Islamic World becomes the focus of politicians and the media, it is more important than ever to have a reliable and accurate introduction to this controversial topic.




Encyclopaedia Britannica


Book Description

This eleventh edition was developed during the encyclopaedia's transition from a British to an American publication. Some of its articles were written by the best-known scholars of the time and it is considered to be a landmark encyclopaedia for scholarship and literary style.