The Guardian (UK) is announcing today that Al Gore is working on a New Book to set out Inconvenient Solutions , slated for publication on Earth Day 08. I had heard that Gore was planning to roll out a book of solutions to the climate crisis this fall. Hmmm. Clearly, there's been a change in his strategic thinking.
The Path to Survival will be published next spring to coincide with Earth Day on April 22.
According to the publisher, Rodale Books, Gore will spell out a blueprint for the changes that individuals and governments need to make to avoid catastrophic climate change.
In a statement it said the book would explain how "bold choices now to protect our environment will also create new jobs, propel sustainable economic improvements, and inspire a new generation to tackle our most challenging issues with moral leadership".
more quotes and my thoughts after the flip
First off, the title is very provocative. Gore has deliberately chosen the word survival, which implies the threat of its opposite, and he is letting it be known months ahead of the publication date, which tells me he wants to frame the discussion on climate change in even starker terms than he had until now.
According to the article the book will be
"part scientific manual, part exposé, part visionary call for a new planet-wide political movement" (and) "appeal to those who were motivated by the call to action of An Inconvenient Truth and who are now ready to fight for the solutions that were considered politically impossible only a short time ago".
And there's also this:
Meanwhile, Gore has again declined to completely rule out running for president next year.
But in an interview with 02138, a magazine for Harvard graduates, he said: "It doesn't feel right at this point." He also said he doubted he would ever completely rule out a return to politics in the future.
Reading tea leaves now, it looks to me like Gore is trying to give the other candidates every opportunity to step up and make the climate crisis their signature issue and is giving them until next spring. But I was also distinctly struck by a comment Tipper made to Vanity Fair:
Tipper says he has made zero moves that would suggest a run for the presidency, but adds that if he turned to her one night and said he had to run, she'd get on board, and they'd discuss how to approach it this time around, given what they've learned.
Tipper doesn't make comments off the top of her head. She and Al are very careful about what they say to the media. This was a shot across the bow of the other candidates: make this your top issue, bar none, or I'll have to do it for you, Gore may still decide he has to run. I hope and pray he does, because even if Chris Dodd (the only candidate so far whose policy suggestion on climate Gore has endorsed) were to go for broke on this, everyone knows he has zero chance of winning the primaries. John Edwards has been talking more about global warming, but he voted to authorize the war in Iraq and for the Patriot Act, which, even though he has apologized on his Iraw vote, make a lot of people (including me) doubt his judgement.
My take away? Gore is watching, and if no bold, visionary candidate emerges on his signature issue, if he concludes that there is no other way to get done the things he deems essential, he will jump in, even as late as next spring.