An Inconvenient Truth: The Crisis of Global Warming
by Al Gore
Al Gore has been an activist working to alert the world to the dangers of global warming since being a student in the 1960?s. Through his position in American politics he has been lucky enough to make his voice heard and have some influence on government policy. An Inconvenient Truth is his message to the young people of today, those who are inheriting the earth along with the damage that has been done to date, but who have the opportunity to make a difference by halting the damage and making an effort to put things right.
It is his second book on global warming; his first - Earth in Balance - was published in 1992. He was encouraged to write this book and the film of the same title, because he felt that public concern and curiosity had advanced enough and that using the graphic images would make the crisis more accessible.
The fifteen short chapters that make up this concise book (which incidentally has been printed on paper from well-managed forests using vegetable inks in the printing process) cover the evidence surrounding us of the effects that global warming has had and is having on the planet, along with suggestions for opportunities.
The pictures, charts and graphs which show the effects of carbon dioxide on the atmosphere and the images of mountains which had glaciers just twenty or thirty years ago are thought-provoking and memorable. The book is current, with up to date facts and figures, It does not set out or intend to shock the reader into action; rather it encourages thoughtfulness. The pictures are vivid and are balanced by the minimal but very direct text, driving the message of global warming home. The potential changes that face the world are frightening but Gore makes it clear that it is not too late to change. From the risk to the atmosphere from greenhouse gases - a necessary emission yet a harmful one - to the melting of ice caps and glaciers, dramatic weather extremes - particularly wind and rainfall and its impact on wildlife as well as people due to the growing threat from disease. Gore also addresses the issues of the changing seasons and the impact of the ever increasing population growth through industry and daily demands on the planet.
Gore concludes by acknowledging that more needs to be done, particularly by America. He recognises the good work that is currently taking place, explains briefly some of the alternative methods for producing energy and reminds the reader that the Chinese word for disaster consists of two characters; the first means danger, the second opportunity.
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