Mark Twain's comment that everybody talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it no longer applies: human activities have altered the global climate, and governments are having to act now to avoid more extreme perturbations. Global Climate Change examines the factors responsible for global climate change and the geophysical, biological, economic, legal, and cultural consequences of such changes. The book highlights the complexity of decision-making under uncertainty, contrasting the methods that various disciplines employ to evaluate past and future conditions.