Climate Change

These volumes provide support of the Common Core Standards goals by concisely offering a topical overview, an objective view of both sides of the debate, and thought-provoking questions. Students are made aware of the possible impact, today and in the future, that humans are having on the world’s climate in Climate Change. The complexity of earth’s climate is explained along with the implications of greenhouse gases. The uncertainty and lack of agreement about what action society needs to take currently and into the future are discussed. The debate is clearly and briefly described from both viewpoints along with questions to elicit the reader’s opinion. Deliberately taking action to end a life, mercy killing, and discontinuing medical treatment are all controversial aspects in Euthanasia, which comes from the Greek for “the good death.” This topic has gained importance as the average life expectancy has increased in the twenty-first century to 77.9 years. Pro and con sides of this intense public debate argue the ethics. The increased length of life has greatly impacted the discussion regarding quality of life. Privacy versus National Security, benefits of commercial data mining, and electronic health records are all explored in Online Privacy. The demand has grown for regulation and laws to protect privacy, while others wonder if it is even a possibility any longer.
Although written by different authors, the books maintain a consistently objective and straightforward style. The concise content is well organized and includes helpful empirical quotes and graphs for statistical reference. Also helpful are the source notes, facts, related organizations and websites, and further research. The text is interesting, accurate, educational, and helpful to gaining a base knowledge on the subject.