Policy Implications of Greenhouse Warming

Readily accessible to any interested reader, this volume offers an analysis of the major issues surrounding greenhouse warming and presents the authoring panel's recommendations for U.S. policy.

Recommendations address a wide range of issues, including energy policy; deforestation; human population growth; the appropriate role of the United States in an international strategy; and needed research on scientific, economic, and social questions.

Policy Implications of Greenhouse Warming analyzes scientific understanding of greenhouse gas accumulation and its effect on climate; prospects for human, animal, and plant adaptation to rising global temperatures; and options for mitigating the effects of greenhouse gas emissions.

Table of Contents

• FRONT MATTER
• 1 INTRODUCTION
• 2 BACKGROUND
• 3 THE GREENHOUSE GASES AND THEIR EFFECTS
• 4 POLICY FRAMEWORK
• 5 ADAPTION
• 6 MITIGATION
• 7 INTERNATIONAL CONSIDERATIONS
• 8 FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS
• 9 RECOMMENDATIONS
• APPENDIXES
• A QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT GREENHOUSE WARMING
• B BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON SYNTHESIS PANEL MEMBERS AND PROFESSIONAL STAFF
• C MEMBERSHIP LISTS FOR EFFECTS, MITIGATION, AND ADAPTATION PANELS
• INDEX