Boiling Point

In The New York Times, Al Gore reviews the book Boiling Point, by Ross Gelbspan. The review is well-written, and the book sounds like it is also. Three points in the review especially struck me. First, the book mentions how mountain glaciers are melting rapidly. I worked for six years in a national park in Alaska, and I remember experiencing the same thing on a personal level, visiting glaciers I had seen years earlier and having to hike a half-mile or more higher up the valley to find the terminus.

I also thought Gelbspan summed up the Bush administration's approach to global warming perfectly: ''corruption disguised as conservatism.'' Back in the early 90's, I remember thinking that Reagan's big failure was his delay in recognizing that glasnost and Gorbachev were real changes, while Bush 41's big failure was his inaction in the face of global warming. To do nothing now, after twelve more years of scientific confirmation, is inexcusable.

Finally, Gelbspan blames environmentalists for not concentrating enough on global warming. He may have a point there as well, one that we environmentalists shouldn't forget.

I guess I'll have to actually read the book, instead of just blabbing about it.