Reviews for Our Choice: How We Can Solve the Climate Crisis

The average rating for Our Choice: How We Can Solve the Climate Crisis based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2009-12-05 00:00:00 Sameh Xp This is not a perfect book, but it is an important book. A friend of mine described it as a sort of global warming overview -- almost everything of relevance to the subject is touched on somewhere inside. It is written for the general public, but it doesn't talk down to the reader, nor does it unduly simplify. If you think you know all about global warming, you should read this book as a completeness check. If you know you don't know all about global warming, you should read the book as an introductory course to provide yourself with the concepts, technology, and basic facts that will serve as a structure into and onto which you can bolt everything else you subsequently learn about ecology, geoengineering, peak oil (and other resources), sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, and many other related issues. In fact, everyone should read this book. Unfortunately, relatively few will, and most of those who do won't be those who most need to do so. Why not? Oh, many reasons. I'm most familiar with the US, so I'll focus on it, but similar lists can be made in many other countries of the world. Here are the groups in the US who most need to read it (but won't), from the most powerful to the seemingly powerless: o Republican legislators should read it because they are blocking meaningful climate change legislation in Congress. But they won't read it because Gore's a Democrat and destroying Democrats in order to regain political power is far more important than learning how they might save a livable world for their children. o Conservative opinion makers in the media should read it because they are creating the global warming denier movement through their inaccurate and biased coverage. But either they won't read it for the same reason as Republican politicians, or because they no longer see it as their role to judge and assess truth or falsehood, or if they do read it they'll have ideological blinkers on and will primarily be cherrypicking for minor mistakes or things that can be taken out of context to discredit both the author and the subject. o Titans of the oil and gas and coal industries, and industrial agriculture and consumer goods companies, should read it because they are funding charlatans and think tanks to cast doubt on the existence of global warming. But they won't read it because it's not relevant to making more money and that's really all they care about (Hey, the rich will inherit the earth, right? Or at least, that small part of it that will still be habitable. So better get as rich as you can as quickly as possible...). o Ordinary Republican voters should read it because their votes are keeping just enough Republicans in Congress to make sure that nothing will be done to mitigate global warming. But they won't read it because they've been told by their political representatives, and the media personalities they watch and read and listen to, and in some cases by their preachers too, that Gore's a liar, and he's only out to make a buck through book sales and driving up the share prices of the wind and solar companies in which he has invested, and anyway global warming is a hoax the world is really cooling, and didn't God gave the Earth to Mankind to do as they wish, and why bother if the Rapture is just round the corner, and the Bible says nothing about global warming does it? o And lastly the vast numbers of Americans who don't vote should read it because in their case no decision is a decision in favor of the ruinous status quo. But they won't read it because when they aren't working in their dead-end jobs they are sitting in front of televisions an average of 5 hours a day, consuming ever greater mountains of junk food and rivers of soda, becoming more and more obese, and sinking deeper and deeper into debt... and frankly they just don't have the time or energy to think or learn about what their lifestyles are doing to the planet. But you know who might read this book? Young people. Not young children, but say from about 12 onwards, especially if they are guided by thoughtful teachers in their schools. And some of those children will go home to their Republican or non-voting parents and ask them why they aren't doing anything to save the world. Most of them will get slapped down, one way or another, but some won't. And maybe, just maybe, that will make a difference. So, if you know a teacher who hasn't read this book, or a young person whose parents probably either don't vote or vote Republican, think about giving them a copy of "Our Choice" this holiday season. It's a very democratic (with a small "d") thing to do.

Review # 2 was written on 2017-05-09 00:00:00 Steven Morris Myth 1 Average global temperature (AGT) has increased over the last few years. Fact 1 Within error bounds, AGT has not increased since 1995 and has declined since 2002, despite an increase in atmospheric CO2 of 8% since 1995. * Swindle (noun): an act of swindling or a fraudulent transaction or scheme, anything deceptive; a fraud. ------ Al Gore's green investments prompt conflict of interest row in: Paris climate change agreement enters into force in: As Macron is about to take office, I'm wondering about the 2015 Paris Agreement and the present American Administration.... 9th May 2917 * The CO2 is not the cause for global warming! 9th May 2017 Upates: And voilá the decision: "Scoop: Trump is pulling U.S. out of Paris climate deal"** THINGS WILL HEAT UP NOW, FOR SURE; I AM VERY CURIOUS ABOUT GORE'S REACTION, YET TO BE KNOWN **