I just finished reading this book and I daresay it's even more fun, energetic, and insightful than the viral videos that preceded the book. The first few chapters were a little slow for me, perhaps because they overlap so much with the videos. But last night I got past that and just couldn't put it down till I finished.
I have been reading many books on climate change recently by both warmers and skeptics to try to figure out what to believe. It can be very infuriating because most of the books are written as if the authors are so certain about what they are saying (particularly the ones by skeptics, which is kind of ironic). But clearly certainty is not a useful criterion for judging truth. It doesn't matter how certain they all are -- they can't all be right! For every damning quote I found, I was finding plausible rebuttals. Then rebuttals to the rebuttals, and so on.
Eventually I just decided that even if you can decide for yourself what you believe to be the most credible position by sifting through the arguments, there is absolutely no way to convince someone *else* of that if they don't want to be convinced. Greg makes this point in his book -- you can always find some evidence that supports your view if you look hard enough. And people who want to be convinced one way or the other will typically rest their case when they find that evidence. So no matter what you say there's always some rebuttal someone can make to refute the point and you're left just staring at each other saying "oh yeh? well you're wrong", "no you are", "no I'm not" ... and not getting anywhere.
And then I realized that you don't really need to know for sure if the warmers are right. The only question that really matters is are they at least credible? Do they genuinely believe what they say? Do they have evidence to back it up? Are they not idiots? Are there a significant number of them? I find the answers to all those to be yes. So I made my conclusion. The risk is significant enough to warrant taking it seriously.
Then I saw Greg Craven's viral video. His little 2x2 grid encapsulated the same basic idea so charmingly that I was hooked at once. Yes! Finally someone not trying to prove which side is right!! That's exactly how you avoid getting sucked in to the endless quagmire. I bought the book at once just as a way to vote with my wallet for Greg's great video. Didn't get around to reading till months later. Didn't think I really needed to read it after seeing the videos, frankly.
But I'm really glad that I did read it. Greg's perspective is such a breath of fresh air (so to speak) in this stale debate about CO2. Having read a number of books on climate change, and having waded through their scientific (and oft not-so-scientific) claims, for the most part I couldn't see myself recommending any of them individually to my friends. You really need to read them all for yourself to get a good picture, and that's a hard sell to someone who's not that interested in the climate debate to begin with. And even if you do slog through them, I don't think that most of what I read would be useful for someone without a science background. But Greg's book cuts through all that in a really nice way. He comes across as an impartial guide to the landscape (ok somewhat partial, but he acknowledges that and tries really hard not to let it get in the way). He doesn't claim to be any sort of expert, or try tell you what to think. He just guides you through his risk analysis idea that tells you how to decide for yourself.
Anyway, the book is great. It's the first book on climate change I've read that I'd wholeheartedly recommend to anyone. Skeptic or warmer, young or old, interested in climate or not. It doesn't matter. This book is well worth the read for all. I just can't say enough nice things about Greg or his book. Watch the videos. Buy the book. And do as he says, and go ahead and buy one for a friend too. I did. At this price you might as well. This would be a great first book to read as an introduction to the issue, before going on to read books by Hansen, Michaels, Singer, Gelbspan, Schneider. Or you know, if you're not that interested in the details, just read this book and leave it at that.
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Top reviews from other countries
Jamie
The antidote to Yar Boo Debate
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 5, 2010
David B
Great book on global warming.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 5, 2011Mr S Sheridan
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