Thoughts of a Scientist, Citizen, and Grandpa on Climate Change

Clarion Rating: 4 out of 5

Author, scientist, and grandparent Eric P. Grimsrud includes himself among those who feel they may not have done enough during their lifetimes to address the problem of global warming, and instead may have actually contributed to it. “While I was directly exposed to this environmental problem during my professional career, I did not do enough to address it in my own personal life until very recently,” Grimsrud writes. “Only after my retirement from full-time employment was I able to sit back, study some more, and then clearly see the great need for far more immediate personal and public action on the specific issue of global warming.” His book, Thoughts of a Scientist, Citizen, and Grandpa on Climate Change more than makes up for any past inaction; Grimsrud provides readers with concise, understandable, and objective information on the science behind global climate change, and employs scientific evidence to respond to those who deny that human activities have contributed significantly to global warming.

Grimsrud believes that there is a “considerable gap between scientific and public opinions,” and that this gap “constitutes, at the very least, an enormous waste of our nation’s extraordinary talent and investment in science.” It also delays action that must be taken in a timely manner if the worst effects of climate change are to be avoided. Among the fallacies he addresses is the often-heard statement that scientists are divided as to whether or not anthropogenic global warming (AGW) is a reality. After much research, his conclusion is that there is no reason to believe that the basic theory of AGW is flawed; the evidence he provides should be required reading for people on both sides of the argument.

An atmospheric chemist by profession, Grimsrud has personally participated in pertinent research and appears to be eminently qualified to address the AGW issue. He also has a wise elder’s understanding of what it means to be a citizen of the most powerful and influential nation on the planet, and an awareness of the urgency that calls the US to make changes that may involve sacrifice and collaboration with other nations. As a grandparent, Grimsrud is aware that our actions in the present will have repercussions that will be borne by succeeding generations, and also that time is running out to take steps to preserve the planet as a place that can support not just human life, but that of all species.

Grimsrud is a graduate of St. Olaf College in Minnesota, and earned his doctorate in chemistry at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He was a professor of chemistry at Montana State University, Bozeman, for twenty-nine years.

Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book and paid a small fee to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. Foreword Reviews and Clarion Reviews make no guarantee that the publisher will receive a positive review. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

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