Présentation de l'éditeur
It is now abundantly clear that we have at our fingertips all of the tools we need to solve the climate crisis. The only missing ingredient is collective will.
Properly understood, the climate crisis is an unparalleled opportunity to finally and effectively address many persistent causes of suffering and misery that have long been neglected, and to transform the prospects of future generations, giving them a chance to live healthier, more prosperous lives as they continue their pursuit of happiness.
Our Choice gathers in one place all of the most effective solutions that are available now and that, together, will solve this crisis. It is meant to depoliticize the issue as much as possible and inspire readers to take action—not only on an individual basis but as participants in the political processes by which every country, and the world as a whole, makes the choice that now confronts us.
There is an old African proverb that says, "If you want to go quickly, go alone; if you want to go far, go together."
We have to go far, quickly.
We can solve the climate crisis. It will be hard, to be sure, but if we can make the choice to solve it, I have no doubt whatsoever that we can and will succeed.
—AL GORE, from the introduction
Extrait
CHAPTER ONE
WHAT GOES UP MUST COME DOWN
Human civilization and the earth's ecological system are colliding, and the climate crisis is the most prominent, destructive, and threatening manifestation of this collision. It is often lumped together with other ecological crises, such as the destruction of ocean fisheries and coral reefs; the growing shortages of freshwater; the depletion of topsoil in many prime agricultural areas; the cutting and burning of ancient forests, including tropical and subtropical rain forests rich in species diversity; the extinction crisis; the introduction of long-lived toxic pollutants into the biosphere and the accumulation of toxic waste from chemical processing, mining, and other industrial activities; air pollution; and water pollution.
These manifestations of the violent impact human civilization has on the earth's ecosystem add up to a worldwide ecological crisis that affects and threatens the habitability of the earth. But the deterioration of our atmosphere is by far the most serious manifestation of this crisis. It is inherently global and affects every part of the earth; it is a contributing and causative factor in most of the other crises; and if it is not quickly addressed, it has the potential to end human civilization as we know it.
For all its complexity, however, its causes are breathtakingly simple and easy to understand.
All around the world, we humans are putting into the atmosphere extraordinary amounts of six different kinds of air pollution that trap heat and raise the temperature of the air, the oceans, and the surface of the earth.
These six pollutants, once emitted, travel up into the sky quickly. But all six of them eventually come back down to earth, some quickly, others very slowly. And as a result, the oft-cited aphorism "What goes up must come down" will work in our favor when we finally decide to solve the climate crisis.
Indeed, the simplicity of global warming causation points toward a solution that is equally simple, even if difficult to execute: we must sharply reduce what goes up and sharply increase what comes down. That's what this book is about.
The biggest global warming cause by far--carbon dioxide--comes primarily from the burning of coal for heat and electricity, from the burning of oil- based products (gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel) in transportation, and from the burning of coal, oil, and natural gas in industrial activity. Carbon dioxide produced in the burning of these fossil fuels accounts for the single largest amount of the air pollution responsible for the climate crisis. That is why most discussions of how to solve the climate crisis tend to focus on producing energy in ways that
