''Our Choice'' is a 2009 book written by former U.S. Vice President

Al Gore Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. Gore was the Democratic no ...

and published by Rodale, Inc. in Emmaus, Pennsylvania. Originally titled ''The Path to Survival'', it follows '' An Inconvenient Truth: The Planetary Emergency of Global Warming and What We Can Do About It'', a companion book to the 2006 film ''

An Inconvenient Truth ''An Inconvenient Truth'' is a 2006 American documentary film directed by Davis Guggenheim about former United States Vice President Al Gore's campaign to educate people about global warming. The film features a slide show that, by Gore's own e ...

''. All profits of the book (printed on 100% recycled paper) go to the Alliance for Climate Protection, which Gore founded in 2006.

Reception

In September 2009, ''Nature Reports Climate Change'' called the book one of its "Must-reads for

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

". Reviewing the book for ''Nature Reports Climate Change'', Joseph Romm described its content:

Whereas ''An Inconvenient Truth'' framed the crisis that climate negotiations are tackling, this followup spells out what needs to be done. Based on 30 of Gore's 'Solutions Summits' as well as one-on-one discussions with leading experts across multiple disciplines, the book aims, in Gore's words, "to gather in one place all of the most effective solutions that are available now". Gore naturally focuses on energy, the source of most anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, and discusses many underappreciated strategies such as
concentrated solar thermal power Concentrated solar power (CSP, also known as concentrating solar power, concentrated solar thermal) systems generate solar power by using mirrors or lenses to concentrate a large area of sunlight into a receiver. Electricity is generated when ...
and
cogeneration Cogeneration or combined heat and power (CHP) is the use of a heat engine or power station to generate electricity and useful heat at the same time. Cogeneration is a more efficient use of fuel or heat, because otherwise- wasted heat from elec ...
. He also devotes a full chapter to soil, a major
carbon sink A carbon sink is anything, natural or otherwise, that accumulates and stores some carbon-containing chemical compound for an indefinite period and thereby removes carbon dioxide () from the atmosphere. Globally, the two most important carbon si ...
that is gradually degrading. Farming strategies for restoring soil carbon are described, including
biochar Biochar is the lightweight black residue, made of carbon and ashes, remaining after the pyrolysis of biomass. Biochar is defined by the International Biochar Initiative as "the solid material obtained from the thermochemical conversion of ...
, a porous charcoal that can potentially enhance the soil sink while providing a source of low-carbon power. ... ''Our Choice'' is replete with lush photos and simple but powerful charts. This a must-read book for those who want a primer on all the key solutions countries will be considering at Copenhagen.

Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print magazine in 1933, it was widely ...

'' magazine published a feature on Gore and the new book on October 31, 2009, calling it "authoritative, exhaustive, reasoned, erudite, and logical, a textbooklike march through solar and wind power, geothermal energy, biofuels,

carbon sequestration Carbon sequestration is the process of storing carbon in a carbon pool. Carbon dioxide () is naturally captured from the atmosphere through biological, chemical, and physical processes. These changes can be accelerated through changes in lan ...

, nuclear energy, the potential of forests to soak up carbon dioxide,

energy efficiency Energy efficiency may refer to: * Energy efficiency (physics), the ratio between the useful output and input of an energy conversion process ** Electrical efficiency, useful power output per electrical power consumed ** Mechanical efficiency, a ra ...

, and the regulatory tangle that impedes the development of a super-efficient, continent-wide system of transmission lines.Begley, Sharon
"The Evolution of an Eco-Prophet"
''Newsweek'', October 31, 2009

Nuclear power

''Our Choice'' has a chapter entitled "The Nuclear Option". Gore explains that

nuclear power Nuclear power is the use of nuclear reactions to produce electricity. Nuclear power can be obtained from nuclear fission, nuclear decay and nuclear fusion reactions. Presently, the vast majority of electricity from nuclear power is produced ...

was once "expected to provide virtually unlimited supplies of low-cost electricity", but the reality is that it has been "an energy source in crisis for the last 30 years". Worldwide growth in nuclear power has slowed in recent years, with no new reactors and an "actual decline in global capacity and output in 2008". In the United States, "no nuclear power plants ordered after 1972 have been built to completion".Al Gore (2009). ''Our Choice'', p. 152.

Carbon capture and storage

Gore explains that the idea of "

carbon capture and sequestration Carbon capture and storage (CCS) or carbon capture and sequestration is the process of capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) before it enters the atmosphere, transporting it, and storing it (carbon sequestration) for centuries or millennia. Usually th ...

" (CCS) seems compelling, but the reality is that "decades after CCS was first proposed, no government or company in the world has built a single commercial-scale demonstration project capturing and sequestering large amounts of carbon dioxide from a power plant".Al Gore (2009). ''Our Choice'', p. 136.

References

External links

''Our Choice'' website''Our Choice'' app websiteAl Gore's ''Inconvenient Truth'' sequel stresses spiritual argument on climateElizabeth Kolbert: Al Gore and ''Our Choice''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Our Choice 2009 non-fiction books 2009 in the environment Books by Al Gore Books about politics of the United States American non-fiction books Climate change books Rodale, Inc. books

Reception

Nuclear power

Carbon capture and storage

See also

References

External links