The Sky's Not Falling!: Why It's Ok to Chill about Global Warming

Aimed at children 12-14 years old, this book is a good antidote to the far greater number of books on global warming intended to scare the daylights out of children (and maybe their parents as well). It leads off and ends with the story of Chicken Little, a parable about a false alarm. A good word for science then appears, similar to climate scare books, but then: "Well, when studying science, we have to remember that what we discover later may disprove what we believe now. And when people are stubborn in their beliefs--like those who thought the earth was the center of the universe--it's difficult to convince them they're wrong, even when new information appears. Some people believe that humans are causing our planet to warm up, and they can sometimes be very stubborn in their beliefs. But we need to do more studying about our climate before we conclude that this is the case." (pp2-3) Then weather and climate are distinguished. The natural cycles are explained. Limitations of computer models are given. The atmosphere's composition is discussed with the key comment missing from all the climate scare books: "Water vapor is the most common greenhouse gas, which makes up 95 percent of all greenhouse gases." (p15) Sources and sinks of carbon dioxide are given with a diagram. The lack of correlation between CO2 levels and warming is shown, as is the warming on Mars, where humans are not contributing much at all. Warming by the sun and amount of cosmic rays is given. Effects on animal life include the fact that polar bears survived several warmings and coolings, and that a famous photo of bears on floating ice, supposedly in distress, was deliberately misleading. A new direction is taken that will warm Libertarians' hearts: how free enterprise and free markets make adaptation better than totaly government controlled markets, with the failed Soviet Union as the prime example. The Kyoto Treaty on limitation of CO2 emissions is discussed as not likely to slow warming. Alternative energy sources are discussed well, noting the high cost of many of them. The safety of nuclear power plants in India, China, Japan and France is cited. Then a whole section describes something like Henry Hazlitt's book Economics in One Lesson of 1946, which explains that any money devoted to something that seems desirable cannot be used for other things that may be more desirable. A child's example is given, then the results of an economics summit in 2004 (p91) with most and least desirable ways to spend $50 billion worldwide. An error here will be described later. The concept of a child becoming an Enviropreneur is raised with good-for-the-Earth inventions from the private sector as a good career goal for a child. An example of the opposite was all the problems of government-forced use of ethanol in gasoline in the USA, which has technical problems, raised the cost of food, and does not really limit CO2 much. Some of the tricks of the climate scare trade are shown, incl

I bought one copy of "The Sky's Not Falling" to read. I was so impressed by its emphasis on teaching kids to think and question and to look at real data from the past vs. future predictions based entirely on models that I bought three more copies and donated all four to my local library so that each branch could have its own copy. The library had only ordered Laurie David's book. Delivery of that was delayed; perhaps by Scholastic's own admission that they had to correct factual errors in Laurie David's book.

Critical thinking is what we are supposed to teach our kids. They need to know how to do research a topic and defend their position in a debate. Most of the 1-star reviewers here seem to never have read this book and yet they felt compelled to comment on it. Is it ignorance or orchestrated effort to silence a different opinion? I believe it's both and funny thing about it is that the lunatics on the left always preach tolerance, diversity and inclusion. Would you come to this conclusion reading their reviews? That should tell all of the readers something. Let's stop this dishonest game and allow of the ideas to the marketplace...unless you are afraid of competition.

Holly Fretwell's "The Sky's Not Falling!" is a highly controversial book about global warming. Before writing this review, I decided to read some of the controversial comments here. One of the more colorful comments was: "If you are a charter member of the 'Flat Earth Society,' or, if you just like teaching your child to bury his or her head in the sand like an ostrich, this book is for you." I had to wonder if these people actual read the book. Did they base these comments on burbs posted on the Internet about the book? The reason I ask is no where in the book did the author suggest a stick-your-head-in-the-sand approach to this environmental issue. She acknowledges this problem and more. This author suggests that instead of making fear-based decisions, we use education and innovation to find workable solutions. In the book she says "Many people are in a frenzy over global warming. They believe government can solve the problem if we just hand over more power and money." She disagrees. "If we're going to find a way to `solve' global warming or any other environmental problem, the answer will come from people who have enough time, energy, money, and freedom to use their creativity to solve the problem. It will not come from some governmental agency funded with lots of tax dollars." "The Sky's Not Falling!" not only discusses environmental issues, but also covers enviropreneurship with six thought provoking exercises to assist the next generation in finding a positive approach to working on a solution. If you've never heard the term, enviropreneur is a person who finds creative or insightful ways to turn environmental problems into assets. In the very back, there are five pages listing references. She encourages the reader to research. Knowledge is power and her belief is clear. "Human innovation and creativity have already changed the world for the better countless times...and they will again."

This book is a refreshing change from the usual hysterical ranting and raving we see on this issue. Children are facing the issue in school, and this book provides a well-balanced perspective. Well-written, with an engaging format and fun graphics and facts, this book educates children and adults alike.