The Environment and Climate Change

But for all our talk about the weather, there's aren't many books on the subject. Christopher Warren's Managing Scotland's Environment debates the issues surrounding land development and reform, environmental protection and species management, and is designed for students and workers in the environmental field. Kevin Dunion's Troublemakers is a history of Scotland's environmental campaigners.

Two titles take a historical perspective on the Scottish environment: Species History in Scotland: Introduction and Extinctions Since the Ice Age and Scotland After the Ice Age.

For an overview of the Scottish environment, you can't get any bigger than Scotland From Space, from photography specialists Colin Baxter.

Scottish Woodlands

In 1799 William Blake said, 'the tree which moves some to tears of joy is in the eyes of others only a green thing that stands in the way'. Proverbs are equally mixed in their messages. One, from Guinea, warns those seeking shade or inspiration from trees, 'under a flowering tree, one finds many insects...' And another from China advises, 'keep a green tree in your heart, and perhaps a singing bird will come.'

Perhaps you will find inspiration from Britain's oldest tree, the Fortingall Yew in Tayside, which is probably over 3,000 years old. The tallest trees in Britain are Scottish too; a Douglas Fir in Reelig Glen in Invernesshire is the tallest; second places goes to a 64.5 metre fir in the Hermitage Forest, in Perthshire. The trees of Scotland are celebrated in titles such as Scottish Woodland History , People and Woods in Scotland and A Pleasure in Scottish Trees. Naturalist Don MacCaskill's Listen To The Trees has been reprinted many times, most recently hardback.

Easily the most beautiful book on the subject of Scotland's plant life is Flora Celtica by William Milliken and Sam Bridgewater.

The Global Picture

There are a few Scottish titles about global warming more generally, such asThe Breakdown of Climate and Extreme Weather by Peter Bunyard, and Mark Maslin's striking Global Warming. Dave Reay's Climate Change Begins at Home investigates the causes of global warming, and suggests changes that we can all make at home. He argues that we cannot wait for governments and industry to come up with the answers.

For younger readers, children will enjoy Balamory: Weather and High School pupils will find The Physical Environment useful.