Review: Alongside the reports from the IPCC there is a range of material that follows a similar path which aids our understanding. This book started out as a report of a meeting on modeling and climate change. Its 33 contributions cover much the same ground as the main IPCC Working Groups - namely physical-biological interactions, impacts and mitigation. A fourth area looks at policy-making.

We start with an exploration of the latest ideas in the operation of global warming. Notable in the last few years, environmental analysis has yielded several insights into the finer detail of climate change mechanisms. Three themes seem to stand out. Firstly, there is the role of pollution. Initially seen as a radiation reducer (under the old idea of global cooling) it's now seen as a vital part of the equation and even as a solution. A second theme examines a range of issues associated with the carbon cycle. If the former idea studies input then this one studies output and throughput i.e. sinks and sources. If there's one clear message it is that the situation is far more complex than we might have thought. The third theme is the cross-disciplinary idea of uncertainty. The problem here is that the media and scientists have different definitions and so it's crucial to understand exactly what we mean by the term. If this part creates a better and more accurate understanding of warming processes then the second part uses this information to study the effects of global warming. Again, three main focus areas can be seen running through the papers. The first is the nature of assessments and how these can be made more accurate and responsive. Secondly we have sector studies such as tourism and finally areas studies e.g. Africa. This is the smallest section but the diversity of contributions shows there is still a great deal of debate going on. Mitigation is the focus of the third part. Most of the work here examines the options that we have available to us and the impact they might have in reducing global warming. Studies look at areas as diverse as forestry, hydrogen fuel and agriculture. There's also work on costs and mitigation politics. The fourth part covers mitigation policy, an area less well covered in IPCC work. The key word is uncertainty. We know global warming will probably happen and that it might take so many years to develop (or maybe not) and herein lies the issue. How can we adjust to this and price it? These are not simple issues especially as it is becoming such 'high-stakes' work.

Overall, the book seeks to shed light in darker and more complex areas of global warming theory. It is not a book for the uninitiated: the level of detail is considerable and the need for prior knowledge is obvious. Having said that it does provide the reader with a very detailed examination of the arguments that are current. It allows ideas to be tried and new thoughts floated as we start to tackle the issue of global warming. A useful reference for the university library.