Earlier this week, I had the good fortune to attend a talk here in Washington, DC, by former Vice-President Al Gore on “The Future, Six Drivers of Global Change.” This is the title of his latest book, which had just appeared. The talk was sponsored by my favorite bookstore, “Politics and Prose.”
Mr. Gore is an excellent speaker, and I enjoyed hearing his vision of the future. The six drivers of global change, which are reflected in the chapter titles of the book, are Earth Inc. (the global economy, outsourcing, and robosourcing), the global mind (a planet-wide digital network and the “world brain”), power in the balance (the changing political equilibrium), outgrowth (natural resources and the integrity of our ecological system), the reinvention of life and death (the Life Sciences Revolution), and the edge (climate change). I will not try to summarize his theses, the book is worth your time if you are interested in this sort of things, and the price is right (US $30).
My first move after acquiring the book was to check the Index, to see whether mathematics would be mentioned. I was not disappointed: one double entry “mathematics, mathematicians, xix, 209”. The text on page xix refers to the nature of fractal equations and the phenomenon of “self-sameness.” (I think we prefer the term “self-similarity”.) Alas, the text on page 209 is in the context of a discussion of the US educational system and its waning in “science, math, and engineering.” But Mr. Gore talked at length about complex systems using the right terms and about our climate system using the right numbers, so I am fairly confident that he has the facts correct. Anyway, the book is recommended reading for all mathematicians (and others) interested in Planet Earth in 2013 and beyond.