At a time when the evidence is stronger than ever that human activity is the primary cause for global climate change, Ruddiman's breakthrough text returns in a thoroughly updated new edition. It offers a clear, engaging, objective portrait of the current state of climate science, including compelling recent findings on anthropogenic global warming and important advances in understanding past climates.

PART I: FRAMEWORK OF CLIMATE SCIENCE

1. Overview of Climate Science

2. Earth's Climate System Today

3. Climatic Archives, Data and Models

PART II: TECTONIC-SCALE CLIMATE CHANGE

4. CO2 and Long-Term Climate

5. Plate Tectonics and Long-Term Climate

6. Greenhouse Climate From Greenhouse to Icehouse: The Last 50 Million Years

PART III: ORBITAL-SCALE CLIMATE CHANGE

8. Astronomical Control of Solar Radiation

9. Insolation Control of Monsoons

10. Insolation Control of Ice Sheets

11. Orbital-Scale Changes in Carbon Dioxide and Methane

12. Orbital-Scale Interactions, Feedbacks, and Unsolved Problems

PART IV: GLACIAL/DEGLACIAL CLIMATE CHANGE

13. The Last Glacial Maximum

14. Climate During and Since the Last Deglaciation

15. Millennial Oscillations of Climate

PART V: HISTORICAL AND FUTURE CLIMATE CHANGE

16. Humans and Pre-Industrial Climate

17. Climate Changes During the Last 1000 Years

18. Climate Changes Since 1850

19. Causes of Warming over the Last 125 Years

20. Future Climatic Change.