Changing Climates

"Global Connections" introduces middle school readers to the issues that affect today's global society. Tying together geography, history, science, social studies, and economics, these engaging titles examine key topics and their importance to the United States and to the world. Each title provides a balanced view of how the policies and actions of a particular group or region affect others, including such complex topics as world hunger, human rights, and terrorism.

These timely books will be valuable resources for those interested in learning about the issues in the news or assigned reports on current events. Full-color maps and illustrations, plus informative charts, tables, and graphs, enhance each title. Special interactive 'Making Connections' boxed insets encourage students to engage in critical thinking about these complex issues. Titles in this new series were developed with the national social studies curriculum standards in mind.

Climates have changed throughout Earth's history and will continue to change indefinitely. While some changes are brief, lasting only a few decades, others can plunge much of the planet into an icy wasteland or a steaming tropical jungle for hundreds, thousands, or even millions of years. Many factors contribute to both short- and long-term changes within the atmosphere, and scientists continue to study the agents that impact the changing conditions of Earth's climate. Changing Climates helps readers gain a better understanding of climate and the global warming issue by explaining how the atmosphere works, how and why climates have changed in the past, and the consequences of climate change.