Global Warning: The Last Chance for Change    by Paul Brown & Gerd Leipold Order:  USA  Can Readers Digest, 2007 (2007) Hardcover Read an Excerpt      Reviewed by Kerrily Sapet 'How could I look my grandchildren in the eye and say I knew about this and I did nothing?' (Sir David Attenborough, Naturalist and Broadcaster) So begins Paul Brown as he introduces his book Global Warning: The Last Chance for Change. An environmental correspondent for The Guardian, Brown brings his sixteen years of experience to the pages of his latest volume on the environment. This comprehensive book joins his other writings and documentaries that have covered everything from ocean management and climate change to desertification. Global Warning: The Last Chance for Change offers up a feast for the brain and the eyes. It's crammed full of information, as Brown illustrates his persuasive scientific research with more than 300 photographs and maps from around the world. He divides his book into fourteen chapters, beginning with Our Changing World and ending with What Can We Do? Sandwiched in the middle are chapters with titles such as Mad, Bad, or Greedy?, Even Termites Are to Blame, and Peak Oil and China. Liberally sprinkled throughout the book's 313 pages are quotes from world leaders, activists, scientists, authors, and many others. While the information that Brown presents is detailed and comprehensive, his format and language make the concepts simple to understand. Although the subject of climate change is vastly complex, Brown breaks it down and examines the issues impacting each person around the world. He does not stop with simply illustrating his points and providing proof of global warming, but instead offers up a chapter for readers who want to do their part to save the planet. Whether it's simply turning off a light not in use, planting trees to shade your house in summer, or buying local produce, Brown suggests a myriad of ways to respond to his call for action to lessen the impact of climate change on our world. 2nd Review by Deb Kincaid: Paul Brown has infused Global Warning: The Last Chance for Change with a powerful sense of urgency. No longer can citizens, industry leaders, and politicians pass the buck: time has run out. Brown presents science-based information making a strong case for the fact that mankind has a decade, maybe two at most, to stave off global annihilation. Brown explains how the earth's environmental systems are interrelated. For instance, how melting glacial ice affects indigenous peoples, biodiversity, the Gulf Stream and weather. How unchecked global warming will lead to economic disaster, rampant disease, and lack of life-sustaining resources such as food and water, which will spur war and violence. Brown is no alarmist. He lays out for readers a well-argued case backed by accurate science and stark photos that do not lie. Brown exposes the devious, self-serving actions of politicians, scientists, lobbyists, and greedy leaders of commerce who have paid for junk science, have altered scientific reports, choreographed character assassinations, and spread multi-million dollar misinformation campaigns to keep the public in the dark about the looming cataclysm. In spite of those fiendish efforts, other scientists, politicians, business leaders and environmental organizations have exerted great effort to bring the truth to the fore, Al Gore perhaps the most recognizable face of those sounding the alarm. Paul Brown - author of numerous environmental books, writer of countless articles on environmental issues, and participant and writer of television documentaries on the environment - is appalled at the apathy of so many people: 'It is extraordinary how many people still do not understand the danger the planet is in. There are some who believe that most of the developed world is in denial. They ... {assume} that life will be the same in 50 years. It won't be.' Paul Brown's extraordinary book opens with a quote by Sir David Attenborough, naturalist and veteran broadcaster: 'How could I look my grandchildren in the eye and say I knew about this and I did nothing?' Global Warning: The Last Chance for Change is a powerful, informative, and absorbing revelation of our global crisis. With forceful urgency, Brown pleads with readers - each reader - to act now. The clock is ticking. Listen to a podcast interview with the author at WrittenVoices.com Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more NonFiction books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews