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An Inconvenient Truth: The Planetary Emergency of Global Warming and What We Can Do About It (平装)
by Al Gore
| Category:
Global warming, Environmental protection, Nonfiction |
| Market price: ¥ 248.00
MSL price:
¥ 218.00
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MSL rating:
 Good for Gifts |
| MSL Pointer Review:
The truth that the global warming is devastating our planet is inconvenient yet shocking. Like it or not, this book is worth a read. The book is a good companion to the movie. |
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AllReviews |
1 Total 1 pages 10 items |
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Patrick Pope (MSL quote), USA
<2007-02-27 00:00>
Al Gore did a fantastic job in articulating the consequences of global warming in An Inconvenient Truth. While providing a narrative explaining the risks of the human race's reliance on fossil fuel, he also offers stunning photos showing concrete examples of the effects of global warming. Indeed, An Inconvenient Truth makes an excellent coffee table book that is truly educational.
One misconception with this book is that it is dense with facts and figures explaining scientific data. While there is substantive information contained in text, a large collection of beautiful photos allows any reader to quickly absorb the message. In these photos, various ice formations from 50-70 years ago are juxtaposed with their current state. In total, they make for a compelling story alone.
What is missing from the book is a thorough explanation of the economics behind conservation and energy independence that any Republican would love. Energy independence and conservation offer a host of pure economic motives including improving overall industrial efficiency and promoting domestic agricultural resources. Likewise, investment in alternative technology will keep America in the forefront of the alternative energy market where it has been losing ground to Germany and Japan. This virtuous circle is not outlined in this book, unfortunately.
An Inconvenient Truth serves its mission in explaining to the lay community the causes and consequences of Global Warming. Al Gore accomplishes this in telling interesting story with supporting photographic evidence. Whether you are an environmentalist or merely looking for a unique gift, spread the message by including this book under the Christmas tree or giving it as a birthday gift.
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David Shipley (MSL quote), UK
<2007-02-27 00:00>
Congratulations to Al Gore for taking on a subject largely regarded as anathema by the US political establishment. In both the book and dvd, the information is presented starkly but in a nonetheless straight forward format. For those already with an interest in global warming, most of the issues raised will probably be what you have already come across but nonetheless be prepared for some new information or insights. For anyone who has yet to examine the scientific concerns on global warming, then this is a very good place indeed to start. Some have criticised the inclusion of Al Gore's real life experiences. I, however, think that they actually complement the information that is being put across. Yes the science is still unsure on many of the issues, however, it IS becoming increasingly apparent that C02 emissions from industry, petrol engines etc are contributing to driving global temperatures upwards. That said, there is truth though that global warming is a natural event because thanks to analysis carried out on ice samples from the Greenland permafrost, thousands of years old, we have a clear record of many natural warming cycles going back millennia.
The question we have to ask ourselves is do we really need to be adding to this natural process to the point of endangering our environment and even our existence?
Increasingly powerful hurricanes and storms like Katrina will become more common. As ice flows shrink, there will be corresponding rises in sea levels, and more heavily populated areas will experience the horror that hit New Orleans.
However, I would like to add some new scenarios into the already troubling possibilities:
Firstly, science has established that thanks to the reduction in the use of CFCs we are seeing an improvement in the Ozone hole over the Antarctic. However, scientists are now concerned that heavy C02 releases in the northern hemisphere could cool the upper atmosphere to the point that new holes in Ozone layer open up over the Arctic, bringing the danger of UV rays with them as they do so...
Secondly, before the age of the dinosaurs, was a period known as the Permian. The end of this period saw the biggest ever mass extinction that this planet has ever seen where upwards of 90% of all life perished. It was thought that the killer was a meteorite bigger than the one that took out the dinosaurs. Recent science has found that there were in fact two killers, and neither was a meteorite.
The first was massive volcanic action in the region of Siberia which was so huge that it raised global temperatures by 5C. This killed off many species of life.
However, once the seas had heated up by 5C, then this was the key that released the second killer from its confinement - Methane Gas. Methane is one of the most potent greenhouse gasses in existence and releasing large quantities of it into the atmosphere will cause warming on a greater scale than that caused by emissions of C02.
Surrounding the coastlines of all continents are huge pockets of methane that are stored in the ocean floor, and have come from millennia of decaying organic matter rolling off the continents and into the sea. These deposits are called Methane Hydrates. What happened is that after the temperatures rose at the end of the Permian, the sea temperature rose by 5C, causing the Methane Hydrates to release vast quantities of Methane into the atmosphere. This promptly raised global temperatures by a further 5C, killing off virtually all marine life and even more of the life on the land.
So there you have it folks. A temperature rise of 10C caused the greatest mass extinction that this world has ever seen. And here we are, contributing our own gasses to a warming cycle... despite the fact that there are huge quantities of Methane Hydrates just offshore (just ask the oil industry as to the hazards they create for offshore drilling). Scientific tests have shown that if water temperature in the oceans rises by 5C then the Methane Hydrates will release all their gas...
As the song says "Something better change..."
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Dennis Mercieri (MSL quote), USA
<2007-02-27 00:00>
Former US Vice President Al Gore strikes pay dirt in this attractively packaged layman's introduction to critical environmental issues. He quickly dispels the myth that what can poor little ol' we really do to so big a planet? I often thought that way myself, but after considering "An Inconvenient Truth," I've had to revise my thinking on this.
Gore has clearly found his niche in life after politics, making a solid contribution to the environmental debate. Gore the politician still has an agenda, to be sure, yet he defends his case in an even-handed manner with credible data and visual aids. Yes, we have over-consumed, bringing on severe deforestation and desertification in some areas. Yes, we have expelled greenhouse gases, contributing to a presumed global warming that is further upsetting the balance of nature and wreaking havoc through intensified natural disasters.
What can we do? First, admit there is a problem and second, take action. And a good start would be to depend less on fossil fuels. We can do so in our homes by harnessing solar, wind, or geothermal power. As for me, my next car will be a hybrid (gasoline and electric). Even this will help a little. In a different vein, Gore suggests using home-generated compost as an alternate way to enrich depleted soil. As long as we keep good stewardship of the earth in our thoughts, we can and will find ways to become part of the solution. Gore, along with his family, "walks the walk." This is not just another soapbox for him.
Whatever one's political leanings might be, this book is worthy of its best-seller status and a must-read. We can ignore its message only at our peril -- and even more so for our posterity, because they will inherit the earth that we leave them. As the psalmist chanted, "To the Lord belongs the earth and all that fills it." May we heed Gore's call to become good stewards of the earth, committed to a balance between consuming and conserving.
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Jim Hatherley (MSL quote), USA
<2007-02-27 00:00>
Like most controversial books, An Inconvenient Truth, has generated a wide range of reactions from readers. Most readers have a favorable opinion, while a minority have strongly negative feelings.
Both groups make solid points.
Gore does visually present his case in a compelling manner. It is clear that he is a passionate, and long-time enviromentalist. Readers cannot help but benefit from his knowledge and experience, and gain a significant improvement in their understanding of global warming issues that may have a major impact on the Earth and future generations.
At the same time, however, Gore is an even longer-term political animal, whose spots just cannot be erased by a book about something that should be as non political as the environment. Rather than simply present his facts and allow the science to make his case, Gore reverts to Bush-bashing dialogue etc., as if decades of waste and eco-deterioration can be reduced to the years since he watched Bush get sworn in.
Perhaps you can forgive Gore for normal human feelings after the 2000 election, but it's harder to forget that Gore was a bit of a hyperbolist in the previous administration. For instance, did Gore really invent the internet? Did his work really save billions of dollars in government waste? Were the attack ads he sponsored during his campaigns completely accurate? Were all the comparative time-lapsed pictures in the book taken on the exact date, even though years apart?
His own home State did not even trust him enough to award its electoral votes.
As a result, sad to say, I found it a bit hard to separate the message from the messenger.
In the end, however, you have to ask yourself if you learned anything from, An Inconvenient Truth? Absolutely! This book undeniably creates a greater sense of awareness of a significant issue. To that extent, it is clearly worth the price to buy it, and the time to read it.
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Jack Kennedy, JR (MSL quote), USA
<2007-02-27 00:00>
Al Gore is doing humanity a huge favor by forcing domestic policy focus on the political issue of global warming and climate change. The multiple book font type and illistrations are, in my opinion, distracting and unusual. Then on the other hand, the topic of climate change is unusual. The DVD video is, in my view, a much more powerful product. The message is essential to understand not only from the damage being imposed on the atmospheric global commons but the damage being imposed on the American economy as the European Union (EU) and 166 nation signatories begin to act upon the Kyoto Protocols - the protocol actually advanced by the US Government from the onset of the Framework on Climate Change. The book and DVD are powerful introductions to the study of climate change by the non-scientist. The real SCARE comes after digging into the real science of climate change. The so-called 'junk science' is produced by those seeking to mask the need for change. I would recommend several books on the European Emissions Trading Scheme and how the carbon trade is operating in Europe as a means to understanding the future of climate policy after the Al Gore book and DVD introductions to the issue. The carbon market exchange will be a multi-billion dollar industry in the United States post-2010. This book can serve to understand why the carbon market will be of such significance in the future.
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Challies (MSL quote), USA
<2007-02-27 00:00>
There is a great deal of controversy surrounding global warming. Some insist that it is a terrifying and imminent concern that portends worldwide disaster. Others scoff at the notion, accusing those who spread such dire predictions of using global warming as part of a larger, sinister agenda. Al Gore considers global warming to be an inconvenient truth and a pending planetary emergency. In his political career he was an advocate of measures to deal with this and other environmental crises, and in his post-political career he has accelerated these warnings. An Inconvenient Truth, an immediate New York Times bestseller, and the film that was released at around the same time, are his attempt to take this message to the masses.
An Inconvenient Truth is an oversize paperback book which contains predominantly photographs. "It was Tipper who first suggested that I put together a new kind of book with pictures and graphics to make the whole message easier to follow, combining many elements of all the new original material I have compiled over the last few years... My hope is that those who read the book and see the film will begin to feel, as I have for a long time, that global warming is not just about science and that it is not just a political issue. It is really a moral issue."
The introduction contains exactly what we would expect from Al Gore. He trumpets his concern for the environment and his accomplishments in this area, while criticizing the Bush administration for its lack of environmental concern. He quotes Martin Luther King, mentions AIDS and Hitler and, in veiled terms, compares Bush's apathy towards global warming to the appeasement tactics of Neville Chamberlain. The book then begins to present Gore's case for the threat of global warming. He uses many beautiful pictures showcasing the beauty of creation, and just as many sickening pictures showcasing the negligence of human beings. He presents multitudes of graphs and charts. But strangely and noticeably absent from the book is any kind of substantial proof. There is not a single footnote or endnote to be found. Nor is their any serious consideration of those who have studied the same evidence and reached different conclusions. Gore presents global warming as fact and as fact accepted by the almost unanimous consent of qualified scientists. In a section answering the ten most common misconceptions of global warming, Gore repeats what he writes elsewhere: "Scientists overwhelmingly agree that the Earth is getting warmer, that this trend is caused by people, and that if we continue to pump greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, the warming will be increasingly harmful." While some of this is fact, the extent of the danger and the extent that humans are causing this warming trend are hotly disputed among credible and knowledgeable scientists. The case is not nearly as settled as he would have us believe.
One of the great frustrations with this book is that all evidence, no matter how contradictory, is used to prove the existence of global warming. Global warming is blamed for flood and drought, heat and cold, freezing and melting, thick ice and thin ice. The mounting evidence that would seem to contradict Gore's thesis is either ignored or reinvented to prove it. Also, for a book dealing with the environment, this one contains a great many uses of the word "I." The book is, in fact, partly autobiographical, for Gore discusses events in his life that shaped his passion for the environment. It is more than a little bit self-congratulatory and more than a little uncharitable to those who reach opposite conclusions.
Despite these frustrations, the book is not without value. Many of the facts presented are worthy of deep consideration. The book's final section contains information on what you and I can do to solve the climate crisis. While some may not believe in the immediate extent and danger of the crisis, there are many good and common sense suggestions to be found here. There are many suggestions that will help us become better stewards of the earth. Pictures and descriptions of the devastation caused by humans should give us all reason to think deeply about our responsibility to this planet.
While the book contains only brief and vague references to God, Gore does affirm his belief that God created this world. He feels God did so, though, through the means of evolution. Beyond this he provides little explanation as to how God may have created the world or what God's ongoing involvement is. He certainly does not discuss one of the great contradictions between those who believe in evolution and those who believe in creationism. Evolution teaches that humans, while we may be the most intelligent and capable form of life in the world at the moment, are merely as we are because of the long and random process of evolution. We were apes in the past and may evolve into some other form of life in the future. Our source is little different than the source of any other form of life. The Bible, however, teaches that God deliberately made us as we are today and that our source is God Himself. We are made in His image and He gave us this earth to tend and to keep. We are not the same as the earth and not subordinate to it. Rather, we are high above it as the only creatures made in the image of God. It is the Bible, and not evolution, that provides the moral basis for tending to the earth. I don't see how it is possible for an evolutionary worldview to posit a moral responsibility to the earth.
Those who hold dear the Bible ought to be the first to protect the earth, for it was made by God and was given as a gift for our enjoyment. We were told, and still are told, to tend and to keep it. We are responsible for protecting it from harm. I am not convinced that the case for global warming is as clear as Gore would have me believe. Still, I believe we need to protect this world for it has been given to us in trust. The earth is a finite resource and one we ought to treasure, for it displays the glory of God. This book could have been much better, if only Gore hadn't skipped over so many facts that were inconvenient to his arguments.
(A negative review. MSL remarks.) |
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L. Smith (MSL quote), USA
<2007-02-27 00:00>
Al Gore's book was an eye-opener for me, but not because of of the way it carefully elucidates the phenomenon of global warming. I was well acquainted with that, having recently moved from the skeptics' camp to that of the believers. As an examination of global warming, the book is well conceived and presented. It's an excellent introduction to the subject particularly for those without scientific backgrounds.
The book impressed me for a completely different reason: It changed my view of Al Gore. I voted for him in 2000, though with no great enthusiasm. The guy always seemed like a well-intentioned but really boring gasbag to me as he desperately struggled to invent an image that would connect with the public. (Remember the switch from blue suits to earth-tone, open-collar casual clothes?) However, this book personalized Gore for me. He is clearly passionately committed to doing something about global warming, and he very clearly cares about the environment and the people who live in it. Perhaps the extinction of his Presidential ambitions has set him free.
Now, whether his proposed solutions to the problem (mostly strict adherence to the Kyoto Treaty and living a "carbon neutral" lifestyle) would be effective is an open question. But at least he's trying, which is a lot more than one can say about many of our other public figures, most of whom spend their days sniffing the political winds, plotting to screw over the other party.
So, I'd recommend this book as a general introduction to global warming and as a look at an Al Gore who was probably there all along, struggling to get free of the Al Gore who ineptly campaigned for President. I like the new Al Gore a lot better.
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Jonathon Pike (MSL quote), USA
<2007-02-27 00:00>
Global warming is, and will certainly continue to be, by far the most pressing environmental issue for the next hundred years. Al Gore's book spells out all the major issues marvelously. As a high school science teacher I'm considering making sections of it mandatory for my environmental science students. It's science fact that no one should miss.
Some of the biggest problems people have when confronting this book is not their disbelief in global warming. Virtually every credible scientist in the world has by this point accepted not only the fact that the Earth is warming, but that it is doing so because of excessive greenhouse gas emissions. The remaining dissenters in the scientific community are almost invariably linked to big oil companies (e.g. Exxon Mobile hires some morally bankrupt scientists to point out the "inconsistency of data" or some minor point that scientists disagree on as proof that global warming is not occuring. Then the scientist publishes a paper, refuses to allow it to be peer reviewed by other scientists, and Exxon lives to fight another day.) Even the critics of the warming theory who are not scientists (like the organization which made the cartoon spoof of Gore's movie under the pretense of being some college kid, but actually had ties to several petroleum companies) have no real scientific basis. So no, MOST people's problem is not with the theory, but with the man who wrote the book: Al Gore. To those people, maybe I can offer some help. As a moderate republican I can feel your pain, but consider these points before blasting the book:
- Try to separate Al Gore the politician with Al Gore the writer. You may not agree with the democratic party's platform on immigration or the war in Iraq, but this has nothing to do with that. Focus on the issue at hand.
- If you can't get beyond the whole "I invented the internet" thing, maybe this is consolation: Gore's book is not original research. He is not really a scientist, so you needn't worry that he doesn't know what he's doing. Think of him more as a reporter who is using his celebrity to tell the world what the VAST majority of scientists are saying about global warming.
- And finally, if you still hate Gore and think global warming is complete liberal hippy propaganda, at least by reading the book you have something to critique!
So whatever your opinion, you really do owe it to yourself to inform yourself with at least a rudimentary knowledge of the current warming trend, which will wreck havoc on the Earth if not checked. And Gore's book is a great way to do so.
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Arthur Smith (MSL quote), USA
<2007-02-27 00:00>
Ok, I still haven't seen the movie, but I did hear Gore speak on this in New York City recently, and paid for an autographed copy of the book... and it's worth it. This book stands on its own, making the case for global warming about as clear as is possible, relying on peer-reviewed science at every stage, from the most alarming reports to reassurances that we can actually do something about it. The book is essentially Gore's visual presentation in print form, with stunning graphics from across our planet, showing changes that have already happened, and likely changes to come.
Gore intersperses the large-print visuals with autobiographical details, and scientific and economic text expositions relevant to the point at hand. He once again has to tell about his son's near-fatal accident and his sister's lingering death from lung cancer, along with many other details of his life and family. This at first seems out of place, but then you begin to understand - it is this past experience that compels him with such passion on climate. As a Harvard undergraduate in 1968, Gore saw first-hand the critical evidence that humans were having an impact on Earth's systems: Roger Revelle had his first few years of measurement results from Mauna Loa, showing CO2 was definitely on the increase, and dramatically explained them to his class.
Gore organized the first congressional hearings on global warming, inviting Revelle. He was severely disappointed in the lack of interest from his colleagues, both there, later in the Senate, and from a much wider audience when he first ran for president. Over time, the science has come more and more clearly to echo Revelle's warning and Gore's understanding of the danger from nearly 40 years ago, but public acceptance still lags far behind. Gore is an optimist - climate may change in a nonlinear manner, but he believes politics can too. That's why he's putting so much effort into these presentations. He believes in the potential for real change for the better.
The imagery in the book starts with the carbon dioxide evidence, including Revelle's charts through 2005; in the period from 1958 to the present, CO2 concentrations have increased by over 20%. Other measurements indicate 1958 was about 10% over pre-industrial levels, so we're already up over 30%. The chart from Antarctic ice core measurements dramatically shows the present concentration at far above that of any period in the past 650,000 years. Worse than that, the page folds out to show the far higher concentrations inevitable in the next few decades, unless we act now.
The melting of glaciers provides vivid photographic evidence of "before and after" change. Rising temperatures are the consequence, and Gore gives us a series of graphs showing temperature reconstructions from the distant and recent past. Present temperatures are not the highest of the past 650,000 years, but very likely the highest of the past 1000, and the problem is not so much present temperatures, but where we are headed as CO2 inexorably continues to rise.
The hotter world also brings other aspects of the "climate crisis": extremes of weather, including more powerful hurricanes, increased flooding and, at the same time, fires and desertification. The series of extreme weather incidents in 2004 and 2005 is no coincidence. Images from Katrina are presented, wordlessly, here. Gore quotes Churchill: "The era of procrastination [...] is coming to its close. In its place we are entering a period of consequences."
The largest changes are happening at the extremes of our planet - in particular in the Arctic. Tundra is melting; ice highways in Alaska and Russia are available for steadily fewer days each year. Sea ice is disappearing and polar bears are dying. Around the planet species are moving, invading new territory, parasites attacking new hosts, new diseases are spreading, or else species are unable to adapt and are dying out. Species loss appears to be many times higher now than at any time in the past 100,000 years.
The most dramatic nonlinearity will likely be in the melting of the major ice sheets. Greenland's alone would raise sea levels 20 feet. The maps of the world would need to be redrawn - Gore shows many familiar cities under water. Worldwide, 100 million people would be displaced - we saw a million refugees from flooding after Katrina; think of 100 times as many!
The final portion of the book is about why we seem to be ignoring this, rather than focusing on it, collectively, and what we can do to change things. Gore sees problems in our way of thinking about it. The first of which is that people prefer not to think about it at all - it's something that's not happening dramatically all at once, but slowly and steadily, and we just aren't good at paying attention to such things. The second problem is the wide public misunderstanding of science, and failures in communication on both sides. In this case the failures have been deliberately reinforced by oil-company shills who foster doubt, just as the tobacco companies did decades ago.
Gore sees the potential solutions as economic boons, not harmful at all to our economic growth. The contrast in economic fortunes of the Japanese vs American car companies in the last few years is very telling. The final problem he sees in our thinking about all this is that people jump straight from denial to despair - but we actually can solve this. We just need the will to do it.
The book is beautifully printed and bound, with fold-out graphics for some of the larger images. There are no chapters and no table of contents or index, which makes it a little unsatisfying to find things. But that also encourages fanning the pages, so you get a lot of repeat views of the wonderful photographs and charts.
The book also claims to be "the first book produced to offset 100% of CO2 emissions" generated in its production, through carbon offset payments. Just as Gore and the publishers are doing, we all can do our part in this; it really is getting too late for procrastination. |
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Nanci Lunsford (MSL quote), USA
<2007-02-27 00:00>
I found the book less full of facts and more full of computer generated what-ifs and pictures of young Al and his wife hiking, etc. It failed to point out that the same things that are being said today have been headlines in Time magazine and others in the 70's and other times in the past and that this global warming fear is cyclical if one is to look at history. It also failed to point out the impact of non-man-made events on global warming. I thought the pictures were pretty.
(A negative review. MSL remarks.) |
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