Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Bill McKibbin was an early, eloquent and effective voice in drawing attention to the reality of climate change. For that, we all owe him a lot. Unfortunately, this book adds little to the ongoing discussions of what to do and detracts from his legacy. First, it is weak journalism. In discussing science, rather than go to primary sources (peer-reviewed research papers), he quotes the popular literature. Just look at what passes for citations at the end of the book: They are virtually all magazines and newspapers. So McKibbin here is a tertiary source: First there are the real data from the scientist; then there are reported and interpreted data from a reporter; and then there is McKibbin. This is weak, derivative reporting. It is especially a problem when he wades into new topics (for him): genetic engineering and artificial intelligence. These chapters are superficial; there are many good books out there on these two topics. He adds nothing. Second, while opinion is certainly appropriate and McKibbin is passionate, he often lapses into ad hominem attacks on people he disagrees with, be they politicians or oil company executives. One has the feeling that he is saying, "I'm an important guy and it's OK for me to call someone names". This adds little to discourse and detracts from his ultimate message. Throughout the book, he looks back at his 30 years of advocacy, expressing wonderment at how it has all transpired and expressing confidence in the new, younger leaders in the movement to combat climate change. Time to pass the torch.