Our Choice: A Plan to Solve the Climate Crisis

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Our Choice: A Plan to Solve the Climate Crisis

3.99 of 5 stars 3.99 · rating details · 407 ratings · 81 reviews

A co-recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007 for his environmental work, Vice President Al Gore illuminates the real solutions to the climate crisis and describes a comprehensive global strategy to implement them urgently.

Our Choice will pick up where An Inconvenient Truth left off and provide a blueprint for solving the global climate crisis and drawing on Mr. Gore’s 4...more

Paperback, 416 pages

Expected publication: December 31st 2035 by Random House Canada (first published January 1st 2009)

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Sep 06, 2012 Sérgio rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012

Informative, clear, well written and effective at passing a message. That message is that human society will gain a lot from facing now its current environmental challenges, instead of delaying action. The first step is to admit there is a challenge to face, but by now that should be already clear to anyone interested in basing their opinions on facts, so Al Gore prefers to focus instead on the many different options available to overcome it.

The overall tone of the book is optimistic, but it re...more

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Dec 03, 2009 Kathleen rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: math-science, non-fiction, political, read-in-2009

I usually don't like books organized in columns with inserts because they remind me of textbooks which have an inherently boring quality. That said, this particular book was perfectly organized. The art--photographs, diagrams, and charts--were utterly beautiful. The information was substantiated, factual, and interesting enough to engross even those already knowledgeable about the topic.

So this is a wonderful book about what people can and must do to solve the climate issues facing our species,...more

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Dec 06, 2009 Guy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ecology, science-and-technology, politics, business

This is not a perfect book, but it is an important book. A friend of mine described it as a sort of global warming overview -- almost everything of relevance to the subject is touched on somewhere inside. It is written for the general public, but it doesn't talk down to the reader, nor does it unduly simplify.

If you think you know all about global warming, you should read this book as a completeness check. If you know you don't know all about global warming, you should read the book as an intro...more This is not a perfect book, but it is an important book. A friend of mine described it as a sort of global warming overview -- almost everything of relevance to the subject is touched on somewhere inside. It is written for the general public, but it doesn't talk down to the reader, nor does it unduly simplify.

If you think you know all about global warming, you should read this book as a completeness check. If you know you don't know all about global warming, you should read the book as an introductory course to provide yourself with the concepts, technology, and basic facts that will serve as a structure into and onto which you can bolt everything else you subsequently learn about ecology, geoengineering, peak oil (and other resources), sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, and many other related issues.

In fact, everyone should read this book. Unfortunately, relatively few will, and most of those who do won't be those who most need to do so. Why not? Oh, many reasons. I'm most familiar with the US, so I'll focus on it, but similar lists can be made in many other countries of the world. Here are the groups in the US who most need to read it (but won't), from the most powerful to the seemingly powerless:

o Republican legislators should read it because they are blocking meaningful climate change legislation in Congress. But they won't read it because Gore's a Democrat and destroying Democrats in order to regain political power is far more important than learning how they might save a livable world for their children.

o Conservative opinion makers in the media should read it because they are creating the global warming denier movement through their inaccurate and biased coverage. But either they won't read it for the same reason as Republican politicians, or because they no longer see it as their role to judge and assess truth or falsehood, or if they do read it they'll have ideological blinkers on and will primarily be cherrypicking for minor mistakes or things that can be taken out of context to discredit both the author and the subject.

o Titans of the oil and gas and coal industries, and industrial agriculture and consumer goods companies, should read it because they are funding charlatans and think tanks to cast doubt on the existence of global warming. But they won't read it because it's not relevant to making more money and that's really all they care about (Hey, the rich will inherit the earth, right? Or at least, that small part of it that will still be habitable. So better get as rich as you can as quickly as possible...).

o Ordinary Republican voters should read it because their votes are keeping just enough Republicans in Congress to make sure that nothing will be done to mitigate global warming. But they won't read it because they've been told by their political representatives, and the media personalities they watch and read and listen to, and in some cases by their preachers too, that Gore's a liar, and he's only out to make a buck through book sales and driving up the share prices of the wind and solar companies in which he has invested, and anyway global warming is a hoax the world is really cooling, and didn't God gave the Earth to Mankind to do as they wish, and why bother if the Rapture is just round the corner, and the Bible says nothing about global warming does it?

o And lastly the vast numbers of Americans who don't vote should read it because in their case no decision is a decision in favor of the ruinous status quo. But they won't read it because when they aren't working in their dead-end jobs they are sitting in front of televisions an average of 5 hours a day, consuming ever greater mountains of junk food and rivers of soda, becoming more and more obese, and sinking deeper and deeper into debt... and frankly they just don't have the time or energy to think or learn about what their lifestyles are doing to the planet.

But you know who might read this book? Young people. Not young children, but say from about 12 onwards, especially if they are guided by thoughtful teachers in their schools. And some of those children will go home to their Republican or non-voting parents and ask them why they aren't doing anything to save the world. Most of them will get slapped down, one way or another, but some won't. And maybe, just maybe, that will make a difference.

So, if you know a teacher who hasn't read this book, or a young person whose parents probably either don't vote or vote Republican, think about giving them a copy of "Our Choice" this holiday season. It's a very democratic (with a small "d") thing to do.(less)

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Mar 09, 2012 Kim Olson rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This multimedia version of Al Gore's Our Choice (available as an iPad app) lays out a nice overview of the global warming crisis. The eBook delves into various forms of alternative energy, and shares how each one works, including its pros and cons.

Gore and his team did a great job of bringing this information to vibrant life via a range of multimedia elements, from photos and video, to interactive infographics and animations. The mutimedia helps are well-chosen and well-wrought. Animations show,...more

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Jun 05, 2011 Spencer added it

Shelves: reading-2010-2011

This is probably one of the most powerful and mind-shifting non-fiction books I have ever read in my life. Al Gore perfectly informs us on what will happen to this earth if we don't stop all these emissions and the general pollution we let out into the air every day. It's a perfect story of cause and effect, our uncaring actions as humans will end up to be our own death, and Al Gore demonstrates this in such a beautiful way, instead of talking about the results and what will happen to human kind...more

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Nov 19, 2009 Nicole added it Recommends it for: Slightly Smarter Than Average...or geeked out Al fans

Shelves: hbs-events

I've talked about this event so often in person, that typing about it seems like overkill. So here are the bullet points.

*The crowd was my favorite kind of crazy- flashing Gore pins and passionate about the environment, waiting in line (in the COLD) 2 hours in advance, entitled and informed.

*The team was a machine. We whipped the millions of people through his signing line like a candy sorting factory assembly line. (Oh yeah, stew over that visual for a bit)

*Al was just exactly like he is- stiff...more

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Jan 17, 2011 Nina rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction

Since I was assigned to read this book in class, I didn't know what to expect from it. My general impression is that this book couldn't decide whether it wanted to be a textbook or a coffee table book. The information is sound, but for the most part it is dryly accounted (à la textbook style). The photographs are lovely, but inserted in such a way that they are distracting to the reader - actually, there are way too many distractions: inset quotes, tables, charts, and images that force you to br...more

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May 10, 2013 Kate Mollohan rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was a really pretty book, the photos and the layout and the size. (This is how you can tell I'm a bibliophile, I am giddy to find "pretty"books.)
Of course it goes without saying that Al Gore gives accurate scientific information about climate change and all of the effects we are bound to feel (and most certainly will, as today we learned that we passed 440 ppm of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere; the tipping point was 370-390). If you want to read about climate change in simple and startlin...more

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Apr 23, 2012 Greg Brown rated it 5 of 5 stars

It's weird: this is a book where the writing is merely ok, but it threads a very difficult rhetorical needle with aplomb. Gore basically lays out the many facets of the problem: what sources are contributing to the issues, what proposed solutions that do or don't look promising, and then surprisingly delves into the deeper questions of why this crisis even became a crisis at all. It's easily the best one-stop book on global warming, and is remarkably insightful. Even though I knew pretty much al...more

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Dec 13, 2009 Todd Martin rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: environment-science

With a new administration that uses science to inform political decisions (as opposed to distorting science to catapult the propaganda) Al Gore sees an opportunity for the US to finally take action to reduce CO2 and curb climate change. His new book 'Our Choice' looks at two aspects of the science behind the issue - energy production and carbon sequestration. On the energy generation front gore delves into many of the benefits and hurdles that clean energy technology (such as solar, windpower, a...more

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Dec 04, 2009 Jay rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book provides an excellent review of strategies to address the clinate crisis and the supporting data for it. What it lacks is specific actions that we can take as individuals or as members of society to take action on these issues. THe plan to address this is an online climate solutions wiki. THis makes sense since issues and solutions will evolve over time, but as of this writing even the first cut is a work in progress.

THe book makes clear a point maide by Thomas Friedman in "Hot, Flat...more

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Jun 25, 2010 Serena rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Our Choice: A Plan to Solve the Climate Crisis by Al Gore is not what readers will expect. The foreword is read by Al Gore himself, but the remainder of the audio is narrated by Cynthia Nixon and John Slattery in alternating chapters. Many will expect this volume to talk about how to save the planet, but some may mistakenly think that this is a practical guide for the average American. Upon listening to the audio, however, readers will quickly realize that it is geared at providing larger scale...more

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Feb 02, 2010 Glenn rated it 5 of 5 stars

Gives up to date info on where we stand on global warming. Lots of good things covered, like the population of our planet, which isn't normally covered in environmental books. On the other hand, it's a little sad when his proof pretty much shows that a change in U.S. governmental policies could fix almost everything, and currently, all the groups doing what they can, does so little, comparatively. At some level, makes me feel like I have no power, no matter what I do, unless I'm able to get the...more

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Jun 15, 2011 António Lopes rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is the handbook that was missing in the "An inconvenient truth" feature documentary. The documentary was all about telling people how bad the planet was, climate-wise. It was alarming but it wasn't very informative regarding our options or our choices (we won't change global warming just by changing lightbulbs). This book fulfills that purpose by exposing every possible alternatives while discussing its pros and cons and it does so quite well (with a few exceptions).
I read the iPad app vers...more

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Dec 25, 2009 Kathrynn rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Everyone

Shelves: nonfiction-general, own, 2009, reviewed

I enjoyed Mr. Gore's An Inconvenient Truth so much I grabbed this one off the shelf as soon as I saw it. Another winner and eye opener for me.

Our Choice spun right off of An Inconvenient Truth in that the format, style, pictures, graphics are excellent. What Our Choice did was dive right into...well... our choices on how to protect the environment. Mr. Gore explains older technology and why what we thought would be great didn't turn out that way. He mentions ideas he once sponsored and how--at...more I enjoyed Mr. Gore's An Inconvenient Truth so much I grabbed this one off the shelf as soon as I saw it. Another winner and eye opener for me.

Our Choice spun right off of An Inconvenient Truth in that the format, style, pictures, graphics are excellent. What Our Choice did was dive right into...well... our choices on how to protect the environment. Mr. Gore explains older technology and why what we thought would be great didn't turn out that way. He mentions ideas he once sponsored and how--at the time--he thought they were excellent, but as time proved them not so great he had to acknowledge that fact. He introduces new technology and expands on potential energy saving methods. I found it all fascinating. Answered many of my questions as to why wind energy isn't around more. Why geothermal? Why aren't others hooking up to their own energy sources? CHP. How our electric companies reward for using more energy and punish for reusing excess energy. Vehicles! Only 6% of the energy goes into making them go. Most is wasted and burned off. That needs to change.

Also, throughout the book, Mr. Gore pointed out how other countries were doing much more than the United States on protecting the environment. This was very upsetting to me. The United States has taken a back seat on the environment and I was shocked to learn that we pay China over 50 billion dollars a year on interest only for loans they make to us so we can buy oil from the middle east.

I was shocked to learn that when President Obama was elected the oil companies added an enormous amount of lobbyists to their payrolls. I was shocked to learn the oil companies are controlling Congress using similar strategies as the Tobacco Industry years ago. "Denial ain't just a river in Egypt!" I was shocked and very disappointed to read how President's Bush and Reagan set up road blocks on finding better, cleaner ways to create energy.

There is a picture of a home design that could greatly decrease our need for energy. Having white roofs! How the sun reflecting from the ice or white roofs can help.

Neat ideas. Google Meter Reading that can show individuals how much energy they are using RIGHT NOW. Other great ideas that can be done NOW and thought about long term down the road.

Excellent book. (less)

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Jul 05, 2012 James rated it 4 of 5 stars

The only meaningful and effective solutions to the climate crisis involve massive changes in human behavior and thinking.

…and therein lies the problem. Wonderful as this book may be, as beautifully designed, coherently organized and broad in scope it is, I can’t help but be terrified. Not of impending disaster, but of the effort needed to follow Gore’s advice. The changes required of us are met by forces so fundamental to our culture that they pre date our country.

Just as support for renewable energy rises with oil prices, we respond to the message from people like Gore, who are genuinely trying to educate the public. But that owl eyed gusto we conjure up when gas prices kick us in the balls deflates so quickly when oil is cheap again. And while awareness is growing, I worry that actual, quantifiable change stands to fail because it faces a country (and largely a planet) that solely defines success in terms of profit; that rewards farmers on bushels produced rather than carbon sequestered, as Gore (probably naively) suggests could happen; that stands helpless under the shadow of oil companies so massive that they exceed the GDP of small nations.

In one of the chapters, Gore discusses the bizarre opposition to the science, and shows quite clearly how oil companies are putting early 90’s cigarette propaganda to shame in their climate change disinformation campaigns. And from their point of view, can you blame them? Don’t get me wrong, no one but those who work for Exxon, and I guess some zealous conservatives can logically defend anyone raping our natural resources...yet so much of our policy is and always has been in their favor.

My irrelevant thoughts aside, this is an easy, informative read. You’ll learn through nice infographics and fairly clear (if occasionally characteristically dry prose) all sorts of things about the causes and sources of climate change, and great information about the methods proposed and technologies available to combat it.(less)

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Jun 05, 2010 Keith Akers rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is essentially a coffee-table book -- lots of nice pictures, words, and graphs. It does not appear to be intended to be read straight through, and I didn't, but I think you could. (I mean, I've seen the movie, I actually read "Earth in the Balance," what more does he have to add?) I read the parts that were interesting, about 1/2, which was more than I initially thought it would be. It's a faster read than you think because there are so many pictures. You start on a section to delve into th...more

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Apr 12, 2012 Mrs. McGregor rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya, non-fic

The Young Reader edition of Al Gore's Our Choice is not new, but important to highlight. This book takes the very complex issues of climate change and the solutions Gore calls us to enact and makes them engaging and understandable to middle grade-and-older readers. I found this book informative and interesting as an adult, and it is a great resource for inquiry projects around climate change and conservation in school libraries.

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Nov 27, 2009 Jeanettehoff rated it 5 of 5 stars

It's Educational and Sensational. No stretching the truth, things are really interconnected and a fantastic opportunity exists if everyone can pull together and change it up.

I learned so much of the green energy/capitalist society/pavlovian response in this primer I am going to explore more.

Only criticism of the book is the jacket picture Tipper took has Al with enough make up on to look like he's just changed out of drag.

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Feb 28, 2012 Bobbi rated it 4 of 5 stars

I liked this one because it helped me better understand both the fallout of global warming, say, desertification that squeezes out crop land, and clean energy options that can solve many problems.
Gore's been accused of geekiness, but it helps here: He takes the time in this book to explain how PVs, carbon sequestration, geothermal power etc. actually work.
I use it like a reference book, because I trust the information. (Some is dated.)

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Dec 03, 2009 Nicholas rated it 4 of 5 stars

A thorough account of all the alternative energy options at our disposal, the current degree of implementation, rate of current growth and economic competitiveness. Ranging from promising solar to dead-end sequestration, emerging wind farms to second generation nuclear, global grids to CHP enhanced plants and factories, this book truly lives up to the name given filled with an abundance of illustriously related photography.

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Nov 24, 2012 Olivia Brash rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, nonfiction

This book is great for young readers who want to help stop global warming.
Gore explains what we can do to decrease the amount of greenhouse gasses in the air. As it may seem this book is for the adults who want to undo what they've done, I say it's not. Al Gore's "Our Choice: How We Can Solve the Climate Crisis" is great and gives you great ideas for changing the world.

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Mar 13, 2010 Kerry rated it 5 of 5 stars

Even the 'children's version' is informative. Very good read. Interesting to learn how energy works, how turbines work, how other countries are helping to stop global warming. Lots being done in many countries other than our own. So that can be hopeful to those who are anxious about our planet's future. Does not draw party lines or blame any party - in case anyone is concerned about that.

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Mar 30, 2013 Felipe Silva rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book is very inspiring! It shows all issues that arised with the industrial age and it's very informative (with wonderful pictures and infographs) about many solutions that could solve them. If you care about the world you live in and haven't read a lot about global warming, "Our Choice" is the book for you!

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Sep 30, 2012 Dara Salley rated it 2 of 5 stars

I really wanted to like this book. I like Al Gore and his message. This book, however, was dull. There is no way to get around it. It's full of gorgeous images and graphics but it's basically a partisan science textbook.

I'll say this for the book though, it gave me a warm fuzzy feeling. I'm generally a doom-and-gloom environmentalist who feels that there is no hope for humanity. Gore is very persuasive in his argument for hope through science. Only time will tell. In the meantime I'm going to ke...more

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Jul 29, 2011 Catherine Woodman added it · review of another edition

On the one hand, it is kind of pedantic more than it is literature, but on the other hand, it patiently explains why this all matters and what we can do about it, and in plain language that is understandable. I wish we could make it required reading for everyone, then start the diaglogue about what we should do.

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Aug 05, 2010 Reid rated it 4 of 5 stars

The most impressive thing about this book, more than its content, is the design of the entire package. The whole book is image-rich, with lots of large-font quotes and impressive photos. In a way, it really echos Gore's Inconvenient Truth presentation in its use of high-quality images and 3-D renderings of how hydroelectric turbines or solar hot water heaters work.

The book, above all else, tries to show that there are solutions to the climate crisis and that the technology to implement them alre...more

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Apr 17, 2011 Antonia rated it 5 of 5 stars

Great overview of the climate crisis. Excellent insight and suggestions as to how we as a society can change our behaviors (industry behaviors especially), to make our planet greener and economically prosperous at the same time. Compelling pictures to go along with the arguments.

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May 04, 2011 Craig rated it 4 of 5 stars

I am not a big fan of the content of the book (I don't think it is whole picture, just snapshots), but reading this in an interactive iPad application was an amazing experience. The future of books! Embedded video, interactive charts, audio explanations; fantastically built!

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Feb 01, 2010 Josh Atwood rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction

Al Gore continues to be a champion for the earth and our civilization into the future. This book really brought forth the answers to many of the climate crisis problems. And gives hope to anyone concerned. The politics are discussed but really it is solutions to keep America in front on alternative energy technologies. It has empowered me to think about ways i can help achieve a cleaner planet, in my actions everyday. I believe everyone can benefit from this read.

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About Al Gore

Albert Arnold "Al" Gore, Jr. was the forty-fifth Vice President of the United States, serving from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. Gore also served in the U. S. House of Representatives (1977–85) and the U. S. Senate (1985–93), representing Tennessee. Gore was the Democratic nominee for president in the 2000 election, ultimately losing to the Republican candidate George W. Bush in spite...more

More about Al Gore...

Books by Al Gore

An Inconvenient Truth: The Planetary Emergency of Global Warming and What We Can Do About It

Earth in the Balance: Ecology and the Human Spirit

The Future: Six Drivers of Global Change

An Inconvenient Truth: The Crisis of Global Warming: Teen Edition

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