Review of Al Gore,s Book on Global Warming
358253
I had seen Al Gore movie on "An Incovenient Truth" which every person in the world should see and then I received this book based on his Movie for Christmas 06 and it reinforced my belief as to the accuracy of "An Inconvenient Truth". I have sent this book to all of my Children. It is just as good as seeing the movie over again, especially individuals who were not able to see the movie, which unfortunatly is a large segement of our population. It is a book that you can read and reread over again. Every page has a strong point which reinforces the message of conservation. I believe that the latest science has shown us just how  bad things are and unfortunately are getting worse. Unless drastic steps are not immediatley implemented its not impossible for us to realize Earth could resemble Mars, in a few years. I have included the latest WEB site on Global Warming, to indicate the genus of Al Gore's prognosis.
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2056237
State of Fear is an important book. It is not the best book Michael Crighton has ever written. It is a bit preachy, especially when he is de-bunking the data upon which the theory of global warming is based. Its preachiness, though, is where the true value of the book is found. The theory of global warming is just that - a theory.  Yet our society and societies has accepted it as truth.  This book is important because it will challenge readers to do their own research and make their own conclusions regarding this theory.
2123110
I have read dozens of books about the global warming, from both camps, and found this one the most informative and well documented. It is difficult to understand and believe Barak Obama and Gordon Brown, Angela Merkel and other heads of States are still believing Al Gore and the other few catastrophic OVERT LIES produced by the IPCC bureaucrats, and not the true CLIMATE SCIENTIST like Professor Richard Lindzen. As he put it, they are threatening the whole human kind with "a roll-back of the industrial age", or a global economic suicide, from an unbelievable set of gross exaggerations and lies.
A must-read for all serious defenders of the thruth and sanity.
1466120
My sister recommended this book.  I wish I'd saved it for vacation!  It is very timely and sheds a different light on global warming.  I liked that he backed up his information with actual studies.  I'm looking forward to reading more books by Michael Crichton.
266195
Well presented,factual basis that should convince any doubting Thomas that global warming is a real problem that is not going away. In addition Al Gore provides steps we can all take to save the envionment and do our part. Well written and well documented.

The real Al Gore comes to the for in this book.
2623843
still reading the book but so far its really interesting. I sometimes wonder if the deniers of human made global warming are saying they don't trust the science when really its economics they don't like.
4534215
This is a fair and balanced book that should be read by every voter.  The issue is whether the U.S. should spend many trillions of dollars (which it would have to borrow from China) in an attempt to cool the Earth's climate.

This book examines the science behind anthropogenic global warming (AGW).  AGW is global warming (now called climate change) purported caused by man burning fossil fuels, which increases the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere, which in turn increases the greenhouse effect and causes the climate to warm substantially.

The issues are whether higher CO2 causes global warming, or whether the converse thereof is true, whether recorded temperatures are accurate or have been properly or improperly adjusted, and whether temperatures have been accurately and properly estimated from tree rings and ice core samples.

The authors describe the dispute between the skeptics and the alarmists which ended up with the leak of emails and documents on the internet from the Climate Research Unit at the School of Environmental Sciences at East Anglia in Norwich, U.K.  The authors then analyze the content of the documents and the unethical and illegal conduct of the participant scientists.  The conduct described is now referred to as Climategate.

The documents which were leaked were contained in a file appropriately named FOIA2009. ZIP The skeptics had for years attempted to obtain weather data through Freedom of Information requests, which were improperly denied by the scientists.  (Subsequent to the release of the book, authorities in the U.K. determined that the refusals were illegal, but that the statute of limitations for prosecution had expired.)

This book is not recommended for members of the First Green Church of Global Warming, because they will not like the conclusions.  For example, "Only 11% of temperature monitoring stations in this country [the U.S.] meet guidelines set up to insure they accurately collect and report temperature."  At p. 101  "When hundreds of billions are staked on a scientific claim, there is no margin for error. . . . We see in the leaked emails that they acted like spoiled children much of the time . . ." At p. 181

Who are the authors?  They describe themselves as believing in global warming but not that it will be catastrophic.  At p. 180.
1104869
Near the beginning of this book, the author admits that most climate scientists take the safe route and explain that we cannot attribute any particular weather event to global warming. This is more or less what Powell attempts to do in his book. He stops just short of saying that global warming caused particular storms, but the goal of the book is to suggest that global warming has caused an increase in extreme weather events that is now detectable. He reviews all different sorts of severe weather from recent years including heat waves, floods, rainstorms, hurricanes, tornadoes and fires. Along with all of them, he shows how recent trends have all been towards more severe or frequent events and he attempts to explain how global warming may be fueling these. He makes a pretty good case and whether or not you are open to the connection between these events and global warming, it is still an interesting review of some big news makers from the past few years. A book like this is probably a mission impossible because naysayers will always be able to assert that we cannot prove that all of these weather events were caused by or enhanced by global warming, and for the most part they are right. However, global warming is rarely about one event, but rather about long-term trends, and it is difficult to deny that the long term trend has included some pretty rough winds of late. If you are new to the topic of global warming, this probably isn't the best book with which to start. If you already know a little something about the topic or are interested in weather, this is an interesting and quick read.
4873995
It is a very nice book that is crowded with graphs and information.

At the beginning, Michaels announces that he will have to leave his school in June 2009 because the current conditions don't allow him to keep both his scientific integrity and the funding. You will find some embarrassing quotes by leading IPCC scientists and Al Gore. But then the real book begins.

The authors classify themselves as believers in man-made contributions to global warming but disbelievers in the climate apocalypse. Rationally speaking, I agree with them.

They explain that the moderate climate scientists such as themselves are being prosecuted. But the bulk of the book is made out of hundreds or thousands of graphs and their clear interpretations - about the temperature history (obtained by different methods), the number of hurricanes, sea level, ice volumes, fires, droughts, methane, refugees, and lots of other things.

The evidence that there is no reason for hysteria is overwhelming. Pretty much any major consequence of the "apocalypse" is clarified by real numbers in the book and the tricks used by certain people to create a false impression of a problem often become transparent.

At the end of the book, they describe the sociological mechanisms that allow the hysteria to flourish - e.g. scientists trying to guarantee funding for their teams. Nevertheless, they also explain that the sensible, "moderate" scientific papers are so consistent that their survival rate exceeds the mad papers, anyway. Their proposals what to do can be found in the last chapter. The book has an index and a couple of colorful pages on a high-quality paper in the middle. It was published by CATO. Amazon.com (click on the left) offers you a huge discount.

Recommended both as a book to read and as a very useful reference.
3530451
The problem of global warming threatens our civilization. In this important book, Professor Howard A. Latin, an expert on environmental law, critiques as too timid the current proposals to curb global warming. He points out that the solutions that have been advanced will only slow global warming by a minute amount. He argues eloquently that what we need instead is a crash effort to develop a safe and carbon-free source of energy -- that is, to de-carbonize our economy. Latin, who is particularly knowledgeable about international environmental law, points out that global cooperation is needed, but it will not occur so long as developing nations are told they must curb growth that decreases poverty. Everyone interested in global warming should read the book and consider Latin's proposals.
683244
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.

NOTES:

The Economic Story that is missing:

*PURE ECONOMICS - HIGH ROI

Improved energy efficiency ultimately costs less (e.g. compact fluorescent light bulbs, diesel automobiles)

Provides higher performance (e.g. greater home insulation, improved windows)

*REDUCTION OF FOREIGN LEVERAGE ON UNITED STATES

Lessens vulnerability to foreign powers

Reduces US military presence in other countries

*MACROECONOMICS

Provides consumers with more spending power (e.g. less spent on electricity allows more spending at Wal-Mart)

Reduces peripheral waste (e.g. reduction of container packaging requires less waste hauling)

*DOMESTIC RESOURCE ULTILIZATION

Promotes domestic sources of energy (e.g. corn and soybeans)

Domestic production of wind power and solar systems

*INFRASTRUCTURE STABILITY

Distributed power fights disruption (e.g. solar panels provide local power - down power lines don't impact end user)

A broader range of energy sources combats reliance on a single source that can be disrupted

Fights spikes that cause blackouts (e.g. photovoltaic cells produce power during highest demand times)

Reduces strain on current infrastructure (e.g. reduces creation of more power lines, transformers)

Better use of land area (e.g. solar panels on roof require no additional land area)

*BETTER UTILIZATION OF HUMAN POWER

Walking, bicycling, using the stairs improves health and fights obesity

Pedal power and public transportation reduces congestions
2573982
Fagan's book is a very helpful book for bringing the history of climate change affects on civilizations; We find war, famine, disease, and social-cultural changes occur as climate changes. We should expect as much in the near future.

I must urge readers to read Spencer Weart's book on The Discovery of  Global Warming. It's free and easily found by doing an Internet search or by finding it on the recommended  reading pages at ClimateDeception. Net and PercentCounts. Com.

I'm finding that the Very Short History Books on climate change, global warming, the atmosphere, and Earth Sciences also help to educate myself on climate science history, a very important topic in its own right.
1057398
A well documented work.  The author shows the extremes that weather has taken and that extreme weather is related to Global warming and climate change.  For those of us who had the slightest doubt about Global warming because of weather changes, Powell writes a convincing book.
635028
I enjoyed the book and appreciated his comments on global warming.  I only gave it four stars because he rambled a bit with comments on other things that aggravated him.  Certainly worth the time and expense of the book.
693715
It's hard to imagine a more relevant, timely, and important book for our day than Philander's book on global warming.  Though I say the book is about global warming, I really must elaborate.  You see, this is really a book on earth's climate.  Global warming is just a part of the book - a  relatively short chapter at the end.  The rest of the book consists of  background information about climate that enables the reader to understand  (at least in concept) the scientific arguments and issues related to global  warming.  Whether you believe that human intervention in the composition of  the atmosphere will alter earth's climate or not (and I'm personally hoping  you have the sense to do so) this is a first-rate book on climate issues in  general.
The book is broken into three "parts."  The first  part is really just an introduction and discusses things at a pretty high  level.  The second part deals with weather (variations in day to day  atmospheric conditions).  There is an introduction to ideas related to  absorption and radiation of heat, atmospheric pressure and temperature  gradients (what causes them), the hydrological cycle, winds, and how the  ocean and atmosphere couple together.
I particularly found the  discussion about the ocean currents interesting.  There is an unusually  good discussion of El Nino and how it forms.  There is also some good  discussion about why ice ages have appeared over the earth's history.  [For  a more directed discussion about ice ages, I suggest "Ice Ages,  Solving the mystery," by John Imbrie and Katherine Palmer Imbrie.
The main text of the book is non-mathematical and has plenty of diagrams  and illustrations to help convey concepts.  The book also comes equipped  with 13 appendixes that go into more quantitative detail.  These appendixes  use numerous equations, but require no skills in mathematics beyond  high-school trigonometry and algebra.  [For a more rigorous and advanced  text I suggest "The physics of atmospheres," by John T.  Houghton."]
The last (third) part of the book gets down to business  regarding the subject of global warming.  It also discusses the ozone hole  and provides an illuminating discussion about why it appears over the  southern polar cap.
I thought that one major piece of missing information  is a breakdown by country and source of the types of pollution that can  lead to global warming.  It would be nice, for example, to see a chart that  shows how much each country contributes, the individual contributions in  each country, and the types of fuels that are the most damaging.  [This  information is available from sources in the bibliography, however.]
If  I could summarize the author's main premise it would be this: The  atmosphere is an incredibly complicated system that illustrates  sometimes-chaotic behavior.  Globally it is probably stable - we most  likely will not cause runaway global warming and life will survive.  Locally, however, the weather can and does behave chaotically.  We have the  power to make our atmosphere more hazardous for our species.  We are taking  a terrible gamble in modifying several greenhouse gases, not by factors of  a few percent, but by hundreds of percent.
The fact there is  uncertainty in the exact final outcome is not the point.  The point is we  are gambling with the only atmosphere we have, and the results, if we  loose, could be dire.  I highly recommend this book to anyone who feels an  obligation to be more informed about what is, perhaps, the most important  environmental issue of the day.
Duwayne Anderson Saint Helens, Oregon  October 12, 1999
531374
Frankly, I don't read a lot of popular fiction.  Not because I feel it beneath me, but because I simply have limited reading time and focus more on what interests me and will help me answer the questions I find most compelling.  However, a close friend of mine recommended this book to me (thanks Tyler).  I had seen an article on this book and the recommendation made me decide to read it.  While I was reading it George Will wrote a fine column on this book, which I also recommend you read on the Washington Post website.

What intrigued me was the idea of a work aimed at a broad audience by an immensely successful author that actually raised seriously the idea that the accepted truisms on global warming deserved closer questioning.  While this is not a great book, it is certainly a fast paced adventure thriller that also spends some time on plane flights, in restaurants, and in other calm moments discussing the facts that do not support what everyone knows about certain environmental and even medical "truths".  He offers real references and footnotes as well as his own views after the end of the novel and an annotated bibliography.  So, the book has a very serious foundation that is very much based in reality that supports the rollicking story that is told through the novel.

I hope that the most serious point the book makes, of which the global warming discussion is only a part, is not drowned out by the attacks on the book by those for whom global warming is so accepted that no contrary point of view can be allowed expression.  Crichton puts his most serious argument in the mouth of a nearly mad professor of the ecology of thought, Prof. Norman Hoffman.

Since the whole book is about the education of Peter Evans (and us), it is Hoffman who introduces him to the idea of PLM (the politico-legal-media complex) whose function it is to control the population and provide order be introducing a State of Fear into the populace.  It is done differently now that the Cold War has ended, but it has the same function.  It is an interesting discussion that you don't have to agree with to find valuable.

The main point of the book is that it is dangerous to mix advocacy with science and that this is done without qualification in today's media and in our legal decisions and political structure.  It is hard for me to think of how one can look around in today's society and not see that this is a danger that is all too true in our world.  However, I can see from the attacks on this book that there are many who disagree.  That is their right.

However, I hope that millions will read this book and realize that it is OK to question what the media is promoting and to become more sophisticated in their use of media and how their political choices are presented to them, whichever portion of the spectrum of beliefs they choose as their own.

When this is made into a movie, I hope it is a longer HBO kind of mini-series rather than a two-hour theatrical release.  I don't think that what is most valuable in this book would survive the editor's razor in a Hollywood movie that would focus mostly on the thriller aspects (which are pretty good) and pay minimal attention to the point of the book.

So, my advice is to read the book.  Open your mind to the author's discussion.  Read the footnotes and the author's end comments and the bibliography.  It is really refreshing and interesting to see this discussion in such a broadly popular work.
4826663
James Hansen gives a narrative of his crusade to warn the world about global warming. He has become a larger than life figure in the climate activist community. He's one of the earliest scientist to study the problem in depth and one of the earliest advocates. It should also be noted that he is one of the most extreme alarmists and his past projections have had a tendency to come in above observations.

He makes his case with back of the envelope energy balance calculations and the geological record. He believes there is a danger of a runaway greenhouse effect, like on Venus, and he has a coherent scenario with methane emissions from arctic permafrost and clathrates . He responds to criticism that it hasn't happened before, by noting that the Sun has been increasing in brightness through geologic time. One small bit, which I thought interesting, was his claim that a future ice age could be prevented with the output from a single chlorofluorocarbon plant.

His policy proposals are actually refreshing compared to those of other alarmists, such as Bill McKibben and Joe Romm. He favors a carbon tax over bureaucratic  cap and trade schemes. He also supports nuclear power and castigates Bill Clinton and Al Gore for nixing a fast breeder project.

A few things are missing. There's no mention of his proposed (and I suspect half baked) high efficiency DC power grid. Not missed is his despicable call for oil executive tribunals. Climate science is not the Vatican and we don't burn heretics at the stake!

It's an interesting read and the Kindle version is a bargain at $3.03!