Scientists predict that global average temperatures are due to rise by between one and six degrees Celsius. Mark Lynas has spent the last few years scouring scientific journals and building a picture of what our world will be like, degree by degree, as the temperature rises, and the result is his book “Six Degrees”. It certainly makes chilling reading.

Funny weather we’re having at the moment, isn’t it dear? The title of Kate Evans’ new book could not have been more apt as the rain poured down on Lower Shaw Farm, signalling an end to the recent spell of unseasonably warm and dry weather. Originally published in 2000 as an A5 booklet, the cartoon book Funny Weather still remains, in my humble opinion, the most accessible introduction to climate change available, as the reader is guided through the subject by the three main characters; a teenage girl worried about the future of the planet, a fat cat capitalist denying that anything is wrong, and a mad scientist explaining the science. Revised, updated and expanded, the 2006 version of Funny Weather ought to be on every bookshelf and in every library in the country.

Related links.

Mark Lynas’ blog:  http://www.marklynas.org
Extracts from “Funny Weather”:  http://www.funnyweather.org
Kate Evans’ web site:  http://www.cartoonkate.co.uk
Swindon Festival of Literature:  http://www.swindonfestivalofliterature.co.uk
Swindon Climate Action Network:  http://www.swindonclimate.org.uk