Climate Change: An Integrated Perspective

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xv

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2. Climate Change: An Integrated Perspective

   • P. Martens, J. Rotmans

   Pages 1-10

3. The Climate System

   • D. Jansen

   Pages 11-50

4. Modelling of the Climate System

   • J. Shukla, J. L. Kinter, E. K. Schneider, D. M. Straus

   Pages 51-104

5. Global Biogeochemical Cycles

   • J. Rotmans, M. den Elzen

   Pages 105-142

6. Causes of Greenhouse Gas Emissions

   • K. Chatterjee

   Pages 143-200

7. Impact Assessment of Climate Change

   • M. L. Parry, P. Martens

   Pages 201-238

8. Integrated Assessment Modelling

   • J. Rotmans, M. van Asselt

   Pages 239-275

9. Perspectives and the Subjective Dimension in Modelling

   • M. van Asselt, J. Rotmans

   Pages 277-317

10. Global Decision Making: Climate Change Politics

    • J. Gupta

    Pages 319-356

11. Epilogue: Scientific Advice in the World of Power Politics

    • S. Boehmer-Christiansen, J. W. von Goethe

    Pages 357-403

12. Back Matter

    Pages 405-414

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Global climate change - rapid, substantial and human induced - may have radical consequences for life on earth. The problem is a complex one, however, demanding a multi-disciplinary approach. A simple cost-benefit analysis cannot capture the essentials, nor can the issue be reduced to an emissions reduction game, as the Kyoto process tries to do. It is much more sensible to adopt an integrative approach, which reveals that global climate change needs to be considered as a spider in a web, a triggering factor for a range of other, related problems - land use changes, water supply and demand, food supply, energy supply, human health, air pollution, etc. But an approach like this, which takes account of all items of knowledge, known and uncertain, does not produce clear-cut, final and popular answers. It does provide useful insights, however, which will allow comprehensive and effective long-term climate strategies to be put into effect.
Climate Change: An Integrated Perspective will appeal to a broad spectrum of readers. It is a useful source for the climate-change professionals, such as policy makers and analysts, natural and social scientists. It is also suitable for educationalists, students and indeed anyone interested in the fascinating world of multidisciplinary research underlying our approach to this global change issue.

• Greenhouse gas
• air pollution
• biogeochemical cycles
• climate
• climate change
• climate system
• pollution
• ecotoxicology

• International Centre for Integrative Studies (ICIS), Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands

  Pim Martens, Jan Rotmans

• Faculty of Natural Sciences, Department of Environmental, Science and Engineering, Open University, Heerlen, The Netherlands

  Darco Jansen

• Department of Mathematics, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands

  Koos Vrieze

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