Climate Code Red
The book in a nutshell...
Climate policy is characterised by the habituation of low expectations and a culture of failure. There is an urgent need to understand global warming and the tipping points for dangerous impacts that we have already crossed as a sustainability emergency, that takes us beyond the politics of failure-inducing compromise. We are now in a race between climate tipping points and political tipping points.
Find out more...
Key themes of Climate Code Red
The Code Red challenge
What people are saying...
"Having read this book ...there is no doubt in my mind that this is the greatest problem confronting mankind at this time and that it has reached the level of a state of emergency. ... [E]ducation of the public is critical to ensure that they understand the dimensions of the tasks and the consequences of failure. This book helps in that educative process. Please read it. "
Professor David de Kretser, Governor of Victoria
Download Professor David de Kretser speech launching the book
'Perhaps the two most outstanding books on global warming to have been published lately are The Hot Topic .. and Climate Code Red. Were I a philanthropist, I would purchase several hundred copies of both and send them to our politicians and policy-makers.'
Robert Manne, The Monthly, August 2008
"The stark fact is that we face a global sustainability emergency. But it is impossible to design realistic solutions unless we first understand and accept the size of the problem. Climate Code Red is a sober, balanced analysis of this challenge, unadorned by political spin, proposing a realistic framework to tackle the emergency."
Ian Dunlop, former international oil, gas, and coal industry executive
"Read Climate Code Red. I wish I had read it sooner; it’s high-calibre work, the best I’ve seen, and I agree completely."
Ken Ward, former deputy director, Greenpeace USA
"Climate Code Red applies an uncommon degree of common-sense to the latest climate science, and is a well- researched basis for building a truly meaningful response. It makes it abundantly clear that greenhouse-gas emissions have to stop entirely, and that even this must sit in a larger plan to manage our destabilised earth-atmosphere system."
Tim Helweg-Larsen, Director, Public Interest Research Centre, UK
"David Spratt and Philip Sutton have provided a valuable and sobering contribution to the policy challenge of climate change at a pivotal moment, with their key insight that the expectation of failure has become the norm in climate policy. Climate Code Red is a signifi cant contribution which should be read by anyone seriously contemplating how to set greenhouse emission-reduction targets.’
Senator Christine Milne, Australian Greens Party
"Having been involved with global warming climate change as a researcher in environmental health for 25 years, I can say that this is without question by far the best book to date on this issue — the fi rst book to have the integrity to say how the situation really is."
Dr Peter Carter, Canada
‘Recent greenhouse gas emissions place the Earth perilously close to dramatic climate change that could run out of our control, with great dangers for humans and other creatures. There is already enough carbon in the Earth’s atmosphere for massive ice sheets such as West Antarctica to eventually melt away, and ensure that sea levels will rise metres in coming decades. Climate zones such as the tropics and temperate regions will continue to shift, and the oceans will become more acidic, endangering much marine life. We must begin to move rapidly to the post-fossil fuel clean energy system. Moreover, we must remove some carbon that has collected in the atmosphere since the Industrial Revolution. This is the story that Climate Code Red tells with conviction. It is a compelling case for recognising, as the UN secretary-general has said, that we face a climate emergency.’
James Hansen, director of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Goddard Institute for Space Studies
‘This is a frightening but clear-eyed, well-informed, and sober consideration of the weight of evidence and argument on the imminent and quite possibly cataclysmic
impacts of climate change. It is a wake-up call and antidote to the sanitised reporting on the state of the planet and global warming. As a social and environmental psychologist reader, this critical overview is impressive, comprehensive, and convincing.’
Dr Joseph Retter, Queensland
Code Red in the media...
ABC Opinion After Garnaut, the big questions will remain unanswered 2 July 2008
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/07/02/2291574.htm
Adelaide Advertiser Not enough time to turn back the climate clock 3 July 2008
http://www.1degree.com.au/node/725
New Matilda The perils of playing nice 4 July 2008
http://www.newmatilda.com/2008/07/04/perils-playing-nice
On Line Opinion In the end, climate is not an economic question 8July 2008
http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=7602
Jane Cowan report for ABC AM 17 July 2008
http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/programguide/stories/200807/s2306322.htm
The Age Code red: Climate skating on thin ice, authors say 18 July 2008
http://www.theage.com.au/environment/code-red-climate-skating-on-thin-ic...
The Age Editorial: The status quo is no longer an option 19 July 2008
http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/editorial/the-status-quo-is-no-longer-a...
Perspective The Arctic challenge for Australia 5 August 2008
http://www.abc.net.au/rn/perspective/stories/2008/2323520.htm#transcript
Robyn Williams In conversation 7 August 2008
http://www.abc.net.au/rn/inconversation/stories/2008/2320607.htm
The Monthly Comment by Robert Manne August 2008
http://www.themonthly.com.au/tm/node/1146
The Age Middle of the road ... towards a cliff 8 August 2008
http://business.theage.com.au/business/middle-of-the-road--towards-a-cli...
Sydney Morning Herald Globetrotting boomers fly in the face of carbon reality 9 August 2008
http://www.smh.com.au/news/adele-horin/globetrotting-boomers-fly-in-the-...
Ecos Magazine Book review August 2008
http://www.sciencealert.com.au/features/20082908-17874-3.html
The Monthly Six Degrees of Apocalypse October 2008
http://www.themonthly.com.au/tm/node/1222
