General background on climate and energy

For the lay person it can be very difficult to find appropriate texts on climate change. On the one hand, scientific literature can be quite complex and difficult to understand. On the other hand, non-scientific publications can be simplified to an extent that they are incorrect.

Here we list a selected subset of publications and internet sites that give a good, scientifically correct, and easy-to-read overview over general aspects of climate change.

Often, the arguments from climate skeptics can be confusing. Please check out the links at the end of this page to learn more about how to counter a skeptic's argument.

Also, it is important to understand the way scientists think and formulate their knowledge, especially terms like probability and uncertainty are often misunderstood. Please refer to the links to read up on some clarification about these terms.

Publications

May 2010. German Advisory Council on the Environment:

Climate-friendly, reliable, affordable: 100% renewable electricity supply by 2050
The full text in German can be downloaded here.

Climate Science and Policy - Articles and Videos on climate science and policy, that aim to provide substantial analysis on climate change, using a language comprehensible even to a non-specialized audience, encouraging an international discussion based on dissemination of ideas and knowledge.

Nature Reports on climate change. A free-access web resource from Nature Publishing Group, Nature Reports Climate Change is dedicated to authoritative in-depth reporting on climate change and its wider implications for policy, society and the economy.

Potsdam Institue for Climate Impact Research (PIK). Climate Change - basic science.

World Resources Institute. Earth Trends - information on climate and other important aspects of life on earth.

Internet sites

Met Office - key climate change facts

Some quick guides to understand our global climate and to help respond to the arguments of climate skeptics.

NASA - Global Climate Change

A very good overview over the most recent scientific evidence of climate change, its causes and effetcs, supported by graphs and figures. A list of links to further information helps to dig further into the subject.

Pew Center on Global Climate Change

Fact sheets on various aspects of climate change and climate change 101 give a great overview over the essentials of anthropogenic global climate change.

Links to sites that discuss the arguments of skeptics:

New Scientist. Climate change: a guide to the perplexed. For those who are not sure what to believe, here is a round-up of the most common climate myths and misconceptions. There is also a guide to assessing the evidence, as well as a blog looking at the history of climate science. In the articles there are lots of links to primary research and major reports for those who want to follow through to the original sources.
Grist. A detailed list on various arguments and attitudes of climate skeptics.
Skeptical Science. This website is skeptical about global warming skepticism.

DeSmogBlog. This is a Canadian-based site featuring top U.S. and Canadian contributors.