 Funny, entertaining and very, very wise. Craven cuts through the confusion about global warming |
| Review Date: July 16, 2009 |
| Reviewer: N. PALMER, Jersey, C.I. |
I cannot recommend this book enough; it's based on a wildly popular and critically acclaimed set of videos originally aired on YouTube which garnered many millions of hits on various websites.How It All Ends (Single Disc Edition)
Greg Craven has the spark of genius in the way he cuts through all the confusing "it will, it won't, it will too!". On the one hand we have clever wordy scientists and on the other, crafty manipulative, articulate global warming deniers (Ok, I'm a little biased on this one!) and the poor ordinary bloke doesn't know who to believe in the shouting match. He/she just wants to know what's the best bet to protect their loved family and friends. They don't want to risk damaging the economy but they also don't want to risk ruining the planet that their kids will grow up in. How on earth can they decide what's best?
This book will show how you don't need to be an expert to make your own sensible decisions using the sort of ordinary risk assessment techniques that we all use when we cross the road or buy house or car insurance.
Craven basically looks at what each side in the debate is claiming and looks at what will happen if they are wrong and then shows what the consequences would be for us all. Instead of trying to work out definitively who is right, which is very difficult as shown by the many complicated books available that try to, Craven clearly shows that asking what happens if one or the other side is wrong gives a very simple, yet brilliant, way of deciding what the best bet is when deciding what to do, or not do, about it.
This "risk assessment" method might sound dry and dull but Greg is often very funny and he is a natural communicator (he's a science teacher with the gift of humour). It's rather like Carl Sagan meets Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy! You won't see the chemical explosions special effects or the funny hats featured in the videos but the book has other fun stuff too. Not to mention loads of "Dohhh!! why didn't I (or the government!) think of that?" moments.
Greg got to write this book based on the success of the "How It All Ends" videos which were in turn based on his original 10 minute YouTube video "The Most Terrifying Video You'll Ever See". A firestorm of critics descended on that one but Craven didn't give up - he used every helpful or savage critical comment to make his argument stronger. By using the power of the critical Internet crowds he is now pretty sure that EVERY counter-argument has been addressed and answered... This book goes beyond even his original "bulletproof" argument.
This just might be the very first time that "crowd sourcing" (A.K.A the wisdom of crowds) has been utilised to this extent to refine and polish an argument. The result has been called brilliant.
This is not just another global warming book. This is for everyone. It's funny and entertaining and, above all else, wise - you will say "YES!, why didn't I think of that - that is so obvious now!" as Greg cuts though the confusion and finds the light switch to clarify matters so clearly that anyone can understand them.
A valuable side effect of the risk assessment system that Craven sketches out is that the very same methods can be used in all sorts of other situations in life to make decisions where the outcome is uncertain, or if there is not quite enough info to give a 100% definite answer based on the known facts.
This book is deeper than the videos but seeing Greg in full flow is a joy that you will want to pass on to others, so I recommend you take a look at the videos too.How It All Ends (Single Disc Edition)
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Great for educators!
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| Review Date: July 18, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Keith Kie, Santa Barbara, CA USA |
| This book is outstanding for educators looking to teach their students about risk management and climate change. The value in its critical thinking skills development is worth the cost alone. I highly recommend it to everyone. |
The Most Valuable Thing For Our Future
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| Review Date: July 19, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Alexander Peterson, |
| Whether you are already convinced of the threat of climate change and want to learn how to help correct it (or want to help convince someone else) or a skeptic who wants to make absolutely sure of your convictions, or even someone who doesn't care about the climate change debate at all, you will take something from this book. Craven presents, in a clear and easy-to-digest way, a new way of thinking about not only the issue at hand, but any sort of difficult decision. If you want to train your mind to think better, please buy this book. And one for your sibling. And cousin. And friend. And co-worker. And someone you see on the street. |
Not Like the Others
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| Review Date: July 19, 2009 |
| Reviewer: L. Siska, |
We all lead busy lives so it is tempting to leave the big issues to the major players - the government, the experts, big business. But if there is a lesson to be learned from the current mess our economy is in, it is that when we leave it to the big guys, we may not like what we get! That's why I find this to be such a timely book. Whether you are of the camp that global climate change is a disaster that will suck us all into a black hole of doom, whether you believe that it is the biggest hoax ever perpetrated on the American public and that `warmers' are the equivalent of domestic terrorists, or whether you are too busy to have given it much thought one way or the other, it is important to have a well-considered opinion on what may be the most important issue of our times.
While Craven does have an opinion (he fesses up early on), this book is not about what he believes, nor is it an attempt to persuade you to his opinion. This book is about using critical thinking skills to reach a rational, informed opinion of your very own. For me, the opening chapters on tools for thinking are his best. I don't know if these skills are being taught in our schools, but they should be. These are skills that can be put to work, not just in the global climate change debate, but in our daily lives -- and could save us a lot of grief.
For example, we are all subject to confirmation bias (just one of the hazards of being human). But if we allow our bias to blind us to all evidence contrary to our opinion, we do ourselves a great disservice. Greg puts it this way, "Confirmation bias is worse than a thief who just takes your money. It's a con man who tricks you into happily volunteering your money because you think you're getting a great deal - and you thank him for it! What a shyster!"
As far as I can tell, this book is unique in the genre -- Craven comes at the issue from an entirely new perspective. And it's easy-to-read - he is not your academic with pages of footnotes and copious citations. Craven has a whacky sense of humor (if you've seen his YouTube videos, you know what I mean!) and a `guy next door' approach. Well worth it! |
Making sense of the climate debate
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| Review Date: July 17, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Steven J. Sonnen, Seattle, WA USA |
| What's the Worst That Could Happen, by Greg Craven, doesn't tell you what you should think about the global warming debate, but rather provides you with a set of logical tools that allow you to make your own evaluation. Mr. Craven mixes humor with exhaustive research on climate change in a manner that is both entertaining and informative. Craven's approach encourages people to take action on the global climate issue, as opposed to just continuing to argue about the validity of various data sources. We are never going to have perfect information about the future, so how can you decide what course to take? Well, reading Craven's book is a good first step. |
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