Book review: The Future – Al Gore (2014)

Al Gore, the former US vice-president behind An Inconvenient Truth, explores the political, social and economic forces that are shaping the world in The Future. He examines the ‘drivers of change’ and sets out the potential dangers of each.

Six themes are identified as driving change, including communications, the shifting of power from the west to east and climate change.

Whilst some of these bring benefits they also have the potential to be dangerous. For example, in the case of communication, the interconnectivity of data and the internet has made people’s personal information vulnerable.

Gore also explores the impact of climate change and the threat that we could potentially create irreversible damage. For each theme, he also sets out possible solutions and with climate change this includes governments taking action to reduce carbon emissions and introducing subsidies for renewable energy sources.

The arguments in The Future are well thought out and presented allowing readers to see the reasoning behind the concerns raised and solutions offered. The book complies its data of scientific and social research in a reference section giving readers an opportunity to look at the information more in-depth and form their own opinions.

The Future takes a compelling look at the forces that are currently shaping the planet and the possible impacts they will have. The book will make readers think about the large-scale drivers that are set to have a defining impact.