The Impact of Global Warming on Texas

Download or read book The Impact of Global Warming on Texas written by Gerald R. North and published by University of Texas Press. This book was released on 1995-01-01 with total page 270 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Overall, this book is an admirable attempt at a discussion of the effects of global warming, and should stimulate discussions of policy options at the state, and even national, level. . . . This thought-provoking book is suitable for environmental decisionmakers in Texas (or in any state) who are trying to deal with global climate change. The book is ideal for supplementing college classes in environmental management and policy. --Science Books and Films This is the most wide-ranging, integrated analysis of climate change impacts on a region that I have seen. . . . it should be read carefully by anyone attempting to assess what climate change means for their region. --William E. Riebsame, associate professor of geography, University of Colorado, Boulder The presence of uncertainty need not immobilize us like a deer trapped in the headlights of an onrushing truck. There is enough information to craft a sound program for a rational response to climate change in Texas. So concludes this report of the Task Force on Climate Change in Texas, an interdisciplinary group of experts convened to study the possible effects of global warming on Texas and to identify policy options for avoiding or mitigating them. After introductory chapters on global climate change, the changing Texas climate, and greenhouse emissions, individual chapters of this study explore the effects of global warming on Texas water resources, estuaries, biodiversity, agriculture, urban areas, and the economy. These essays reveal a wide range of possible effects, from severe stresses on water and coastal resources to low impact in the agricultural sector and in urban areas. Policy options for reducingemissions and mitigating some of their effects are included. Gerald R. North is a distinguished professor of meteorology and oceanography at Texas A & M University. Jurgen Schmandt is director of the Center for Global Studies of the Houston Advanced Research Center and a professor of public affairs at the University of Texas at Austin. Judith Clarkson is a consultant to the Center for Global Studies.