The overall thesis of this book is that the earth is now in the middle of a long-term cooling period. This period began about three thousand years ago, the authors, explain, and "the cooling trend will probably last in the future" (p. 282). The authors are all researchers at reputable universities (Moscow State University, Russia, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, and University of Southern California) and the work is not intended for a popular audience. It is a scientific work and includes lots of equations and builds on previous research, but most lay readers will have no trouble following most of the text.



The authors state that "the global warming observed during the latest 150 years is just an insignificant episode in geologic history" (p. 285) and that "the anthropogenic impact on the global atmospheric temperature is negligible" (p. 285).



The authors conclude that the cost of the Kyoto Protocols is about $10 billion per month, yet they will only generate 0.0005 deg. C of cooling by 2050.



This is a book that will certainly stir up a lot of attention and controversy, for it is a scientific work from a reputable publisher (Elsevier) that denies long-term global warming is occurring.