LAUSR

Stretching over more than 3000 pages, the Handbook of Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation covers a broad range of topics and case studies (Fig. 1). In comparison to the first edition, Handbook of Climate Change Mitigation, this edition contains an additional 30 contributions and now also addresses climate change adaptation strategies. The majority of the contributions of the first edition were retained in the second edition in a partly modified format and altered in order. The main focus of the handbook is still on specific suggestions on how to mitigate climatic changes. Individual contributions from more than 150 authors from over 25 countries form the chapters of the book that are assembled to five parts. Part I “Scientific Evidences of Climate Change and Societal Issues” encompasses an introductory chapter written by the editors, which on one hand defines important terms and concepts related to climate change mitigation, and on the other hand introduces the scope and concept of the handbook. This introduction is followed by 13 contributions that mainly address socio-economic and ethical questions connected with a changing climate. The topics covered include, for instance, life-cycle-assessments of greenhouse gas emissions, economics of international climate policy, ethics and environmental policy, emissions trading, co-benefits of climate change mitigation, and the role of aviation. Presenting the scientific evidence of climate change is not the main scope of the book. Besides the introduction, only the chapter “Paleoclimate Changes and Significance of Present Global Warming” provides the perspective of natural sciences. Instead the handbook gives reference to the reports by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that compile the knowledge of the scientific community on climate change. Within Part II “Impact of Climate Change and Adaptation” 24 contributions focus on specific climate change impacts and related aspects of climate change mitigation and adaptation. Impacts on biodiversity, agriculture and food security, coastal, rural and urban areas, lakes, forest ecosystems, etc. are discussed and specific mitigation and adaptation strategies introduced. Topics that are covered include mega cities, energy conservation, reduction and production, urban mining, transport and personal mobility, geoengineering, fracking, CO2-sequestration as well as examples of climate change education at school and university. Some of the studies take a global perspective, while others introduce case study results from the United States, Egypt, East Africa, Tanzania, Nigeria, Southeast Asia, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Japan, Australia, and the United Kingdom. Part III of the handbook, “Climate Change Mitigation: Energy Conversation, Efficiency, and Sustainable Energies”, describes within 21 chapters the ways of a more efficient use of energy and gives information on a multitude of alternative or sustainable energies. The introduced sustainable energies include solar (thermal), wind and geothermal energy, the biochemical and thermal conversion of biomass, wave power, hydropower, as well as nuclear energy including its environmental impact. Conserving energy and using it more efficiently is addressed by several contributions focusing, e.g. on fuel efficiency in transportation systems, thermal * Stephanie Hänsel [email protected]