Forewo r
Dr. MIC d by HA E . M AN E L N
E T A M CLI E G N CHA UTT C E TH
DGE ING-E
SCIENCE OF OUR CHANGING P L AN E
By PATRICIA DANIELS Illustrated by AARON BLECHA
T
Carbon dioxide levels in Earth’s atmosphere rose and fell due to long-term natural cycles that occur over tens of millions of years. Today carbon dioxide levels are rising similar amounts in just decades. That’s a million times faster. And the cause now is human activities—like driving cars and running power plants. These send fumes from what we call fossil fuels—oil, gas, and coal—into the atmosphere. Human beings and other living things can adjust to very slow changes in our environment. But dramatic changes that happen quickly pose a far greater threat. Just look around. Today’s rapid warming is causing extreme heat, powerful storms, and flooding. That’s the bad news. The good news is that you can help get the planet back on track. Young people like you are speaking out and demanding action of the adults who set the rules. Use this book as a guide to start your own campaign— at home, at school, and in your neighborhood. The battle to preserve our planet has only just begun—and you can lead the way.
Michael E. Mann Presidential Distinguished Professor and Director of the Center for Science, Sustainability, and the Media, University of Pennsylvania
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Are Your Grown-ups Clueless? Does this sound familiar? “So what if temperatures go up a degree or two? What’s so bad about that?” Or, “We can’t do anything about it now. It’s too late to stop it.” Or, “It’s time to wade to school. Pull on your tall boots.” Okay, maybe not that last one. Yet. The point is, if you’re like most people, you have grown-ups in your life who are clueless about climate change. But don’t worry. This book is a guide to getting the message across to them. You’ll discover how you and your grown-ups can work together to help end the climate crisis and heal our warming world.
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What Does “Climate Change” Mean, Anyway? Your adults just walked into the house on a brisk winter day. “Brrr! It’s freezing out there!” they complain. “So much for global warming!” Time to give them “The Talk”: Weather isn’t climate. Weather, you can explain, is what’s happening right now. Maybe it’s pelting down rain. Or it’s hot enough to fry an egg on the sidewalk. (Who would eat that, anyway? Ugh.) Weather is what you feel on your skin when you step outside.
Holy y! t H ump
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Climate is different. It’s the average of all those weather moments over many years—typically 30 years or so—for any region on Earth. How much rain has fallen, on average, in one spot over the past 30 years? What are the usual temperatures in each season? How much wind, how many sunny days, how much snow has an area felt day after day, year after year? Do the math and you get averages for all these measurements. These are called “climate normals.” Some people say, “Climate is what you expect. Weather is what you get.” So tell your grown-ups that the cold winter day is just a cold winter day. That’s weather for you. BUT, when the average temperature of that particular day goes up, year after year after year, that’s climate change. Climate change does affect the weather. Because the planet is warming up, heat waves are lasting longer and storms are getting stronger. Those cold days your grown-ups complained about aren’t getting any colder—but the hot days are getting hotter. Our planet has seen a lot of climate ups and downs in its 4.6-billion-year history. Its atmosphere has evolved, and ice ages have come and gone. But these changes were usually natural and sloooow. They came from little shifts in Earth’s orbit, or from cracks opening and closing in Earth’s crust, or from new forms of life growing in the ocean.
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More pages
Foreword As you read How to Teach Grown-ups About Climate Change, you’re going to find out some amazing things about our planet’s past that tell us about today. Did you know, for instance, that Earth has gone through natural warm periods before? For example, during the Jurassic period 200 million years ago, the planet was so warm that dinosaurs roamed even the polar regions. These past warm periods were a consequence of high levels of the planet-warm ing “greenhouse gas” known as carbon dioxide. Carbon
from inside the book SOUTH POLE
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Foreword author and expert consultant
E T A M I L C CHANGE GE SCIENCE OF THE CUTTING-ED PLANET OUR CHANGING
Author: Patricia Daniels Illustrator: Aaron Blecha Price: $14.99 / CAN $19.99 Format: Hardcover • Extent: 112 pages Trim size: 6 x 8.5 in • Ages: 8-12 Pub date: March 5, 2024 ISBN: 978-1-8046603-1-7 BISAC codes:
JNF003270 / JUVENILE NONFICTION / Animals / Endangered JNF065000 / JUVENILE NONFICTION / Recycling & Green Living JNF051100 / JUVENILE NONFICTION / Science & Nature / Environmental Science & Ecosystems
A witty guide to the science behind climate change, which puts kids in charge.
Featuring a foreword by eminent climate scientist Dr. Michael E. Mann and bursting with fabulous illustrations, this delightful book deals with the pressing topic of our changing planet in an uplifting, positive way. Interwoven among the more serious questions—why is Earth so special in the first place? What causes climate change? How can we recognize false information?—are fun-filled facts about cow burps, woolly mammoths, and much more. Crucially, this book also equips kids and adults alike with the practical tools they need to tackle climate change in their everyday lives. U.S. ORDERS – Publishers Group West
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Dr. Michael E. Mann is Presidential Distinguished Professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Science at the University of Pennsylvania. His research focuses on climate science and climate change. He has received numerous awards, including the the Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement 2019 and the Climate Communication Prize from the American Geophysical Union. He is co-founder of RealClimate.org and has written books including The Hockey Stick and the Climate Wars, The Tantrum that Saved the World, and The New Climate War.
Author
Patricia Daniels has written more than a dozen books for adults and children, most of them about science, history, or a combination of the two. A frequent contributor to National Geographic’s publications, she has covered everything from astrophysics to Zuniceratops. Pat lives in State College, Pennsylvania, with her husband, a college professor, and has two grown sons and two grown cats.
Illustrator
Aaron Blecha is a UK-based artist and author who designs funny characters and illustrates humorous books. Aaron has illustrated over 40 books, including the popular George Brown, Class Clown and Shark School series. He is also the author and illustrator of Goodnight, Grizzle Grump! and Good Morning, Grizzle Grump! published by HarperCollins. In addition to illustrating children’s books, Aaron works as a character designer for studios such as Disney, Curious Pictures and eOne Family. • Features a foreword by internationally renowned climate scientist Dr. Michael E. Mann, who is also an expert consultant on the book. • Deals with the serious topic in an uplifting, positive manner, with a witty sense of humor and 100 fabulous original illustrations by Aaron Blecha. • Empowers children to educate themselves—and their grown-ups—about the timely issue of climate change, including a quiz to test their knowledge at the end! • Perfect for young fans of Greta Thunberg’s No One Is Too Small to Make a Difference and The Climate Book.
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ISBN 978-1-80466-031-7
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