BLOCKBUSTER BOOK
The spiritual sequel to the greatest global warming documentary ever (sorry Leo the 11th Hour just didn’t do it for me) has arrived!
Its incarnation is a new book, not a film as many people expected. The documentary fanboys were gravely disappointed by the news. I guess this release rules out the former vice president and Oscar winner from becoming a Hollywood player anytime in the future.
I still have high hopes for Dick though –
RETURN OF THE GOP
[Probably won’t be a huge smash but like many producers he’s at least plugging away]
SPIRITUAL MESSAGE OF A SPIRITUAL SEQUEL
All kidding aside, Al Gore’s latest book Our Choice: A Plan to Solve the Climate Crisis takes a self reflective look at Gore’s past brand of advocacy.
Gore argues that facts alone will not motivate people to solve the climate crisis and that a spiritual argument must be made. The idea has been touched upon by the former vice president many times as he has frequently said that climate change is a “moral issue.”
This is the first time, however, the climate change advocate has acknowledged that spouting pure science will not win this devisive debate. Its a far different type of Gore than the man who several years earlier stated that science ended the debate on climate change.
Al wants to win on moral grounds now not just on the factual. He has admitted to Newsweek that “laying out the facts won’t work.”
GREEN-AGAIN
Its a strange admission from a man who won an Oscar doing just that with his slide shows around the country. Has he hit a roadblock in just laying out the facts and figures? He might need to say something different after touring the country extensively so, going on the moral road is not such a wild idea.
Could he be reacting to a common criticism that he has recieved his entire public life? Gore can be very wooden in his public persona and perhaps going with a spiritual tone would soften his image as well as his message.
Gore has trained thousands of volunteers in taking that message and framing on moral and religious grounds, having advocates fromthe Christian, Muslim, Jewish, and Hindu faiths argue for going green.
It is possible that Gore has stumbled upon the greatest of Inconvenient Truths: humanity won’t address a problem unless religion has an issue of contention with it.
Is Al Gore turning his movement into one that ask you to “Go Green” to one that asks you to become “Green Again?”
STILL STUDYING
Al Gore isn’t trying to fight the ignorance of his adversaries with more ignorance, however. His new book has even more research from top researchers as well as more than a dozen solution summits on climate change over the past two years.
He also covers new topics such as deforestation and population control. These and other new issues serve as referrendum to some of the problems that he may not have adressed in his previous film/book/slideshow.
The new problems are also what Gore and his fellow advocates argue are demonstrative of the growing problem of climate change – that if we do not stop it now, more issues will arise.
THE EYE OF THE STORM
Gore also appeared on Katie Couric this week and gave a summary of where he sees the climate change movement heading.
The interview features some good cross examination by Couric and she raises another concept in the new “green-again” Gore strategy. She points out to Gore that Karl Rove and other GOP strategists argue that going green will lose American homes money.
Gore maybe trying to avoid the economic debate by turning it into a spiritual and philosophical one. Wars are thought of in the same way. Many times the tremendous cost to taxpayers, governments, and families are ignored because wars are thought of in moral terms.
GORE.O
Gore’s new book doesn’t raise as many questions as his new methodology. What I would like to see more than just the grassroots and spiritual brands of advocacy is a stronger Internet presence for the green movement. What is greener than a virtual campaign?
Garret J. Awesome 