March 24, 2009 2:30 PM

Al Gore Writes Book On Climate Change

By
Michelle Levi
Topics
Al Gore
(AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)
Environmental activist and former Vice President Al Gore plans to release a new book, "Our Choice," in November of 2009.

The book will "answer the call" for "urgent action" on a "comprehensive global plan that actually solves the climate crisis," according to a press release.

Gore hopes that the book will "unquestionably inspire and rally those ready to fight for solutions that were deemed impossible only a short time ago." He plans to lay out the conclusions he has reached after attending a number of "Solutions Summits" focused on the climate attended by policy experts, scientists and engineers.

In keeping with the theme of sustainability, "Our Choice" will be printed by Rodale Inc. Publishers on 100% recycled paper with locally produced and sourced editions and low VOC inks; it will also be carbon neutral. The former vice president and his wife Tipper will donate all of the book's proceeds to the Alliance for Climate Protection, as they did with their popular film, "An Inconvenient Truth."


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by snowcloud1253 April 3, 2009 5:01 PM EDT
Why won't he debate it, if he is so sure that it exists?

Scientists debate. That's what they do. Theories are theories - that means there is no proof of global warming!

This is a scam for the governments around the world to tax the weather.
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by tweddall March 28, 2009 1:45 PM EDT
"nomadicbob" states "Over 30,000 REAL scientists disagree with the whole AGW (anthropogenic global warming) scam".

First, he/she is obviously not ascientist, as no respectable scientist would make such sweeping personal attacks on his peers claiming they are purpetuating a scam...implying fraudulent, lying, and unethical behaviour.

But this is typical of the Nayslayers...personal insults and attacks...because the truth is that there are NO scientific peer reviewed duplicatable scientific findings in ANY reputable scientific journal proving that man made "anthropogenic global" is a scam or non existant.

But this kind of shallow ranting has been coming from the special interests in fossil fuels, particularily from coal, but also paid for for many years by EXXON, for years. Exxon appears to have stopped, if their recent commercials are to be believed, and has now joined BP amd other progressive oil companies to be part of the solution, not part of the Naylsayers.

As to his list of scientisits. Name them. Cite their credentials, PHD degrees, years of scientific research in the pertinent disciplines and their published peer reviewed scientific findings and papers.

I recently was offered such a list of 3000 "Scientists", and using my background in statistical sampling, I sampled the list of names, then trippled the size of the sample to 300 to increase the confidence level.

I found there were NO climatologists, geophyisicists, no chemists or space engineers. The very few PHD's hade economics, history and arts degrees...NO science PHD's.

There were real estate brokers, lawyers, car salesmen, business owners, physicians, but not one background or degree that would qualify him/her to submit scientific findings refuting climate change.

So today we have these same people telling us all about "CleanCoal", and "Carbon Nuetral Coal"?

And I am old enough to remember that last great scientific scam...when the tobacco industry hired doctors of questionable ethics, not to reveal scientific facts about the link between cancer, heart disease and emphazema to cigarettes, but to pose in ads telling us cigarettes were good for our health.

Global warming is real and man made. And the good news is, man can fix it and enjoy a better climate and dramatic economic growth.
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by dennisbaker2003 March 26, 2009 11:38 AM EDT
Dennis Baker
103-66 duncan ave west
penticton bc canada V2A6Z3
cell 250-462-2771
fax 250-493-3463
dennisbaker2003@hotmail.com
RE : The solution to climate change.
( human excrement + nuclear waste = hydrogen )
The USA discharges Trillions of tons of sewage annually, sufficient quantity to sustain electrical generation requirements of the USA.
Redirecting existing sewage systems to containment facilities would be a considerable infrastructure modification project.
It is the intense radiation that causes the conversion of organic material into hydrogen, therefore what some would consider the most dangerous waste because of its radiation would be the best for this utilization.
I believe the combination of clean water and clean air, will increase the life expectance of humans.
yours sincerely
Dennis Baker
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by anneenna7 March 26, 2009 1:52 AM EDT
Good on you, Al, history will look kindly on you (whether or not we survive this huge challenge).

For those who still don't understand, some basics:

The concentration of Carbon in our atmosphere when humans evolved was at an optimum level for the survival of human life on Earth.

If you want to understand the impact of these 'greenhouse' gases, you might compare Mercury and Venus, two planets closer to the sun than Earth. Mercury is closest, but Venus has the highest surface temperature because of the high Carbon concentration in its atmosphere acts like a greenhouse, preventing the sun's heat from escaping.

Earth also used to have a high temperature, but over time that has reduced due to plants. Plants have breathed in Carbon over time, turning it into solid Carbon -wood, and later, this breaks down into soil humus. When plants decay, the Carbon becomes incorporated as soil and later, rock in the Earth's crust. Coal, oil, natural gas and diamonds are some examples of fossilised plants- Carbon forms deep in the Earth.

Yet since the Industrial Revolution, humans have been digging up and burning coal and oil- releasing these gases into the air at a faster rate than they can be absorbed by trees, soils and oceans and put back into the ground, so temperatures are now going up to what it was like before human beings evolved. All those freak weather events that have been happening show that the concentration of Carbon in the atmosphere is now reaching dangerous levels.

The challenge for humans is find ways to wean ourselves from digging up fossilised Carbon- we have to keep it in the ground, because we cannot add any more Carbon to the Carbon cycle, since it is just too hard to keep it out of the atmosphere. We need to generate energy from other sources: wind, solar, biomass waste, methane and geothermal, tidal, and find ways to restore Carbon to the soil. We need to do this rapidly- ie aim for 100% renewables in ten years, which is what Al Gore has been calling for, which is in line with current science.
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by acephd March 25, 2009 11:14 PM EDT
Thank you warmingnut, there are those who unfortunately spread fake science about global warming. It is comforting to read someone who knows the basics. Furthermore, if one goes beyond describing the causes of global warming (which have been known for over a century, and which normally keep our planet from freezing) and looks at the consequences, one has to be concerned. We have melting glaciers, desertification, species loss and habitat change, human tragedies, and other problems that we, driving our SUVs can comfortably ignore as we type on our computers. But scientists have irrefutably demonstrated that climate "tipping points" have led to extremely rapid changes in global temperatures in the past and, with the rapid increase in greenhouse gases are poised to do so in the future.
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by warmingnut March 25, 2009 5:20 PM EDT
The reason for CO2 based climate change is simple physics.
To all of you who took physics: CO2 has an absorption line in the infrared.
Read no further.
To those of you who have not taken physics, here is my explanation.
When the sun (visible light) shines on anything but a reflective surface, some of it gets converted to heat. This of course heats up the surface and some of the heat escapes as infrared radiation. (See: hold your hand over a hot frying pan.)
This radiation is invisible (infrared) but still contains a lot of the energy supplied by the sun.
This infrared radiation if radiating off a horizontal surface will head straight for outer space.
The problem comes in if the ray (or quantum) of infrared encounters a CO2 molecule.
The molecule will absorb it, where it pushes an electron out of orbit. After a short period of time the electron will drop back into orbit and the molecule will radiate a quantum that is equal to that absorbed (for a balance of energy).
So infrared quantum headed for space now is being reradiated in an unknown direction. Which means that there is a probability that it will head back to earth warming it?
Simple huh.
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by okanaganorchardist March 25, 2009 2:25 PM EDT
Tell it to the insurance companies, who deal in climate statistics rather than one or two years of weather. Here is an article from the great state of Texas issued today.

"Hurricanes clobbered Texas insurers last year, draining reserve accounts and igniting a full-blown debate in the Legislature about the state's ability to address rising risks related to climate change.

Two storms besieged the state's curved coastline, including one of the costliest in Texas history, Hurricane Ike. That sent damage claims soaring and resulted in $6.6 billion in losses for state insurers, which had collected record-high premium revenue totaling $5.17 billion last year, according to new data released by the Texas Department of Insurance.

The storm strike ended a five-year streak of profits for the industry, and it underscores the uncertainty that insurers and regulators face when setting rates during a time of rising seas, stronger winds and bigger storm surges.

The losses reflect "a very severe weather year for Texas," said Jerry Hagins of the state insurance department.

Insurers compare their premium revenue with the claims they have paid. That painted a gloomy picture last year, when they paid about 27 percent more than they collected, according to the state data. The losses calculate even higher when factoring in other costs of doing business, like agent commissions and overhead. The state says that's a "better snapshot" of industry losses, which amount to 65 percent more than revenue.

"It demonstrates to insurers -- and it should demonstrate to consumers -- that we live in one of the most weather-prone states in the country," said Jerry Johns, president of the Southwestern Insurance Information Service, noting that the state is beset by not only hurricanes but also frequent hail storms. "It is a 12-month cycle of weather-related events."
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by okanaganorchardist March 25, 2009 2:14 PM EDT
Finally. A writer that understands the issues. Unfortunately it is like hitting your head against a brick wall to try to convince some of these anti-Gore people that it isn't only Gore the believes in climate change. A recent article from the insurance companies that lost their shirts on Hurricane Ike backs up everything that you have said.
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by nomadicbob March 25, 2009 11:50 AM EDT
Al Gore is neither a scientist, nor a climatologist. Send him to the Dakotas to help with their Spring Blizzard. The absence of sunspots is going to bring on a major cooling. Carbon dioxide is NOT a greenhouse gas!! Over 30,000 REAL scientists disagree with the whole AGW (anthropogenic global warming) scam. It is just not happening. Follow the money.
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by TIREDOFTHELIES March 25, 2009 7:11 AM EDT
AL Gore and the elite behind him are pulling off the biggest scam on America!! THERE IS NO GLOBAL WARMING!
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