Review of The Future: Six Drivers of Global Change by Al Gore

Abstract

The latest book by Al Gore, former US Vice-President and Nobel Peace Prize winner, does a good job of explaining and discussing many problems facing the world today, citing the latest research and experts from many fields. However, he limits his discussion because he argues for what he terms “sustainable capitalism.” Thus, his prescriptions for change fall short of fundamental solutions. He correctly identifies many environmental, political, and economic problems and issues and does a good job of linking them into a coherent whole, but he refuses to take his arguments to their logical conclusion—that the system itself is a major part of the problem and needs to be transformed. He is erudite and sophisticated in his approach to the crises faced by the entire world, and proposes many technological and political fixes, but his commitment to capitalism undercuts his arguments.

Keywords:

• climate change
• environment
• global warming
• sustainable capitalism