+ 03.07.2009 + “This book trumps most of our accounts of the global warming crisis, partly for its good humor and straightforward logic, and partly because the author has actually figured out what actions make sense. Changing your lightbulb will help a little, but changing the political debate will help enormously—and this book will get you started down that path.”  Bill McKibben, author The End of Nature

How is this book different from all the others?

There are already books aplenty on both sides of the issue, shouting “Believe me!”  “No, believe me!”  But the average person doesn’t know who to believe, because both arguments seem convincing.  Of course we’re too small to affect the planet.  Then again, of course there may be bad side effects of our world-scale energy technology.

My book is an attempt to provide the average, non-technical person a way to come to a decision themselves, based on their own values and experiences, about what (if anything) we should do about climate change.  Without having to decide which side to believe.

It is a simple decision-making system, rather than an argument for a point of view.

Look. I didn’t want to write a book. It was the most grueling experience of my life. But my need to safeguard my two young daughters drove a compulsion that just wouldn’t leave the issue alone.

So, “What’s the Worst That Could Happen? A Rational Response to the Climate Change Debate” is in stores July 7, and available for pre-order now at gregcraven.org. It grew out of my online video “The Most Terrifying Video You’ll Ever Seen” which had a spate of media coverage (see links below) and now has over 7.2 million views. Through a remarkable process of give-and-take with, well, pretty much the whole Internet, that one video evolved into 7 hours of follow-up videos, which then evolved into this book. So the ideas the book presents have already been honed by the critiques of literally thousands of people.

This book is my best effort to answer the question that has us all deadlocked in this debate over global warming: “When faced with contradictory statements from experts on a crucial issue, just what the heck is the over-busy lay person supposed to do??” And I think I managed to do it in a fair manner. In fact, the main criticism I got from both sides was–I went too easy on the other side! How’s that for striking the middle ground? NO ONE likes me.

If you’re curious about how I answer that question, check out the book descriptions and previews at gregcraven.org, as well as the endorsements below. But if you already know you like my stuff, then I can guarantee that you’ll really like this book. In fact, if you really want to make a big splash, order several copies as gifts for family and friends (I got this suggestion from people who’ve already done that, sight unseen!), and/or forward this email to others.

Why would buying several copies or even just forwarding this email make a splash? Because the first printing is only 15,000 copies. With the viral nature of email communications, if you forwarded this to dozens of people, and each of them to dozens, it’s conceivable that we could sell out the first printing even before the release date! Just imagine the impact that would have on catapulting my silly little decision grid into the national debate! “Whaaaat? This unknown author has sold out his book, just with pre-orders?? What in the world is going on here??” That would make NEWS, baby! What a fun thought!

So, if you’re willing, go to gregcraven.org and pre-order the book. If you liked my videos, then you can order the book without ever browsing it and still be confident that you will love it. This book is the symphony that arose from the clumsy warm-up notes of my videos.

Then forward this email like crazy. There’s even a video trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7e10ZNpogv4 that you can send to people. Sure, I may be deluded about how valuable and unique the book is, and maybe you’ll end up ticking off some family and friends with the unwanted spam. But how big of a risk is that compared to the risk of not getting this decision–what to do or not do about global warming–correct?

If ever there was a time to risk being uncomfortable or inconvenienced because the potential payoff is so big, now is it. Because whatever you think will happen with global warming–a boondoggle that tanked the economy with unneeded action, or a threat to civilization in our lifetime–you’ve got to admit … we’re currently running the experiment. And no matter what the result, we’re in the test tube.

Isn’t it worth looking into further? Thanks so much for reading this and considering my request. Most Sincerely, Greg Craven Corvallis, Oregon, USA

Greg Craven 2009