Is It Weather or Is It Climate Change?: Answers to Your Questions about Extreme Weather

"The world is reaching the tipping point beyond which climate change may become irreversible. If this happens, we risk denying present and future generations the right to a healthy and sustainable planet --the whole of humanity stands to lose."
--Kofi Annan (1938-2018), former Secretary-General of the UN

Heatwaves. Floods. Wildfires. Damaging hurricanes. The weather seems to be getting worse these days. But is it just the weather, or is it the result of a rapidly changing climate? In Is It Weather or Is It Climate Change?, author Rachel Salt answers five key questions about climate change: What is climate change? What causes it? How do we know it's real? Does climate change cause extreme weather? And can we still prevent the worst impacts? Young readers are then taken on a global survey of recent weather disasters and learn how climate change can be linked to each one. Here are the locations that will be studied in this book:

• British Columbia, Canada, and the Pacific Coast
• Germany and Central Europe
• The Third Pole (Hindu-Kush, Karakoram and Himalaya region).
• Texas, USA
• Mexico
• Ethiopia
• Australia

But it's not all doom and gloom. Salt also breaks down the key adaptations that need to be implemented to prevent widespread disaster as well as the broader changes we need to make at both individual and governmental levels to mitigate the worst effects of a changing climate. With illustrations, diagrams, photos and enlightening text, Is It Weather or Is It Climate Change? is essential reading for the next generation of climate champions.

Rachel Salt is an author and science communicator with a master's degree in Environmental Biology from the University of Guelph. Her first book The Plastic Problem was nominated for a Red Cedar Book Award, and her second book Your Plastic Footprint appeared on the 2021 edition of The List, a recommended selection of books for youth from the Toronto Public Library. Rachel lives in Hamilton, Ontario, with her husband and son.