Kyoto Protocol Meeting Highlights The Atlas of Climate Change

While attending the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Nairobi last week, author Tom Downing spoke about The Atlas of Climate Change, which he coauthored with Kirstin Dow. This meeting, being held through November 17, is the second of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol. Downing discussed threats to coastal areas and archaeological and historical sites, among other impacts, to help people see that climate change goes beyond weather patterns and increasing temperatures.

This conference, which has received international attention, pushed climate change back into the headlines here in the US, as well. An Associated Press article discusses Downing’s presentation in depth and the "Talk of the Town" section of the current New Yorker focuses on the economic impact of global warming.

The Atlas of Climate Change examines the serious implications of climate change for food and water supplies, human health, sensitive ecologies, vulnerable cities, and cultural treasures— especially in those countries lacking the resources to adapt. The book also provides insights into contentious climate-change politics as it reviews current response efforts: the progress being made in meeting Kyoto commitments, the development of emissions trading, patterns of funding, and the contributions being made by local action. With more than fifty full-color maps and graphics, this is an essential resource for everyone concerned with this pressing subject.

Photo by Gary Braasch