How Rational is Our Policy of Climate Change?
Is mankind heading for a climate catastrophe?
The range of opinions on how dangerous the greenhouse effect really is comprises two opposing views. At the one extreme, there is exaggeration, apparently because the assumption is that only this will wake up the general public and make them aware of the whole issue.
At the other, there is a tendency to play down the problem as there is concern about the costs that would ensue from a consistent climate policy. In other words, the debate about the greenhouse effect is not always conducted with full sincerity. Distorted presentations, strategically filtered information and shaky arguments make it extremely difficult to gain an objective insight into the facts.
This book is an attempt to move towards more objectivity, presenting current scientific opinion on the climate problem. Wherever possible the sources that were used stem from first-class peer-reviewed journals or otherwise reliable publications. In many cases it was possible to base conclusions on original, first hand data from publicly available data bases, e.g. satellite raw data to document the temperature development over time. The aim of this book is not only to discuss the climate problem with up-to-date and unbiased arguments but also to provide the reader with a solid basis for forming a competent opinion of his own.
Policy Consult, Münster 2002
