Royal Society Science Book Prize Winner
Six Degrees
by Mark Lynas
Summary
A wide-ranging account of climate change for general readers, organized around what happens to Earth at each successive degree of warming above pre-industrial levels. Drawing on thousands of peer-reviewed studies, Lynas constructs a vivid, evidence-based scenario for each threshold, from melting Arctic ice at one degree to civilizational collapse at six. The structure makes abstract climate projections tangible, transforming dense science into a sequence of concrete, escalating consequences.
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Historical Context & Significance
The book mapped climate "tipping points," such as the melting of permafrost, serving as a critical warning for global policy makers.