<p>An excellent book that concisely summarizes the IPCC physical results (without much of the policy summary editorializing) is <a href="http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/0470943416">Global Warming, Understanding the Forecast</a> by David Archer, 2nd ed 2011. There will presumably be an updated edition soon to cover the latest IPCC release.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-10-24T22:05:27.710Z
2014-10-24T22:05:27.710Z
geraldcecil
<p>The definitive place to start is the Summary for Policy Makers at the start of the <a href="http://www.climatechange2013.org/">IPCC AR5 Working Group 1</a> on the physical science basis of climate change.</p>

<p>This also acts as a suitable introduction to the massive rest of the physical basis report, and will, together with the contents table for the full report, enable a reader to quickly find the sections of interest that cover greater detail. And to burrow deeper again, if there are specific sections that you'd like to know more about, the thing to do is to follow through and read the references from those sections. </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-10-24T15:10:34.493Z
A lot of the criticism of the mainstream position on AGW is (being charitable) deeply misguided, and based on a misrepresentation of the science.  The IPCC reports are an invaluable resource in checking to see if the claim relates to something that actually does represent the mainstream scientific position.
Dikran Marsupial
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-10-25T04:02:46.657Z
For more of a mitigation/adaptation flavor in the USA you could see the National Climate  Assessment at http://nca2014.globalchange.gov/downloads
f.thorpe
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-10-24T13:44:58.250Z
2014-10-24T20:07:37.017Z
2014-10-24T20:07:37.017Z
410 gone
<p>Prof. Raymond Pierrehumbert's book the <a href="http://www.cambridge.org/gb/academic/subjects/earth-and-environmental-science/climatology-and-climate-change/principles-planetary-climate">Principles of Planetary Climate</a> is a pretty good primer on the physics that drives climate.  I'm not too sure that the mainstream scientific view on anthropogenic climate change needs any more defense than say the mainstream scientific position on relativity, or any other scientific topic.  @EnergyNumbers suggestion of the IPCC AR5 WG1 report is spot on, however you probably want to start with something rather more basic before finding out what the mainstream scientific position actually says.</p>

<p>I'd also recommend "<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Climate-Modelling-Primer-Kendal-McGuffie/dp/111994337X/">A Climate Modelling Primer</a>" by Kendal McGuffie and Ann Henderson-Sellers for an introduction to the basics of climate modelling.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-10-24T15:07:58.343Z
2014-10-24T17:42:11.840Z
2014-10-24T17:42:11.840Z
Dikran Marsupial
<p>You have an economics and statistics background - is it anywhere near <em>mathematical</em> economics resp. <em>mathematical</em> statistics? If so, you could spend hours over at <a href="http://scienceofdoom.com/roadmap/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">The Science of Doom</a>:  <strong><em>Roadmap</em></strong>. I would consider that <em>thorough</em> on the rigorous part. (As an economist, you know the difference between the <em>laws</em> at work, as opposed to the <em>econometrics</em> that attempt at measuring precisely how much.)</p>

<p>You will find books - table-of-contents and sample pages - at <a href="http://scienceofdoom.com/2011/02/26/find-stuff-out-and-book-reviews/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">The Science of Doom</a>: <strong><em>Find Stuff Out and Book Reviews</em></strong>.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-10-25T14:20:36.437Z
2017-06-05T12:46:31.357Z
2017-06-05T12:46:31.357Z
MathSwiNet
<p>I'm an intelligent and well-educated guy, but all of my schooling has been in economics, statistics, and public policy. I'm interested in reading a thorough explanation/defense of the scientific understanding of anthropogenic climate change that is intended for somebody who doesn't know anything about meteorology or climate science. However, I'm also looking for something fairly academically/scientifically rigorous. Something on the level of "An Inconvenient Truth" is probably just going to annoy me more than anything.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-10-24T13:45:38.717Z
I've assumed that you're interested in the physical science basis, rather than mitigation or adaptation. Please do edit your question to let us know which you are interested in.
410 gone
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-10-24T15:36:07.830Z
Yes, I apologize. I'm mostly interested in an explanation and defense of the causes and mechanisms underlying anthropogenic climate change. I'm not so much interested in mitigation/adaptation.
John Chrysostom
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-10-24T16:18:38.963Z
I don't think anybody seriously doubts the causes and mechanisms.  The basic mechanism of the enhanced greenhouse effect were set out first by Guy Calendar and later by Gilbert Plass over sixty years ago.  There are those who question the amount of warming we will see, but that is more a matter of fine detail than mechanism.
Dikran Marsupial
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-19T04:33:14.467Z
I found "The discovery of global warming" by Spencer Weart a pretty good read, but that was 8 years ago or so, and I'm not sure I can recommend it for this on the strength of memory at the moment.
naught101
<climate-change><human-influence>
Academic but accessible defense of the scientific understanding of anthropogenic climate change?
John Chrysostom
# Academic but accessible defense of the scientific understanding of anthropogenic climate change?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2014-10-24)

I'm an intelligent and well-educated guy, but all of my schooling has been in economics, statistics, and public policy. I'm interested in reading a thorough explanation/defense of the scientific understanding of anthropogenic climate change that is intended for somebody who doesn't know anything about meteorology or climate science. However, I'm also looking for something fairly academically/scientifically rigorous. Something on the level of "An Inconvenient Truth" is probably just going to annoy me more than anything.

**Tags:** climate-change, human-influence

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: I've assumed that you're interested in the physical science basis, rather than mitigation or adaptation. Please do edit your question to let us know which you are interested in.  
> **username_0**: Yes, I apologize. I'm mostly interested in an explanation and defense of the causes and mechanisms underlying anthropogenic climate change. I'm not so much interested in mitigation/adaptation.  
> **username_2**: I don't think anybody seriously doubts the causes and mechanisms.  The basic mechanism of the enhanced greenhouse effect were set out first by Guy Calendar and later by Gilbert Plass over sixty years ago.  There are those who question the amount of warming we will see, but that is more a matter of fine detail than mechanism.  
> **username_3**: I found "The discovery of global warming" by Spencer Weart a pretty good read, but that was 8 years ago or so, and I'm not sure I can recommend it for this on the strength of memory at the moment.  

---

## 4 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2014-10-24. Score: 21

The definitive place to start is the Summary for Policy Makers at the start of the [IPCC AR5 Working Group 1](http://www.climatechange2013.org/) on the physical science basis of climate change.

This also acts as a suitable introduction to the massive rest of the physical basis report, and will, together with the contents table for the full report, enable a reader to quickly find the sections of interest that cover greater detail. And to burrow deeper again, if there are specific sections that you'd like to know more about, the thing to do is to follow through and read the references from those sections.

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: A lot of the criticism of the mainstream position on AGW is (being charitable) deeply misguided, and based on a misrepresentation of the science.  The IPCC reports are an invaluable resource in checking to see if the claim relates to something that actually does represent the mainstream scientific position.  
> **username_5**: For more of a mitigation/adaptation flavor in the USA you could see the National Climate  Assessment at http://nca2014.globalchange.gov/downloads  

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### Answer by username_4 on 2014-10-24. Score: 10

An excellent book that concisely summarizes the IPCC physical results (without much of the policy summary editorializing) is [Global Warming, Understanding the Forecast](http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/0470943416) by David Archer, 2nd ed 2011. There will presumably be an updated edition soon to cover the latest IPCC release.


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### Answer by username_6 on 2014-10-25. Score: 8

You have an economics and statistics background - is it anywhere near *mathematical* economics resp. *mathematical* statistics? If so, you could spend hours over at [The Science of Doom](http://scienceofdoom.com/roadmap/): ***Roadmap***. I would consider that *thorough* on the rigorous part. (As an economist, you know the difference between the *laws* at work, as opposed to the *econometrics* that attempt at measuring precisely how much.)

You will find books - table-of-contents and sample pages - at [The Science of Doom](http://scienceofdoom.com/2011/02/26/find-stuff-out-and-book-reviews/): ***Find Stuff Out and Book Reviews***.


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### Answer by username_2 on 2014-10-24. Score: 7

Prof. Raymond Pierrehumbert's book the [Principles of Planetary Climate](http://www.cambridge.org/gb/academic/subjects/earth-and-environmental-science/climatology-and-climate-change/principles-planetary-climate) is a pretty good primer on the physics that drives climate. I'm not too sure that the mainstream scientific view on anthropogenic climate change needs any more defense than say the mainstream scientific position on relativity, or any other scientific topic. @EnergyNumbers suggestion of the IPCC AR5 WG1 report is spot on, however you probably want to start with something rather more basic before finding out what the mainstream scientific position actually says.

I'd also recommend "[A Climate Modelling Primer](http://www.amazon.co.uk/Climate-Modelling-Primer-Kendal-McGuffie/dp/111994337X/)" by Kendal McGuffie and Ann Henderson-Sellers for an introduction to the basics of climate modelling.


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