As policy makers prepare to confront this issue, concise, unbiased data of the underlying science will be crucial to effective policy outcomes.
Many people thump on it as evidence for their claims, but few actually have read it.
When the treaty returns to America for action, leaders will need accurate data, and it must be in a form they can use. In addition to laying out the theoretical underpinnings of climate change, starting with the humble greenhouse effect, the guide reviews the changes in climate and atmospheric composition of recent years, leaving it to the reader to draw their own reasoned conclusions about climate change. Unless you have a Ph.D., you have no way of knowing what to believe about climate change because all of the information is second hand. There's no reason why climate change, and the evidence that supports it or fails to support it, can't be made accessible to lay people so they can decide for themselves whether it's a sound theory, and what policy options seem reasonable. To do otherwise will only lead to flawed public policy.