1. Simple Introductions

Reporting on Climate Change: Understanding the Science

A layperson's explanation of many of the key concepts and findings in the 2001 IPCC report. Written and produced by the Environmental Law Institute and the Environmental Health Center with funding from the Energy Dept's research office.

Global Climate Change Research Explorer

This award-winning, highly graphic explanatory Web site is produced by the Exploratorium with funding from the National Science Foundation. The Exploratorium is a Web-savvy San Francisco-based science museum.

Rough Guide to Climate Change

This inexpensive paperback has just been published as part of the commercial Rough Guides series. It is authored by Robert Henson, a writer on the communications staff of the prestigious University Consortium on Atmospheric Research (UCAR). Henson has degrees in both meteorology and journalism, and has worked hard to produce a complete, unbiased, and understandable approach to the subject.

Global Warming: The Complete Briefing

 By John T. Houghton (Cambridge Univ. Press, 1994 New York) (Paperback) See also "Overview of the Climate Change Issue".

The Science of Global Climate Change

This 20-page text distributed free in pdf format is by Mike MacCracken, former head of the U.S. Global Change Research Program.

BBC News In Depth: Climate Change

A web-based presentation of some basic facts about climate change in easily readable form, with helpful graphics.