Review of 'Making Climate Change History: Documents from Global Warming's Past'

With Making Climate Change History Joshua P. Howe chooses a very clever title.Not only does it convey that he intends to write a history of climate change but it also alludes to making climate change a thing of the past, admittedly against high odds.Howe argues, '[…] when we look at problems related to climate change, thinking historically matters' (p.3).The book's main aim is to introduce the reader to different types of primary sources, and to look at them as a historian would.For this purpose, Howe asks questions that a historian would pose.He introduces the reader to the concept that he coins, the 'presentist paradox' (p.9), which puts forward the idea that we look at primary sources from our present day perspective with a sense of urgency in trying to answer questions about the current, pressing challenge, which is a warming world.It suggests that we should try to view primary documents as what they are, children of their own time.Making Climate Change History.Primary Sources from Global Warming's Past is a scientific book published by the University of Washington Press in 2017.The book appeared in the Weyerhaeuser Environmental Classics series, which reprints studies that explore the relationships between humans with their natural environments.The series is edited by Paul S. Sutter, who also contributes a thought-provoking foreword to this book.Joshua P. Howe is an associate professor of history and environmental studies at Reed College in Portland, Oregon, and has previously published another book, Behind the Curve: Science and Politics of Global Warming (1), which is referenced here.Divided into six chapters, the book also includes colour plates summarizing and historicizing important climate graphics from the past 60 years.The different chapters are each preceded by a short introduction to the topic, which also includes a practical further reading section of relevant literature.The primary sources for each chapter are mostly arranged in chronological order.Most of the primary sources have another paragraph-length introduction.The primary sources presented are incredibly diverse, dating from 1837 to 2016 and ranging from historical scientific publication to current papers published in scientific journals, as well as newspaper articles, private correspondence, transcripts of US government hearings and court decisions, publications of US government institutions, such as the Environmental Protection Agency or the Central Intelligence Agency, publications of international bodies such as the International Panel on Intergovernmental Change or the United Nations, as well as publications from environmental organizations