An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power: Your Action Handbook to Learn the Science, Find Your Voice, and Help Solve the Climate Crisis by Al Gore

An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power: Your Action Handbook to Learn the Science, Find Your Voice, and Help Solve the Climate Crisis Reviews

• 
  Monica

  Read this in a whole night!
• 
  Tammie Painter

  If you want/need the full dose of the science and stats of climate change, read An Inconvenient Truth. This book is a bit of a follow up to that (hence "sequel"). It does cover a little bit of the science and where we're headed if we don't change, but mostly informs you about where we stand now and offers another very urgent call to act. And that's what this sequel is mostly about: how to make the change. Despite the nightmare-inducing doom and gloom of the first section, the book does cover just how efficient and productive renewable power is, provides research-based rebuttals to use when climate deniers start barking at you, and presents many ways to enact climate change from the basic things you can do at home to getting on the phone and calling your reps to changing over your business to an eco-friendly model.
• 
  Book Shark

  An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power: Your Action Handbook to Learn the Science, Find Your Voice, and Help Solve the Climate Crisis by Al Gore
  
  “An Inconvenient Sequel” is a visual, stimulating follow up to An Inconvenient Truth and companion piece to the documentary An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power. Ex Vice President Al Gore provides readers with an action handbook to learn climate science and how to become an advocate to solve the climate crisis. This inspirational 320-page book is broken out into the two main parts: I. Truth to Power, and II. Truth to Power.
  
  Positives:
  1. Accessible, succinct book.
  2. The fascinating topic of climate change.
  3. A visually stimulating book. A graphic designer’s dream: many fonts, colors, photos, diagrams, charts and supplementary material! Links galore too!
  4. Doesn’t waste time in laying out the need to prevent catastrophic harm to the planet and why. “It is widely known by now that there is a nearly unanimous view among all scientists authoring peer-reviewed articles related to the climate crisis that it threatens our future, that human activities are largely if not entirely responsible, and that action is needed urgently to prevent the catastrophic harm it is already starting to bring.”
  5. The book is full of fun and interesting factoids. “For the year 2016 in the United States, 70 percent of all new electricity-generating capacity came from solar and wind. Less than two-tenths of 1 percent came from coal.”
  6. Explains why the Earth’s natural greenhouse gas layer is being transformed mainly by the burning of fossil fuels. “This pollution makes the layer thicker, which traps more outgoing infrared radiation, also known as heat.”
  7. Clearly shows the rising levels of carbon dioxide through the years. “In fact, the extremely hot days are now almost 150 times more common than they were just 30 years ago.” “In fact, 16 of the 17 hottest years ever measured with instruments (a practice that dates back to 1880) have occurred in the past 17 years. And the hottest year of all was 2016. The second hottest was the year before, and the third hottest was the year before that.”
  8. One of my favorite examples to explain how we know about the climate in the past. “In fact, the oldest ice core records, from Antarctica, extend back 800,000 years.” “These layers of ice store tiny bubbles of air that were trapped by the snow when it fell. By measuring the ratio of different isotopes of oxygen in these air bubbles, scientists can re-create both the CO2 content of the air year by year and the temperature of the air that was trapped.”
  9. The book contains many profiles of people of all walks of life making a difference on combating climate change. “Drawing on her decades of experience as a pediatrician, Susan Pacheco has a simple message for doctors everywhere: the health of the environment affects the health of their patients.”
  10. The impact to the ocean. “More than 90 percent of all the heat energy trapped by man-made global warming pollution goes into the ocean.”
  11. Describes many projects and efforts to fight climate change. As an example, The Climate Reality Project. “Our 100% Committed campaign enlists citizens to help cities, colleges, and businesses switch to 100 percent renewable electricity.”
  12. The political and global impact of climate change. “The gates of hell opened in Syria. There are multiple causes for the civil war there, but the principal underlying cause was the climate-related drought (the worst in 900 years) that devastated that country.”
  13. Describes the U.S. Department of Defense stance on climate change. “Climate change will likely lead to food and water shortages, pandemic disease, disputes over refugees and resources, and destruction by natural disasters in regions across the globe.” —U.S. Department of Defense, 2014”
  14. Describes the impact of climate crisis on food. “Higher temperatures increase the demand for water. About 11 percent of consumption of the world’s freshwater is used in our homes, about 19 percent by industry, and 70 percent by agriculture.”
  15. Describes the impact of climate change and health. “One major consequence of the climate crisis is that the balance between human beings and microbes is being upended. Climate change means the “vectors” that carry diseases, including mosquitoes and ticks, have a wider range. In central China, the reemergence of malaria is directly related to increased temperatures and disruptive rainfalls.”
  16. Lists the top cities at risk from sea level rise by 2070. “Miami is now the number one city in the world in terms of assets at risk due to sea level rise.”
  17. Describes business opportunities. “The transition to renewable energy represents the largest business opportunity in the history of the world.” “Wind alone could supply 40 times all of the energy that the entire world needs.”
  18. Describes political actions taken, like the Paris Climate Agreement.
  19. Provides a comprehensive “how to” guide for those who want to become effective advocates to solving the climate crisis.
  20. Describes how to talk to practically anyone about climate change and how to put that into practice. “The goal of this section is not to encourage you to convince every climate denier you run into; it is to make you feel confident that if a lively debate is occurring, you’re armed with the facts and reasoning to set the record straight.”
  
  Negatives:
  1. I do like colorful and visually stimulating books but the huge fonts take away from the pleasure of reading this book.
  2. Very similar to previous book.
  3. No bibliography.
  
  In summary, this is an excellent complementary piece to the documentary of its same name. Al Gore effectively provides readers with an activist guide to combating climate change. This is a visual treat and the book succeeds in providing activists with a tool to help fight climate change and the layperson with an accessible guide to learn about climate science. I recommend it!
  
  Further recommendations: “This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate” by Naomi Klein, “Changing Planet, Changing Health” by Paul R. Epstein, MD, and Dan Feber, “The Crash Course” by Chris Marteson, “Storms of My Grandchildren” by James Hansen, “Warnings” by Mike Smith, “The Weather of the New Future” by Heidi Cullen, “The Hockey Stick and the Climate Wars” by Michael E. Mann, “Clean Break” by Osha Gray Davidson, “Fool Me Twice” by Lawrence Otto, “Lies, Damned Lies, and Science” by Sherry Seethaler, “Reality Check” by Donald R. Prothero, and “Merchants od Doubt” by Naomi Oreskes and Erik M. Conway.
• 
  Joan

  The movie is of course, easier and faster to get through but the book is a pretty fast read, especially for its size (315pp). It took me this long more because I was doing other things. A substantial amount of the book, like its prequel, are graphical images that make turning the pages go quite quickly and easily.
  
  One major criticism I do have is a lack of acknowledgement of other leaders in the climate change movement, such as Bill McKibben and the now late great Dick Gregory. Dr. Hansen is mentioned as a Climate Scientist leader. Still, it would have been nice to see acknowledgement of other leaders in the movement.
  
  I really hope Al Gore is going to bring out a children's version of this title! The librarian and I were checking at the County system and there is almost nothing published for children after 2015, and very few titles between 2010 and 2015. The youth must know about this since they are going to inherit our successes and failures!
  
  If nothing else, try to take a look at his ten minute slide show to be able to counter basic arguments about Climate Change. Gore mentions what many people in the field are very aware of: the United States is the ONLY place in the world where a major political party has taken a negative position on Climate Change. Fundamentally Gore is still hopeful and positive we can mostly successfully combat the worst of Climate Change. But the time to act is NOW. If you have been meaning to see what the shouting is all about, grab this book from your library and read it NOW. We cannot afford to wait for normal human procrastination. I really hope at least a few people read this review and take a look at the movie and/or the book. Do it for your future or current grandchildren and children!
• 
  Sheila

  Informative yet easy to read. I know many people will probably not even consider picking this book up because it was written by Al Gore, but I don't care how much the climate change deniers deny, climate change is real, and science is real.
• 
  William Richter

  Truth to power
  
  This book not only reiterates the changes we have brought but points out the consequences. More importantly the book instructs on how to speak out to those that do not understand the threats we all face.
• 
  Craig Becker

  Good book. I was amazed to learn more about the Climate Reality Project (
  https://www.climaterealityproject.org) and all the resources and training it provides. It was encouraging to learn that all the money Al Gore has earned in this has gone in to efforts to empower others to make better environmental choices. I do however wish the movie would play in my area, I can't find a place to see it near me.
  
  It was interesting to learn all that is being done and can be done, however I disagreed in one area. He suggested that future generations will either ask why we did not take action when we could have or they will cheer our decisive action.
  
  Realistically, I doubt anyone will pat us on the back if we choose to do the most environmentally smart choices that lead to higher quality of life, better products, cleaner air, cleaner water, healthier people and an overall improvement. Future generations will simply look back and say, of course you made that choice. Why should we applaud your decision to do things better than continuing to pollute and destroy life as it is known. After all, if we don't make smart choices, less future generations will have that opportunity to look back and reflect.
  
  If interested here is an article about movie in The New Yorker. (
  https://www.newyorker.com/science/ele...)
• 
  Sue

  Ear-marked, highlighted, notes, and charts. References all over the place. Excellent compliment to Al's latest film. There is no Planet B, we have to take care of each other and where we live. This shouldn't be a difficult concept to understand.
• 
  Filipe

  As a downside, the book, as a call for action on climate change, is not printed on recycled paper and some pages have a lot of blank spaces that could be used, thus making the book smaller, which would spend less natural resources to print. In addition, the first part of the book, which focuses on the science of climate change, could have a lot more information, making it even stranger how they make almost 200 pages; it is not a complete guide on climate change, maybe it's not trying to be. However, I'll give it a maximum rating due to the message it's getting across; the reader can find plenty and useful information regarding what can be done on an individual level on the second part of the book, which i think it's very pratical and effective.
  I have to stand how the author convey's his message, which is a message of hope.
• 
  John Mulrow

  The book feels like a training manual for employees in "clean tech" marketing departments. I was surprised to find very little about building greater understanding of the Earth system, lowering consumption/production rates, or criticism of the overdeveloped economies' environmental footprints. Most of the 'solutions' are complex technologies such as solar panels and batteries.
• 
  Laura

  Title: An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power
  Author: Al Gore
  Read by: Al Gore, Sterling Brown, Danny Burstein, Marin Ireland, Shailene Woodley
  Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
  Length: Approximately 4 hours and 58 minutes
  Source: Simon & Schuster Audio Digital Review Copy – Thank-you!
  
  As an environmental engineer and an instructor of an environmental engineering technology program, I should have been the obvious audience for An Inconvenient Truth. I must admit, I had never seen that movie until just last month. As an environmental engineer, I have been sickened by the politicization of environmental science. Facts are facts, but we are now in an age where people can find whatever “facts” they want online and can chose to ignore data. I’ll admit I was dubious of something that a career politician had put together on the environment.
  
  I was pleasantly surprised by both An Inconvenient Truth the movie and An Inconvenient Sequel that audiobook. The data presented is accurate data that matches peer reviewed articles on the topics of climate change and is indeed what I teach in my classes when we discuss the topic in class.
  
  The audiobook did a great job of keeping it interesting by switching narrators often for different segments. I was very happy about this as Al Gore unfortunately has a very boring speaking voice. The different narrators kept the audiobook engaging to listen too. I also enjoyed the “deep dive” segments on how climate change has affected different people around the world in different ways as well as biographies on important people who are making changes to help climate change by doing things such as promoting renewable energy.
  
  The goal of An Inconvenient Sequel is to spread the science behind climate change and I fully appreciate that. I get very aggravated when average Joe tells me that climate change is all made up as they saw a segment on Fox News that said this. I can tell them about studies and research that was going on even when I was in college at Michigan Tech and what it told them, but they chose not to believe data or someone who works in the field. The first half of the book gives the background science for what is climate change and why is it a problem. The second half of the book gives examples of how as a citizen you can do something about it. This includes registering to vote, voting, finding out who represents you in Congress, contacting your representatives, writing opinion articles, and speaking at public meetings. These are all good tips and are items I talk to my students about. I’ve read before that a representative only needs to hear from a few constituents to start looking into a problem. We discussed these items in great detail when I was in Government class over twenty years ago in high school. Unfortunately, government classes are being cut across the country and many people are not sure how to have their voices heard.
  
  There is also a PDF that accompanies the audiobook that gives helpful tips and links. This will be a useful resource in the future for me.
  
  An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power was a very interesting audiobook that engaged readers with great science and absorbing narrators. It was a great place for those that care about the climate to find more information as well as tips for how to make a change. It was also a great book to let me know again why not to “judge a book by its cover.” I went in afraid of the politics, but came out impressed by the science.
  
  This review was first published on my blog at:
  https://lauragerold.blogspot.com/2017...
• 
  Argyros Singh

  Al Gore è una personalità americana che ha avuto il pregio di essere uno dei primi divulgatori sul tema della crisi ambientale, in tempi non sospetti - per così dire - quando al contrario essere ambientalista voleva dire mettersi contro il pensiero comune e gli interessi di petrolieri e di affaristi. Proprio per questo fu (ed è) oggetto di facili critiche, fin dai tempi in cui decise di candidarsi alla corsa alla Casa Bianca.
  Realizzò 'Una scomoda verità' ('An Inconvenient Truth') nel 2006, un documentario diretto da Davis Guggenheim, che vinse due premi Oscar come miglior documentario e miglior canzone e portò al centro dell'attenzione mediatica il problema del riscaldamento globale.
  'Verità al potere' fu pubblicato negli Stati Uniti nel 2017 e accompagnò l'uscita di 'Una scomoda verità 2', in cui Al Gore cerca di fare il punto della situazione a distanza di dieci anni.
  Lo scenario che ne emerge è devastante: gli avvertimenti lanciati dagli scienziati nei primi anni Duemila non hanno trovato orecchie pronte ad ascoltare e solo l'Accordo di Parigi, sottoscritto da diversi Stati nel 2015, ha avanzato timide proposte, timide non tanto nei proclami, quanto nella volontà di metterle in pratica.
  'Verità al potere' approfondisce gli argomenti trattati nel documentario; ogni sezione è accompagnata da un accurato apparato di immagini, grafici e fotografie. Appare come un manuale pratico per l'attivista ambientale, con parti dedicate alla spiegazione di come muoversi per poter fare la differenza. Vi sono poi paragrafi più tecnici, che sottolineano i vantaggi offerti dalle energie rinnovabili, e focus sulle storie di alcuni attivisti e ricercatori che stanno operando per sensibilizzare la popolazione e proporre soluzioni pratiche e vantaggiose.
  Non si tratta di un'opera che tratta l'argomento in modo sistematico, ma è un libro che mira ad avere un effetto concreto su coloro che avvertono l'esigenza di avere e di produrre risposte immediate nella lotta al cambiamento climatico.
• 
  Jeanne

  In An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power, Al Gore asks three questions about our the climate crisis: Must we change? Can we change? Will we change? He argues compellingly that the answer to the first two questions is yes. He is hopeful about the third, although hedges this response, as he admits that we cannot predict the future.
  
  I think there are two ways to read An Inconvenient Sequel, as (a) a guidebook for individual and community-based responses to the climate crisis, or (b) a guidebook for individual and community-based responses to making political change. Although other books I’ve read have focused on the larger issues, Gore’s recommendations include both the picture and the nitty-gritty. For example, in describing how to write effectively about climate change, he recommends timeliness, conciseness, and well-supported arguments. He recommends considering knowing your audience, picking the best outlet, and getting feedback about our writing. These recommendations apply well not only for writing effectively about climate change, but making any sort of persuasive argument. Advocating on abortion, poverty, racial inequities, wildlife conservation? Still good.
  
  Gore also described choosing the right venue for hosting events – that it is better to overfill a small venue than have the same number attending an event in a large venue. I went to a political event today that filled the space and was impressed – but if it had been held in a larger venue???
  
  I read An Inconvenient Sequel on a Paperwhite. I lost the color of the frequent photos and graphics and could not directly access the extensive hyperlinks to sources around the world. I highlighted the most important hyperlinks for me and will return to them, but an iPad or Fire might have been a better place to read this. On the other hand, a hard copy on your desk with 100 bookmarked tabs would also be just right – easily on hand.
  
  If you want to be converted or are already a True Believer – I am – then this book will mobilize you and help you identify ways of becoming more involved. If you are not, why are you reading my review? :)
• 
  Caos Anemos

  Verità al potere è un libro divulgativo incentrato sulla realtà del cambiamento climatico. L’opera in questione può definirsi come una sorta di ampliamento dei documentari “An inconvenient Truth” del 2006 e “An inconvenient Truth 2” del 2015, in cui si mostra come lo scenario ambientale sia cambiato e non certo migliorato. Le prove di un’emergenza climatica sono ormai visibili ai nostri occhi: l’innalzamento delle maree, l’aumento della temperatura e lo scioglimento dei ghiacciai, che rappresentano sono solo alcuni dei molteplici effetti presenti.
  Il volume si divide in diverse sezioni accompagnate da immagini, testimonianze e grafici utili per comprendere la curva esponenziale del disastro ambientale, oltre ad offrire strumenti scientifici e attendibili da poter consultare. Inoltre, grande importanza viene data agli effetti a lungo termine. Per comprenderci in una sezione si mostravano gli effetti di una possibile inondazione nella città di New York causata dall’innalzamento delle maree. Ovviamente si trattava di una previsione fatta nel 2005, in cui si ipotizzavano solo tali disastri. Tuttavia, circa sei anni dopo, tale previsione si manifestò attraverso l’uragano Sandy e questo e solo uno dei tanti esempi presenti nell’intero volume.
  Il vice presidente Al Gore abbraccia la causa ponendosi in prima linea per affrontare il problema del cambiamento climatico, rendendo la popolazione mondiale più consapevole e pronta ad agire. Proprio dopo il 2006 mette in atto il Climate Reality Project, training volti a fornire strumenti per la divulgazione e la sensibilizzazione al tema.
• 
  Lori R.

  Another book that lays out the consequences and solutions clearly and simply. I will be attending the Climate Reality Leaders Training at the end of this month and I cannot tell you how excited I am to spend a week with people who do not deny the clear scientific truth of human-caused climate change. This book heightened my excitement further. I want to learn all I can and then spread what I learn.
• 
  Diane

  The first part of the book is an extremely effective presentation of the significance of the climate crisis. I found the combination of text, charts, and graphics very helpful to grasping the issue. The second part of the book certainly had some good ideas on taking action, but I skimmed through much of it because I am not planning on the kind of activity he is proposing.
• 
  Mary

  This is a good entry point for people getting started learning about climate justice.
• 
  Deanna

  This is a companion book to the movie, meant to incite the reader to get up off the couch and do something -- really, personally do something about climate change. From what you can do at your own home all the way up to running for office, this is a step-by-step guide. Lots of pictures, lots of science, and very easy and fast to read. Should be required reading in every high school science class in America.
• 
  Sarah Nelson

  This is a great book--a comprehensive beginner's guide to climate or a refresher course on the climate crisis for those of us who are already tuned in. It's full of excellent photos, graphs, and charts that make the science clear and accessible while laying out our current, perilous trajectory with increased greenhouse gas emissions and global warming. The book has plenty of hope though, too, with lots of ideas for how, collectively, we can slow climate change through systemic changes in energy, agriculture, transportation, etc, and how, individually, we can find our voices and use our unique talents to affect political change. I like the section that gives good advice and language for conversing with climate deniers. Highly recommended as a climate change primer.
• 
  June

  This book is illustrated in such a way that it really brings home the information provided by the the experts. That information is written in an easily understood manner. It truly is an 'action handbook to learn the science...' about climate change. The book asks three questions Must we change? Can we change? Will we change? I think that the book does a great job of giving answers to the first two questions. I think that the answer to the third question really lies with the reader.
• 
  Dick Heimbold

  This book is a needed reference source for those interested in doing something about global warming. Al Gore spends a little space on the the problem and its grim realities, but his main intention is to furnish tools to those interested in solving the catastrophe that is facing the people of earth. Practical advice is given to those wanting to do something as an individual or in a group (neighborhood, business, school, etc.). There are a myriad of links and contact info for the various resources people can use at all levels. He includes inspiring anecdotes of how activists all over the world discovered their calling to help alleviate this problem and how they are fighting back—while staying optimistic.
• 
  Emily

  Great
  I got this from the library so I had to return it
  But I'm going to buy my own copy
  The back half is a handbook
  On how to talk to climate change skeptics
  How to submit a petition
  How to hold your own letter writing parties
  How to have a lower carbon footprint
  Al Gore tries to emphasize the opportunities in climate change rather than any despair
  And he soo succeeds
  You can read the whole thing in a few hours
  And the impact on your life will last a lot longer than that
  5 5 5 5 5 stars
• 
  Amy

  This book, although filled with facts, is accessible to non-academics. It includes vivid pictures, and features people from around the world that are making a difference. After you're about halfway through the book, it transitions into a guide on what we can do as individual citizens to advocate for renewable energy action and climate change education.
• 
  Ruth Feathers

  Very accessible, written at an 8th grade level. Great use of illustrations.
• 
  Val Wilson

  A frightening eye-opener n the pace and effects of climate change that has already happened.
• 
  Gina Smith

  I won this book as a Goodreads giveaway. Thank you to Goodreads, Rodale Publishing, and author, Al Gore. This book was an easy read due to print format, photos, and graphics. The topic itself is not an easy read when you think about what is happening to our planet. Gore provides stunning photographs, graphs, and facts that would make it hard to ignore the peril we find ourselves in. The book is truly an action handbook with the first section containing much background information. The second half of the book gives hundreds of ways we can make a difference personally and globally. There's samples of how to find your elected officials, and then contact them by way of tweet, call, or letter. Stunning photography is provided throughout. Gore ends the book by saying that, "never forgetting the will to change is itself a renewable resource."