Book description
Life in Europe will indeed go on as the climate changes, but not in the
same way as before. The air will be warmer, winds will change, patterns
of rainfall and snowfall will alter, and sea level is likely to rise.
These phenomena are already being seen. Europe will in the future
experience marked changes in vegetation cover, increased floods along
rivers and coastlines as well as more frequent droughts and forest
fires, often leading to large societal costs. The changes will be minor
in some cases, profound in others, but in any case, pervasive.
This book uses the most up to date information issued by the IPCC
(Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), and informs readers about
these effects, as well as showing how Europe is contributing to
attempts to slow the tempo of global climate change, and how it can
adapt to the climate change that seems unavoidable.
Life in Europe under Climate Change makes essential information
on climate impacts in Europe accessible to a broad audience, including
students, politicians, planners and members of non-governmental organizations.
Joseph Alcamo
is Chief Scientist of the United Nations Environment Programme where he
is responsible for engaging the scientific community in the policy arena
to help solve global environmental problems. He is on leave as Professor
of Environmental Science and Engineering and Director of the Center of
Environmental Systems Research at the University of Kassel, Germany. He
was a coordinating lead author of the assessment of climate impacts in
Europe in the Fourth Assessment report of the IPCC.
J?rgen E. Olesen is Professor of agriculture and climate change
at Aarhus University in Denmark. He was a lead author in the Fourth
Assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. He
was a member of the Commission on Climate Change Policy for the
Government in Denmark. He is a member of the Danish Council on Ethics,
and he chairs the food and agriculture group of the Danish green think
tank CONCITO.
