In this book, the author divides the chapters to look at what would happen as the global average temperature rises 1 degree Celsius, 2 degrees, 3, 4, 5, and 6 degrees. More fires and drought in California and Australia. Melting of ice sheets in the Arctic and Antarctic. Melting of glaciers in mountainous regions in Pakistan, Nepal, and China near K2 and Everest, leading to less runoff for places that rely on that water. Water levels rising to wipe out New Orleans, put more of New York and London underwater, hurricanes and flooding in Houston, Gakveston, New York. Sand dunes and no water in Africa. All of these causing humans to starve and die or to move to other places already suffering themselves who won’t want newcomers to take up the precious resources that remain. Oceans and forests will be taking on more carbon than they can handle, often speeding up the warming and other consequences.

The author used scientific models and peer-reviewed articles to research this book.

I really liked the way he organized this book. Unfortunately, in the conclusion, he talked about ideally reducing emissions in the next decade. The book was published in 2008, and as far as I’ve been paying attention, things have (really, to no surprise, sadly) only gotten worse. There is no slow down, let alone reduction in emissions, I don’t believe. I feel like this is something everyone should read to educate themselves. ( )

Mark Lynas's Six Degrees: Our Future on a Hotter Planet, written in 2008, presents in devastating detail the likely trajectory of the climate change crisis if we remain on our current course. Lynas shows, degree by degree Celcius, the alarming consequences of global warming. He effectively buttresses the case by citing evidence from earlier warmer periods of the earth's atmospheric and geologic history, as well as examples of the effects currently underway. The prospects are frightening, particularly for future generations.

While reading the book, I checked the NASA website to see the trends (carbon dioxide, global temperature, arctic ice minimum, sea level, etc.) for the last decade which, of course, continue apace. That day the U.S. president, who earlier this year pulled the United States out of the Paris Agreement, nominated a climate change denier to be the next head of NASA. Those interested in viewing the agency's relevant data are advised to do so quickly, as the information soon will likely be removed, just as all climate change data was deleted from the Environmental Protection Agency's website the day the president was inaugurated. ( )

Frightening. Well researched book. I feel sad about the world we are leaving our grandkids. ( )

Interesting but slightly depressing book about the effects of global warming one degree at a time. ( )

Gives a vivid description of the effects of various levels of global warming. If you think that a few degrees of warming sounds like no big deal, read this book. ( )