Customer Reviews

Earth in the Balance: Ecology and the Human Spirit

5 star:		(55)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(42)

 

 

This work sets an incredible standard for what the overprivileged and uninitiated might call "alarmist" environmental literature. It is a definitive work that comprehensively addresses the state of the environment, tracing its historical aspects and examining its societal dynamics, even to the level of modern psychotherapeutic psychology. He is meticulous in presenting the facts and images without veering into untenable predictions of non-essential disasters, as plagued Paul Ehrlich's early books. He refers carefully to scientific information, and the unavoidable consequences of foreseeable conditions. Global climate change, for example, will likely make some areas uninhabitable. Gore makes a profound analogy by incively comparing the tragic environmental situation with the unprecedented nature of the nuclear arms race, citing how it has changed from a "fight- to a process of destruction." Industrial civilization and world ecology have reached a similar stage, he indicates.
His solutions are strong given his level of perception and analysis as a government policymaker. They are not much good for rapid change, however, or for grassroots action. While health food stores already existed back in 1992, it is amazing to witness how many efforts have lead to more sustainable products since then. Unfortunately, the green business trend is new, and, perhaps protectively, he appears to leave out any significant mention of environmentalists and entrepreneurial efforts, especially the initiating of Greenpeace by its Sierra Club founders, health food stores and food cooperatives, Anita Roddick and the Body Shop, and Greenpeace's promotion of non-chlorine bleaching techniques. Since then, of course, have come windpower, hybrid cars, organic clothing, Hawken's and Lovins' Natural Capitalism, Interface and CEO Ray Anderson, Greider's Soul of Capitalism about the ownership crisis in capitalism and the need for employee and cooperative reform, and so on. In conjunction with these grassroots constructive efforts, Gore's work continues to provide an excellent source to remember exactly what is occurring, what is at stake and why learning to take multiple consumer, entrepreneurial, technological, educational, protest, and legislative action are all the more crucial all the time.

I am unsure what frightened me more, the ominious environmental facts presented in this book or the dangerous impermeability of several Amazon reviewers. If one enters this book with an open mind, the result will be a re-evaluation of how one relates to the natural world. Gore is not pushing for the destruction of the American economy but instead a more fair juxtaposition of today's benfits versus future consequences. For someone to curse this book without even remote heed to what it states scares the living daylights out of me. I am not saying this book should be converted into American policy verbatim. However, if we do not use the knowledge and experience of this book as part of an international effort to achieve balance between the present and the future, then we are in trouble. Or let me rephrase that, our kids are in trouble.

I have read this book two and a half times - during the 1992 and 1996 elections and am reading it currently - and have found it fascinating each time. Al Gore seems to truly understand the environmental issue to a depth that is shocking to find in a politician. Common criticisms of the book include:

1. It is dully written - This is true to some extent. If I were not fascinated by the subject I may have found it rough going. This is the reason it gets 4 stars rather than 5 from me.

2. That the facts stated are unsupported - Balderdash. The book is not foot-noted like an academic monograph because it is not an academic monograph - it is a "popular science" book much like Carl Sagan's work or Isaac Asimov's nonfiction. Sources are frequently mentioned within the text and the figure captions. Add this to the copious chapter notes and bibliography and his sources are well credited.

3. Current Science doses not back up the text - Fully answering this would mean writing another book, but, for example, I have yet to see a reputable atmospheric scientist outside the pay of conservative think tanks deny the existence of the global warming phenomenon anymore. Gore simply researched this book to death and got the science right.

4. An excuse for more big government - Yes, some more environmental regulation would be necessary to forward the Vice-President's goals - current corporate structure is not at all conducive to putting the good of the world ahead of the bottom line no matter how small the sacrifice is. On the other hand, Al Gore was one of the first proponents of free-market solutions too, such as transferable carbon-emission credits.

All in all, a very good if not great book.

When reading this book (and listening to Al Gore speak), I see that he is an intelligent man and has done quite a bit of research. I know he was a journalist, but you wouldn't think it by reading this book.

I felt he had a lot of good ideas. The idea of a new form of the Marshall Plan to help guide the world to more environmentally safe commerce and production was great. Some of his plans, although simplistic at times, make a lot of sense. Many of the ideas he gives are ones that are still being debated today (like trading clean air credits).

When I noticed that this was written in 1992/1993 when he was first running as the vice president, I was suprised. It is not often that a politician will make such pro-environment and long-reaching statements if they are trying to get elected. He also used the book to take punches at former President Bush. I am sure he had more than one goal with this book.

I mention that it was not well-written. This is because many of his analogies make no sense. His comparison of parallel computing with democracy, although a bit more understandable, left me wondering why he brought it up. The book could use some tightening up.

He brought a bit of spirituality into the text, but not a lot. I am assuming that he targeted the average American for this book which would explain his language and his constant use of metaphors and analogies. Unfortunately, they don't always work and people may wonder why he is telling them about the scientific study of the sandpile.

I found it an enjoyable read and showed me that Al Gore will think like a leader. He will not always (he is a politician) choose the best path for the future and not the best path for the present.

Al Gore has presented us with one of his famously overblown but compelling discourses on what is actually a very critical subject. What is missing in our approach to this book (based on the reviews I have read here) is perspective. IT'S NOT ABOUT AL, SILLY! Oh, sure, this book definitely benefits Gore in many ways... but the subject matter is what counts. I grew up in New York's Adirondack region... and I know firsthand the silence that acid rain brings. Twenty-five years ago I would thrill to dozens of fish jumping for insects in Adirondack lakes... twenty years ago, at the apogee of the acid rain crisis, I could pass an entire day at Lows Lake or Upper Saranac without seeing a fish jump. I also remember the stench of Lake Erie in the west wind and as a young boy being amazed that people were driven from their homes at Love Canal. Fortunately, there are now jumping fish in the north country, Lake Erie has been resurrected from the dead and many Superfund sites have been cleaned up. Presently living part-time in Orange County, California (no stranger to pollution problems), I see concerted efforts to repair some of the damage our society has done. The value in works like Algore's book, or more powerfully, Rachel Carson's Silent Spring is that they have FORCED people to PAY ATTENTION to these things. When my ex-girlfriend was diagnosed, at 37, with lymphoma, I drew a parallel to her residing and working in an area known for airborne pollutants and industrial solvent contamination. Eyes opened, I decided to make the small. personal changes which cumulatively lead to sweeping changes if adopted by large numbers of people. OK, so I drive a truck (and a gas-hog at that)... I am not a vegetarian, and I definitely am not an activist... but if a man like me can be moved to adjust my consuming ways by reading this book, then I must endorse it on a practical level. Come on folks... those who reviewed and wrote that this is silly, or not really a problem, are the real ostriches here.

I hoped this would have been better written to make the case. It does not stand up to an analysis from the opposing point of view which would and could destroy or weaken the arguments for saving the environment. Better to leave this subject to those professionally involved, and let the politician write the Foreword!

I don't know enough about relevant scientific issues to know whether Al Gore's right about global warming or about the other environmental issues he addresses in his book. However, this book can tell you a lot about Al Gore even if it doesn't tell you much about global warming. To name a few examples:

*Al Gore is NOT the extremist that he was as in the lastelection. Most of his seemingly controversial statements (e.g. about environmental protection being "a central organizing principle") make sense in context. Gore consistenly emphasizes his support of the Cold War and of the market economy.

*Al Gore (or his ghostwriter) IS a pompous pseudo-intellectual. This book was filled with vague, back to nature gibberish about dysfunctional civilizations, oneness with nature, and other concepts with no obvious significance.

The best thing that I can say about this book is that if you want to learn at lot about Al Gore, it is a great place to start.

Unfortunately for Al, what I learned about him isn't good. What I learned is this:

Al and those who agree with him are clearly so much smarter than everyone else that there is no need for them to even consider that the facts may not be on their side. Logical inconsistencies plague this book. There is a total failure to give any consideration to unintended consequences. I suppose that if you are as smart as Al, not intending them is good enough. But, not being so smart, I found myself asking over and over 'doesn't he have a clue what will happen if we try to do that?'. I can only conclude, 'apparently not'.

Those that disagree are not only (apparently) stupid, but selfish, greedy and mean-spirited as well. It is not necessary to actually debate the issues because Al's side is 'good' and those who disagree are 'bad'.

The only solution to these problems is to turn them over to Al and his experts (the ones who agree with him). Fear not, in spite of it's track record, the government can determine what needs to be done, and force us all to do it. Oh, and by the way. If we don't follow this approach, we are doomed. Got that? Doomed.

If you like that approach, you will like this book. If you agree with Al Gore on these issues, and you feel that the only way anyone can disagree is because they are stupid and evil, then by all means get this book and give it to your friends. However, you should place it squarely in the 'feel good about yourself' section of your library, not in the 'issues' section. Earth may be in the balance, but this book is in no way balanced.

The angle to appraise this book from is the one the author intended: Did it achieve its stated purpose?

Al Gore is "in search of a true understanding of the global ecological crisis and how it can be resolved." Because the book was written in 1992, when awareness and understanding of the sustainability problem was low, Part One, "Balance at Risk," focuses on that. Al gets it precociously right with "It is this problem--global air pollution--that presents the true strategic threat to which we must now respond." This was long before the climate change problem reached center stage, or was even in the wings, due to lack of conclusive data.

Part Two opens with the greater question of "If our relationship to the ecological system is no longer healthy, how did we make so many poor choices along the way?" Then, in the very next paragraph, Al hits pay dirt with "For part of the explanation we must look to politics. ...there is also a fundamental problem with the political system itself. ...our political system itself has now been exploited, manhandled, and abused to the point that we are no longer making consistently intelligent choices about our course as a nation." This is explored, and the underlying cause is found to be "greed, self-involvement, and a focus on short term exploitation at the expense of the long term health of the system."

But Al goes no deeper than this. Exactly what is it about the political system that makes it so easily exploitable? Where are the exact points in the system that are being exploited? This is like asking a professional pool player to explain how he or she makes a certain difficult shot, when none of the amateurs can do it. How does the professional exploit the particular arrangement of pool balls? There must be an underlying pattern, and a technique to spot it and exploit it.

Because the root cause of why the political system is so easily exploitable is never reached, the book cannot deliver on its promise of "a true understanding of the global ecological crisis and how it can be resolved." After all, if you have not found the root cause, then how can you rationally resolve the problem?

Thus in Part Three when Al pulls out the big guns and presents the climax of the book, "A Global Marshall Plan," he is unable to convincingly say why the human system would accept the plan. It did not. Why? Because of lack of a proper diagnosis of the root cause of the problem.

But this is perhaps a subtle point, and should not detract from the book's great achievement: At a time when civilization had other priorities on its mind, Al Gore said in so many words, "Hey, wake up. The future of the earth is in jeopardy, because due to our own hubris and misbehavior, we have wrecked the delicate balance that all species must achieve with their ecological niche, if they are to flourish indefinitely."

Now, 15 years later, the world has at long last agreed. But it has yet to act, to put the earth back into balance.

Jack Harich

Al Gore has compiled a comprehensive overview of our impact on the environment. You may not agree with everything he says, but it is clear that he has thought broadly and deeply about the subject. He makes a good overview of the science and where we are today, and provide a broad plan get us to sustainability.