Al Gore has it right on - this book is a must read for anyone that cares about our planet and its people! He presents interesting facts, but balances the shock and awe terror of the crisis the world faces with a human touch - perfect title for this work. I found myself underlining, noting, and highlighting so much of this book that there is hardly a blank page in it. Please read this book and live your life thinking about the Earth in Balance.

A pioneer book on the topic of global warming and our actions. One of my favorite books of all time. Gore was trained as a journalist and shows his ability to write a great book.

I shudder to think that our destructive habits have worsened since "Earth in Balance's" conception in '92. "Earth in Balance" is laden with emotive stories and facts, proceeded by Gore's proposed solutions. Gore's occasional attempts to harmonize religion and environmentalism both impress and amuse, as it has become apparent during the current conservative presence that we must de-polarize the two to achieve success.

The book is far from brief, which, in all honesty, could turn several desired audiences from reading. A bit of condensing could be beneficial. Gore's movie is a much better "baby step" for hopeful converts, but overall I feel it's an crucial read -- for motivation, responsibility, self-education, and for the imperative action we must take to resolve this environmental dilemma.

Can be a tough read because it is stiffly written in places, but worth the effort.

I have 3 different editions.

An excellent piece of work by Mr. Gore. Although I commiserate his electoral loss, I appreciate his taking the opportunity to produce this work. I agree with the cover, an outstanding piece of leadership in our time of need. I have a new found respect for Mr. Gore. It is depressing that since this book was published, progress has not been meted out to meet the need. If you feel that you want or need to address the global environmental imbalance, this is an excellent resource to put it all in context as well as giving insights and examples of what you can do on an individual level. And if you're already there, the book gives examples of next steps of what one can do as well as directions to take the fight. Note that this book is not comprised of case studies, but rather a discourse of Mr. Gore's experience and his personal views. The examples are given as illustrative elaborations of his concepts. I want to give this book five stars, but I can't: I was able to put it down and wait till I had time to finish it later. Nonetheless, I strongly advocate reading this book.

A well thought out and expressed cry for global caring and compassion.

This book is now decades-old, and for the historical perspective alone it is worth perusing, and to those who truly care it is worth paying CLOSE attention to.
It feels prophetic, and saddens the reader that no one heeded the so-obvious warning signs we were then given, that we are in the state we are in now.

I always hear how extreme Al Gore is on the environment, but reading this book it shows me that everyone else hasn't been taking environmental issues seriously enough. This book was a book about the current events and it is a little difficult to read because of that, but surprisingly most of the problems he points out are still problems. I think anyone who doesn't agree with an environmentalist's point of view should read this book and look at the facts that are pointed out. This is not just a book on crazy prophecies, but instead it is well researched and thought out almost academic. I would recommend this book to someone who wants to get involved with current environmental issues, and is a democrat. I also really enjoyed his take on history and the environment, especially how he addressed his critics through historical fact and philosophy.

An informative read on the pollution and toxins we foolishly produce that hurts the place we live.

the accumulation of material goods is at an all-time high, but so is the number of people who feel an emptiness in their lives.
p222

the false promise at the core of addiction is the possibility of experiencing the vividness and immediacy of real life without having to face the fear and pain that are also part of it.
p222

There was only one class in Environmental Policy when I was Harvard. I took it, and we read this book.

The better story was about the professor. He'd gone to live with a tribe of people in Africa who subsisted entirely on sweet potatoes. Unfortuntately, due to his portly figure, he had to leave the community as he needed too many yams & their supply was suffering.

Also, my final paper was on disposable versus washable diapers. I had an anxiety attack as I had accumulated so much information on the subject that I couldn't make any sense out of the debate. The paper was, uh, a miserable failure.