Is It Weather or Is It Climate Change? Answers to Your Questions about Extreme Weather

Written by Rachel Salt

Firefly Books

978-0-2281-0462-9 

64 pp.

Ages 12+

March 2024

 

With much in the media about climate change and extreme weather events that include droughts, floods, heatwaves, and fires, it's not surprising that young people may be confused about what is real and what is not. Because much of the information about climate change and extreme weather can be tainted with rhetoric, opinion, and even conspiracy, sorting the facts from the misinformation can be challenging. Environmental biologist Rachel Salt sifts through all the info out there and organizes it into an accurate STEM book that both clarifies and elaborates.

From Is It Weather or Is It Climate Change? by Rachel Salt

First, Rachel Salt introduces the concept of climate change and provides evidence for its existence, both historically and in current times. She then looks at extreme weather before taking a global tour of some events that provide evidence of climate change. These highlights begin with the wildfires, heatwaves, and rain (who knew there were things called atmospheric rivers?) in British Columbia. Also included are droughts in Mexico; winter storms in Texas; heatwaves and flooding in Germany; floods and droughts in Ethiopia; the melting glaciers and snowfields of the Third Pole, an extensive system of mountain ranges in Asia; and wildfires in Australia. In addition to these weather events, Rachel Salt addresses how they are impacting human life and what people are doing to adapt and even mitigate the impacts.

From Is It Weather or Is It Climate Change? by Rachel Salt

Is It Weather or Is It Climate Change? could be a rather depressing or distressing book but Rachel Salt consistently reminds young readers that there are people around the world taking action to fight climate change. She provides examples of adaptation that include Indigenous-led resistance to fossil-fuel projects, growing climate-resistant plants, replacing power sources with those without carbon emissions, and protecting and restoring wetlands.

While all the information is valuable and intrinsic to telling the big picture, several asides certainly caught my attention. One is the gender imbalance of climate change and climate-sensitive health impacts, both addressed in the exposé on Ethiopia but sadly applicable globally. Also, teachers will undoubtedly find an info box titled "Beware of Climate Lies" worthwhile for lessons in misinformation and fake news. Another relates to the "Confidence Meter" by which scientists measure how confident they are that climate change is influencing extreme weather, and demonstrates the complexity of discerning what extreme weather event constitutes evidence of climate change. Inclusion of all these help complete the story of climate change and extreme weather.

From Is It Weather or Is It Climate Change? by Rachel Salt

Is It Weather or Is It Climate Change? is best suited for a teen (or adult) audience as it is a comprehensive book of non-fiction that lays out everything from types of greenhouse gases (including carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and chlorofluorocarbons) to the methods used to measure climate change (such as ice cores, marine sediment, ocean acidification and temperature records). The text is extensive and well-balanced with photographs, information boxes, graphs, and maps, and completed with important features of non-fiction books such as a glossary, an index, and a list of additional resources.

 

This will be a fabulous book for teaching climate change, media literacy, and weather events. Whether a teaching resource for educators of social studies, geography or science, or a reference for students, Is It Weather or Is It Climate Change? will answer questions, spark enquiry, and perhaps inspire action. With accurate knowledge such as this, good change can happen.