Geobiologist Jahren (Univ. of Oslo, Norway; Lab Girl) shares material she gathered for a course on climate change in this fascinating, easy-to-understand read. With the earth's population burgeoning to seven billion, advances in agriculture and meat and fish production allow farmers to produce more food. However, these improved crops and animals necessitate the ever-growing use of pesticides, fertilizers, and antibiotics. Using a plethora of facts and figures, Jahren traces the history of fossil fuel formation and usage, carbon dioxide increases in the atmosphere, evidence of a warming world, and melting ice and rising sea levels, all leading to a possible sixth mass extinction. The pursuit of more, explains the author, especially from the Unites States, the UK, Japan, and Australia, causes residents of these countries to use a disproportionate amount of resources relative to their population size. Jahren concludes by asking readers to define their values and make changes to the way they live to help ameliorate continuing damage to the earth. Citations for statistics are included. VERDICT A well-researched if sobering introduction to the history and causes of climate change that should be read by all.—Sue O'Brien, Downers Grove, IL

Gr 7–10—Esteemed geo-chemist Jahren breathes life into the social history and science of climate change by focusing on the action-oriented latter half of that term: change. This popular science treatise begins with trends and developments in human population from ancient history to the modern age and does the same with food production and energy generation and consumption before devoting the final segment of the book to the impact of all of this change on our planet. Jahren uses eye-opening statistical data, as well as examples from throughout history and from diverse corners of the globe, to illustrate how cultural shifts and technological developments have changed the world we live in and the possibilities of our ecological future—for good and for ill. The final chapter discusses a variety of proposed solutions to the problems of climate change and sets the stage for the several appendices that discuss specific actions that each of us can take to slow global warming, frame the particular significance of the U.S.'s role in this struggle, marshal a powerful catalog of facts regarding the global scale and seriousness of climate change, and make suggestions for further reading. VERDICT This highly-readable scientific tome is a brief but thorough introduction into how we got here ecologically speaking and what is necessary to sustain our shared planet for future generations. It is strongly recommended for junior high and high school nonfiction collections.—Kelly Kingrey-Edwards, Blinn Junior Coll., Brenham, TX