I like reading or listening to educational non-fiction books because they keep me informed on subjects that interest me. I don't know much about global warming or meteorology so I decided to give Andrew Weaver's book a go, liking the fact that it was Canadian. If I had any doubt that global warming exists it was gone by the time I finished listening to his book. In a nutshell, Weaver states that global warming is primarily caused by carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel consumption. A climate modeller in the School of Earth and Ocean Sciences at the University of Victoria in British Columbia, Weaver takes the time to explain what this means, with an emphasis on Canada's environment.

Weaver goes into great detail about this, using terminology I was unfamiliar with, but also using common illustrations and examples to help me (a layman) understand, which I really appreciated. I have to admit that when the information was more statistical my mind tended to wander. There are a lot of stats in this book! I know the print book includes graphs, diagrams, analyses and the like. Since I am more visual when it comes to dry or textbook material I think that I would have gotten more out of this book if I had read it. I'm faster at solving a mathematical equation if I see it than if I hear it.

Weaver includes politics in his discussion, brings out arguments against those who don't believe global warming is a reality and shows how this affects the lack of putting into place good solutions for this problem. He states that governmental policies are largely ineffective and that although people are resistant to change, we have a responsibility regarding the future of our children. He ends the book with his ideas of possible solutions including a carbon tax and using sustainable energy sources such as solar, wind, hydro and nuclear energy.

Since I have no science background but have taken an interest in this book purely out of my passion to keep learning new things, I cannot argue for or against Weaver based on science, but as a Canadian citizen I found it eye-opening, convincing and alarming. It made me want to stop driving my car (or perhaps drive less) and feel more responsible toward taking care of my planet.

The narrator David Skulski (who I assume is an older man) has an engaging and wise voice, almost grandfatherly so I felt like I was listening to someone who had life experience and knew what he was talking about. I enjoyed his narration because it came across as someone who had authority in this topic. I recommend this book to all students of meteorology and climate science. I also think Canadian politicians would benefit from knowing and listening to what out climate scientists are saying about the fast-changing climate in Canada.

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