Storms of My Grandchildren

The Truth about the Coming Climate Catastrophe

By: James Hansen

Narrated by: John Allen Nelson

Length: 12 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's summary

In Storms of My Grandchildren, James Hansen - the nation's leading scientist on climate issues - speaks out for the first time with the full truth about global warming: the planet is hurtling even more rapidly than previously acknowledged to a climatic point of no return. Although Hansen was Al Gore's science adviser for the 2006 documentary An Inconvenient Truth, his recent data shows that our situation is even more dire today.

But politicians haven't made the connection between the policy and the science. Hansen shows why Gore's solution - cap and trade - won't work, why we must phase out all coal, and why 350 parts per million of carbon is a goal we must achieve in the next two decades if our children and grandchildren are to avoid global meltdown and the storms of the book's title.

This urgent manifesto bucks conventional wisdom (including the Kyoto Protocol) and is sure to stir controversy, but Hansen - whose climate predictions have come to pass again and again, beginning in the 1980s when he first warned Congress about global warming - is the single most credible voice on the subject worldwide.

Hansen paints a devastating but all-too-realistic picture of what will happen in the near future, mere years and decades from now, if we follow the course we're on. But he is also an optimist, showing that there is still time to do what we need to save the planet. Urgent, strong action is needed, and this book, released just before the Copenhagen Conference in December 2009, will be key in setting the agenda going forward to create a groundswell, a tipping point, to save humanity from a dire fate more imminent than we had supposed.

Download the accompanying reference guide.

©2009 James Hansen (P)2009 Tantor

Too Bad this critical read is so boring!

Although this is a 'must read' for those seriously interested in climate change, the author spends an inordinate amount of prose discussing his self-perceived failures to effectively communicate and convince government officials around the world that real action relative to AGC is critical. I found this exceedingly boring and self indulgent. Hansen is so detailed relative to many issues that I found myself tuning out until the relevent point was made. On the positive side there is a great deal of data and information presented. Hansen does a great job of arguing why nuclear power using breeder reactors may be the only way to replace coal and other fossil fuels for power generation. I suggest Hansen engage a writer who can summarize the data and important points, and make concise arguments which are understandable by the majority. I wish Hansen was as great a spokesman for the cause as he is a great scientist.

Great complement to Our Choice by Al Gore

Hansen has been a major contributor to our understanding of climate issues. The title of this work reflects the focus he shares with many of us "boomers" who have to respect the legacy we were given by our parents and grandparents to pass on to future. Although he is not in perfect lockstep with Gore's proposals, Hansen brings a needed understanding to much of the technology surrounding the threats to our climate.

Important Book

This is an important book that offers a deep, objective understanding of the climate crisis. And yet, it invokes a passionate call to take action and share the science. If you are going to read just one book this year about the global climate crisis, make it Storms of My Grandchildren.

A very important book by a great scientist.

The narrator was whiny, but Hansen is a great man. It was educational and interesting.

Misleading title

Much of the book is about the author's side of the story for scuffles with NASA, Bush admin, and climate deniers. Tiresome.

WHAT FOR OUR CHILDREN????

A good way to learn how we have messed up the future for our children.

Storms of My Grandchildren: The Truth about......

This is not appropriate for audio books. It has numerous charts. The audio version is pretty frustrating.