Rating  - What a great book
Having seen the film "An Inconvenient Truth", I assumed this would make for interesting reading. This book proved to be that and more. Throughout the book's noticeably-long length, Al Gore introduces the reader to the concept of humanity affecting the earth's environment. By making personal connections to himself and his experiences traveling through remote locales (including Antarctica and the dry seas of central Asia), Gore introduces us to the very real facts of global warming and international climate change. It's clear he's done his homework, too. In chapter three, he analyzes every major catastrophic disaster in Earth's history and displays scientific evidence to how the climate directly or indirectly caused them.
The factoids (I say "factoids" because that's essentially what the book consists of-there's no real plot) get a bit redundant and annoying around chapter's five and six, and all of the pessimism begins to bear down on the reader's enjoyment of the book. If one can survive until chapter seven, however, the book changes tone as Gore begins relating all of the pessimism to the humans on Earth. Here, we learn that Gore is neither blaming us nor making excuses: he is looking for answers. The book's general concept (not to give too much away) is that we as human beings are more closely related to the planet than we think, and that we all need to reconsider our actions RIGHT NOW and live more closely to our planet, so we can take a different sort of attitude and understand more thoroughly life's essential necessities for existence.
If there is one thing that Gore never becomes in this book, it is unconvincing. Gore's words are extremely powerful and calculated; the reader can instantly tell Gore is speaking from his heart. There are a few poor points-he drags on around the end of the first third of the book, and the final chapter extends (in my edition) to over sixty pages. Despite the book's slight shortcomings, Gore's raw emotion combined with an intelligent punch make for a convincing, intruiging read that will open the reader's eyes regardless of one's political or religious views.
Rating  - socialist/communist scare tactics
Gore would have you believe that we (humans) are nothing more than parasites devouring the world and leaving only destruction in our wake. Well, I would like for you, Mr. Gore, to stop driving your car, stop flying everywhere, stop using ink and paper (this destroys trees you know), cease using the internet (no, you delusional twit you didn't invent it) and plugging in your slide projector that you charge $100,000 dollars to show (because this causes CO2 emissions and wastes precious energy) and all the other lovely inventions we parasites have so devastated this earth with. Also, you might want to rethink the thousands of dollars electric bill you get every month for that monstrosity of a house you live in (perhaps you should sell it and live in a tent in Uganda or somewhere that doesn't emit CO2...wait! we exhale it you moron!!) This planet is under attack from extremists who have admittedly over-exaggerated the truth (that means he/they lied and said outrightly that he/they lied GRIST magazine interview!!) so that they can dupe the American people (the vast majority won't even research this folly because they're too lazy) into electing officials who will legislate our basic freedoms from us. You want to get in your car and drive wherever...oops! sorry, you can only drive so many miles today (BAD for the environment you know!). You want to have more than two children...oops! sorry, no more than two because as everyone knows children are BAD for the environment!! You say you're married to a man that abuses you...oops! sorry, divorce is BAD for the environment...you have to stay with him. The theories (ALOT of maybes and probablies and perhaps...you know conjecture) that are used to substantiate these claims are flawed and hovers in the category of junk science. Gore is using these scare tactics to establish and promote his investment management group (Generation Investment Management) directly geared toward pilfering money from those naive enough to believe in this sham. He stands to make millions if not billions of dollars while watching the world crumble into chaos because of this idiotic plan. Carbon credits indeed...what hogwash!! Gore is a socialist/communist and would have America bow to his ideology so DON'T DRINK THE KOOL-AID!!!!!
Rating - A milestone in the environmental debate
I won't summarise the arguments of Earth in the Balance here as other reviewers have done that very well already.
This is an important book, as much for its context in the history of the environmental movement as for its content. People forget that during his Presidential Campaign some cynics thought that Al had abandoned his green ideology. Others, and I agree with them, thought that he was simply trying not to sound too radical to business interests: the real deciders of elections in the States. The strategy being, get into the White House first by not sounding too revolutionary but once in power the real revolution begins. And that is the message behind this book: only the greatest revolution in human history, a truly global revolution, will have a chance of curing the planet's problems. What's more it has to begin in America where the greatest environmental harm is being done, not just through its consumption patterns but through its philosophy. The reality check means this: the American dream and the survival of the planet are incompatible. So change the American dream. That is why, 15 years after it was published, I suggest that Al Gore should add a new epilogue entitled "what I'd have done if I'd won." And here is an interesting question: would he have achieved more for the environmental in the White House or out of it?
Rating  - An OK read...
So this book was written in 1990...things have changed a lot since then - some for better some for worse. So keep that in mind while reading this book. But some good facts in the book though from extensive research. That is the selling point for this. However, I think the presentation and writing style made it a little difficult to maintain focus. I might have felt differently had I read this in 1990.
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Customer Reviews for Rodale Books,B0017U74TW,363.7 |
