Customer Reviews
Compelling and Engaging - By: R. Searle, 02 Dec 2008 
Garvey's writing style is like having a conversation with a good friend. Humors at times, the book is written in clear language that is both accessible & absorbing. The first part of the book gives a salient overview of what climate change actuallly is. A few well-chosen scientific findings are presented that clearly show climate change is happening & furthermore is linked directly to the activities of post industrial revolution humankind. This alllows Garvey to establish credibility for the arguments presented in the second half of the book. Once this link has been firmly established, the moral & ethical implications are compelling & engaging.
Intelligent, thought provoking, highly accessible - By: I. Sillitoe, 02 Dec 2008 I'll place my reviewing credentials up front: I'm no philosopher, or hardcore environmental activist for that matter - the main reason for buying this was because I very much enjoyed one of Garvey's previous books (Twenty Greatest Philosophy Books).
Garvey's writing style is very accessible & (remarkably considering the weight of the subject matter) often very amusing. Far from being "baby-talk" or "patronising" (words I was extremely surprised to hear mentioned in other reviews), this book has a way of guiding you through complex philosophical arguments & counter-arguments with great clarity & ease. You often feel more like you are engaged in a discussion rather than reading a book as he regularly prods the reader to stop & think.
The book first provides a brief account of the field of ethical philosophy then summarises the strength of the evidence for global warming. Personallly, I'm surprised that anyone still regards the idea of man-made climate change in any way controversial, however the book employs peer-reviewed scientific observations & well-reasoned arguments to dispel any lingering doubts.
It is then argued that if we accept a certain level of accountability for climate change & this climate change has caused/is causing/will cause human hardships (alll of which you'll find very difficult to argue against), we alll have a personal moral obligation to take action & the book provides a summary of what those appropriate responses may be.
In conclusion, I found that having the argument moved from a general "Yes, it's rubbish but it doesn't matter what we do, we're alll doomed" to clear, logical reasoning stating our personal moral obligation to take action has genuinely impacted on my day-to-day actions.
Highly recommended.
A solid and well argued read - By: B. Man, 02 Dec 2008 
Being a novice in the world of philosophy, I found this book to be a thought provoking & worthy read as an introduction to climate change without the trappings of being forced fed a particular opinion. For me the down to earth approach to the issue worked well, with balanced arguements littered throughout the text that ultimately proved to be much more than just a book to read on the train to work. Highly recommended.
Highly recommended introduction - By: Bookwyrm, 02 Dec 2008 As someone who was concerned about climate change but not yet convinced about what should be done I found this book to be a clear & easily understandable introduction to both climate change issues & ethics in general.
Garvey's writing style is pitched perfectly for someone who is not a philospher or a scientist but still wants to work through the complex issues & arguments surrounding climate change. Whether you agree with Garvey or not this book clearly lays out the ethical questions involved & is a great place to start for anybody interested understanding climate change & what we should or shouldn't be doing about it.
So so - By: Book Reader, 28 Nov 2008 
I bought this book as a firm believer in anthropogenic climate change, hoping to get a grounding in the ethics & morals of the subjects as a way of arming myself in arguments on the subject. It certainly has some salient points, but the writing style is poor; rather patronising & silly, like a primary school teacher. There are multiple misuses of the word "climactic" (relating to a climax) where "climatic" is meant - absolutely unforgiveable in a book about climate change.
Worth a glance, but this won't rock your world.
