“It ain’t what you know that gets you into trouble.  It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.”  Are you so sure Global Warming isn’t real that you’re missing the signs all around us?  Global Warming has been an issue in this country for decades but always pushed to the sidelines for “more important” issues.  Al Gore has been working with scientists and studying the data since his early college days (roughly half his life) and when no one else championed the cause it fell to him to get the message out.  Now in a new book and film Gore goes slowly through the mounting evidence of humans effect on the environment and looks into the future to a world that if changes aren’t made could be catastrophic for all mankind.

An Inconvenient Truth: The Planetary Emergency of Global Warming and What We Can Do About It
4 Stars

I like Al Gore.  I didn’t really understand him as the VP in Clinton’s shadow and the campaign he ran in 2000 didn’t really show us about the type of man he was and how strongly and passionately he will fight for issues he believes in.  The book’s (and film’s) main subject is Global Warming, but it’s also about Gore and his life and how this issue has become so important to him.  Because of Gore’s political affiliations I’m sure more Democrats than Republicans will pick up the book and take a look but I’d urge everyone out there if they’ve got twenty bucks to spend to spend it here.  Gore’s book looks at those studying the issue for decades and the data (not all of which has been available until Gore pushed for it to be released and much more has been suppressed by the current administration) and looks to a future that demands we take this issue seriously or face dire consequences.

First let me say that the book is the companion piece to the movie (check back on Friday for the review) and while it is made to be easily accessible and very visual I would recommend, though it is not necessary to do so, to see the movie first.  Both the book and the film are structured around the presentation that Gore gives about the subject.  While both are highly informative the book lacks some of the warmth and humanity that comes across in Gore’s presentation of the issue in the film.

We know now that the Earth is not an indestructible ball but instead is a combination of infinite fragile components and the most vulnerable of these is the atmosphere.  As he examines this the book also looks at the disinformation campaign that with the help of some influential people in Washington and the oil industry has worked to confuse Americans about the issue.

I could go into detail of the information covered in the book (shrinking ice-caps and glaciers, rising ocean temperatures, increasing frequency and strength of storms such as hurricanes, tsunamis and tornadoes, rising temperatures and CO2 levels, drought and flooding, the rise of disease vectors such as mosquitoes to higher altitudes, deforestation, and the loss of coral reefs) but it’s easier to just outline how the book is put together and allow you to investigate the information for yourself.

The book begins by explaining the science of Global Warming and the (wrong) idea that humans don’t effect their environment.  If you are under 35 you’ve probably heard these basic principles of how CO2 is trapped and what that means to the environment in junior or high school science but its good to have a quick refresher and for those that don’t quite understand how it works this will be a necessary first step (sadly though the comedic alternative explanation from the film isn’t presented here).  After the basic lesson Gore moves into showing the effects of rising CO2 levels.

From there the book goes on to show examples of effects of Global Warming worldwide that include the graphs and data and several pictures that show climate and temperature shifts in various areas of the world.  Some of these include loss of snow on mountaintops, the disintegration of the Larsen-B ice shelf in Antarctica (and how similar processes may have begun in Greenland),  and the near total disappearance of Lake Chad. 

Through these examples Gore goes on to explain the different types of research being done and how CO2 and Global Warming can be measured today and based on that information how the further effects can be plotted on a scale to help predict future consequences.

The book is well put together and organized in a way that’s easy to follow if it is a bit oversimplified in parts to help bring the attention of the issue to a mass audience that would have trouble reading directly from scientific research manuals.  The information is based on scientific data, facts, and common sense and although Gore’s emotional tie to the issue helps carry the argument it never gets in the way or tries to ignore information just to prove its point.

The book goes on and on and it might seem a little scary and terrifying, and it is.  At the same time however Gore balances that growing sense of unease with a hopeful message.  What we are seeing is a result of our own negligence and by becoming active we can halt the harmful effects and even begin to make headway into reducing such effects in the future.  We have the technology today to do so we just need the will to get it done.  In fact the last sections of the book detail ways every citizen of the planet can do their part to help end global warming.

“The era of procrastination, of half-measures, of soothing and baffling expedients, of delays, is coming to its close.  In its place we are entering a period of consequences.”  We need to stop sidestepping the issue and deal with the consequences of our actions now while there is still an opportunity to undo the damage.  We need to listen to the same scientists who told us of the hole in the ozone layer while politicians were still ignoring and debating the problem.  We need to continue to research the issue to weed out the disinformation and deal with the data.  The argument Gore makes in the film and in this book is compelling and I urge everyone to take the time to verse themselves in the issue.  What’s at stake is our very existence on this planet – that’s kinda’ significant and worth some time and serious thought wouldn’t you say?  The issue is neither too big nor too complicated for us to solve, but it will take effort and time and Gore has given us a resounding call to arms to begin now its up to us to answer by providing the will needed to make the necessary changes for our future.