I have heard this book badmouthed at so many places that I felt compelled to write something in defense. I read the book right when it was published, and it was one of those earth-changing books for me. Everybody knows that ecology is good and corporations are bad, or so we thought. Gore portrays the dilemma of trying to solve environmental problems and possible solutions. It would be unfair to pin the blame on Gore for certain of the proposals mentioned (although things like the ill-fated carbon tax now is beginning to seem more useful as time goes by). Republicans have attacked the book for its draconian solutions, but they conveniently ignore the fact that Gore was an early proponent of free market solutions to environmental problems.
But the purpose of this book was not to make certain policy recommendations (although Gore mentions quite a number). The purpose was to change your way of thinking, to help you understand the relationship between a society's action and the obligations it entails. This book is almost a meditation on history and how we can overcome the problems our generation has caused. I remember many anecdotes vividly from the book, but one stands out. Gore talks about newer fuel-efficient lightbulbs and how much energy they would save over a lightbulb's lifespan (a ton of coal! ). Despite the fact it costs only pennies more than the incandescent lightbulb, old habits and entrenched interests make it unlikely that this lightbulb would dominate the market (although things have been changing).
He also points out the moral dilemmas that a person faces when trying to do the right thing. He recounts incidents where he is criticized for driving a car, eating a meat, investing in the wrong companies, etc. Nobody can be perfect, he says, but before humans can make their ecological choices, they must first be aware of the consequences of their actions. This book provides some of facts, but more importantly analyzes how we can live with our choices.
As I reread parts of the book, I am struck by how literary and well-written the prose is. His experience as a journalist and divinity school student shows. Leave aside the fact that this guy might be prez sometime; he writes as a historian or a philosopher would write, and is able to write to a general audience exceedingly well. I am still amazed that he found time away from his time as senator to write such an intelligent and well-researched book. Perhaps Gore will be the American Churchhill--a politician whose fame will rest in his writing as much as his political involvement. Gore might become the new Mohniyan: lambasted, controversial, but generally right about his prognostications.
As for politics, I will be voting for Gore. I have lived in the (cough! cough!) cities of Austin and Houston, and I know about the dangers of ignoring environmental concerns. But it's hard to imagine that such a forward-thinking man can survive a grueling electoral process and actually win. And his environmental positions are vulnerable to oversimplification. Unfortunately, the fate of the philosopher-king might be determined not by society's thinkers but its cynics and ignoramuses.
