An Inconvenient Truth

Al Gore's documentary An Inconvenient Truth won an Academy Award for Best Documentary. I watched it a couple of years ago and found it to be very dull and dry. I didn't find it particularly compelling, and had trouble picturing it changing anybody's mind about climate change. I'm very passionate about environmental issues, so when I found the companion book in Half Price Books for cheap, I figured I'd see if it was any better than the movie.

Wow.

Most of Gore's powerpoint presentation is present in these pages. However, with full page photos, eye-popping graphs, and simple formatting, Gore has produced a real game-changer. I have read few books that match its level of reader engagement. Most of it is very easy to read and digest, but as you read the evidence for climate change is so clearly evident that I wonder how anyone could honestly read this book and still disagree with the "theory" of global warming. Somehow, Gore (or some clever design team) was able to transform the material from the film and produce an overwhelmingly compelling paper product. Absolutely stunning.

I've have a lot of background knowledge in the field of climate change, but I've never seen all of the evidence compiled together in one strong document such as this. Most of the material was familiar to me, yet I still found myself overwhelmed and somewhat frightened as I turned each page.

I would recommend this book to just about anyone. If you are concerned about climate change, this book may spur you to take action. If you are unsure, this book will convince you. If you don't believe that global warming is real, or believe that it's not a big deal, this book should change your mind - and if it doesn't, then re-read it with an open mind.

Global warming and climate change are indeed environmental emergencies. It is the moral (and spiritual!) responsibility of every person to do their part to be better stewards of our planet.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

44 books, 150 days...still on track, and nearly a month ahead of schedule!