Rapid Climate Change

Scott G. McNall is the Senior Advisor to the President for Sustainability at California State University, Chico. He was the founding Executive Director of the Institute for Sustainable Development at the University and served for three years in that capacity. He is Professor Emeritus of Sociology and has served as provost for 13 years and interim university president for almost one year.

• 1. Why is the Earth Getting Warmer and What Difference Does it Make?  2. The Cassandra Problem  3. Calculating the Odds: How We Think about Risk and Climate Change  4. What is the Future Worth?

"McNall,...a sociologist with a long history of involvement in sustainability, has written the best book on climate change this reviewer has read....Most of the book explores the reasons individuals and society find it almost impossible to deal with this type of problem; a short exploration of possible solutions follows. The nine-page reference list and the 'glossary/index' are well done...suitable for all students; it could also serve as a good standing point for a graduate course on climate change. Summing up: Highly recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and above; general readers."—CHOICE, October 2011, M. K. Cleaveland, University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, USA