A Change in the Weather

by PhilipEden (Author)

• Used

  Hardcover
  2005

  $3.25

  Philip Eden is the much admired weather and climate correspondent of The Daily Telegraph. In this follow-up to his hugely successful book The Book of Weather, the author now goes further to explore and explain the weather and climate changes which concern and obsess us. This is a fascinating look at how the weather has behaved throughout history and could impact on the next generations. Thought-provoking views and a passion for his subject make this new book a compulsive read. Changing climate or no there is one sentiment which pervades our feelings about the weather during our lifetimes: it isn't what it used to be. How many times have we heard remarks like 'Summers are not what they used to be when we were children. Speculations about the future can only be that, but sensible people would prefer informed speculation to the other kind. Eden provides a comprehensive historical context within which present climatic events and trends can be viewed and a sober sound scientific background against which present and future climatic change can be considered.

• Used

  Paperback
  2006

  $3.25

  'It is extraordinary what a sadistic old crone Mother Nature is when you think about it. Even in a comparatively benign climate like ours: we have gallons of water thrown at us at regular intervals, we can be thrown half way across the country by winds gusting to 100 mph or more, blankets of fog may hide practically everything familiar from view, and we run the risk of being blasted into next week by a million-bolt of lightning. And on occasion she will even launch an artillery barrage of solid ice missiles at 50 or 60 mph - in other words hailstones - or utterly transform the landscape under a six inch layer of snow'. In such language, Eden sets the tone for his new book. He now investigates further the extremes of weather we experience and the dire consequences for farmers, builders and above all insurance companies who live by a calculation of actuarial risk. Many of us have become disconnected from our climate, writes Eden. However bizarre weather events may seem at the time, there is usually a precedent for them, and there is always a scientific explanation. Only by reconnecting in this way can we have proper historical and scientific contexts in which to place the sequence of interesting and unusual meteorological phenomena we will experience in coming years.