This may seem more editorial than review. But I defy you to show me a major newspaper wherein the reviewers do not editorialize. Reviews are a subjective thing and it’s easy to purport an agenda. No matter how subtle, you will be able to discern a bias when it exists. I will do no less and my biases will become apparent as well.

I’ve been reading Crichton for a long time–Andromeda Strain and Terminal Man come to mind as early readings. Being cheap-ass, I wait for the time when discounted paperback versions start to appear on the shelves; invariably I will pick up Crichton’s works as soon as they appear. I have always enjoyed his books and when I start one I generally finish it in a single read.

Having said that, I consider State Of Fear to be his weakest novel though it may be his best work of non-fiction (I’m not sure of that, I vaguely remember Electronic Life as his only non-fiction book that I’ve read). One might ask why he didn’t just make this a non-fiction work in the first place but it seems obvious to me that his novels have a ready-made audience. I’m sure the messages found within this book were seen by many who would not have otherwise noticed. You cannot blame the man for using the format that will reach the largest audience.

When I started reading, knowing Crichton’s scientific proclivities, I fully expected to be scared by another global warming scenario. And he went the opposite way! A real system shock. That is most likely what kept me reading. The story itself seemed implausible at times: the characters constantly hop flights to new locales and perform duties better handled by militia or mercenary types. But the real story lies within the story and within the dialog.

In my limited circles I am known as a tree hugger and in my small way I am a conservationist. I collect newspapers in grocery bags and take them to the recycler. Same thing with aluminum cans. I will not apologize for this. But I distrust mass movements and broadcast information that prey on our fears. And now I have another reason to avoid a common bandwagon: research that goes counter to the grain of popular perception. I’m unlikely to join either side–I look for balance always. I believe in trying to understand radical opposing views and then seeking a middle ground where the truth may or may not lay.

Crichton takes some shots at the PLM (politico-legal-media) machinery—I love it. People are being led by their nose rings and it’s refreshing to see an author cut to the chase. Not that anything will change but recognition is welcome. It continually amazes me that while individualism is proclaimed from every rooftop, in practice it is nearly nonexistent.

One thing that I particularly loathe is the deification that we give celebrity. I equate this most often with the way we are willing to worship actors. And plenty of actors are riding the “green” movement. You see it every day. An actor builds an eco-friendly house and we laud them for being so conscientious. And they hop aboard private jets to cross the country for a talk show on which they will espouse their views and promote their virtue. A Gulfstream jet carrying 12 people from Beverly Hills to San Francisco will burn 450 gallons of aviation fuel “generating more pollution per capita than most people on this planet will generate in a year” (I learned this from the book). And some egotistical actors show up at ecology fundraisers but figure their appearance is their contribution. What they are doing is gaining exposure. Free publicity. Don’t get me started here. I also have a problem with celebrities buying non-working ranch hideaways (do-gooders raising dogs) but that’s a separate discussion.

Tidbits

A few things I learned while reading “State Of Fear“:

• Global warming trends not supported by scientific studies: “Crop failures, spreading deserts, new diseases, species extinction, all the glaciers melting, Kilimanjaro, sea-level rise, extreme weather, tornadoes, hurricanes, El Niño events…”

• “Crop failure — if anything, increased carbon dioxide stimulates plant growth. There is some evidence of this happening.”

• Getting greener: the Sahara Desert has been shrinking since the 1980s which refutes the spreading deserts aspect of global warming
• 
  
• “As for new diseases–not true. The rate of emergence of new diseases has not changed since 1960.”

• There are 160,000 glaciers in the world; there is mass balance data extending five years for only 79 glaciers in the entire world. Nobody knows that they are all melting.

• Kilimanjaro has been rapidly melting since the 1800’s–long before global warming.

• The sea level has been rising four to eight inches every hundred years since the start of the Holocene. It is not rising faster now.

• Hurricane strikes over the last hundred years are clearly not increasing.

• El Nino occurs roughly every four years–twenty-three times in the last century. It has been occurring for thousands of years and long precedes any claim of global warming.

• Studies show no increase in extreme weather events over the past century. Or in the last fifteen years. And the GCMs (General Circulation Models) don’t predict more extreme weather. If anything, global warming theory predicts less extreme weather.

• Most Americans believe that crime in the country is increasing when it has actually been decreasing for twelve years. The US murder rate is as low as it was in the early 1970’s.

• One hundred fifty years ago there was less old-growth forest than there is today.

• The total weight of termites in the world are a thousand times greater than the combined weight of humans. Termites produce methane which is a more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.

• Banning DDT caused somewhere from thirty to fifty million deaths–more than Hitler. DDT was not a carcinogen and in fact was so safe you could eat it. People did eat it, for two years in one experiment. Parathion (its replacement) is unsafe and killed hundreds of farm workers who didn’t know how to handle it.

• The earth experiences a million and a half earthquakes a year, a Richter five every six hours.

• At any moment there are one thousand five hundred electrical storms across the planet. Eleven lightning bolts strike the ground every second.

• The “common knowledge” that Antarctica is melting is untrue–studies indicate about 2% of the continent is warmer but the continent as a whole is getting colder.

So what did I gain from this read? A different perspective. Do I buy it verbatim? No. Should we quit devoting time spent trying to make our world safer? Probably not. But the world changes constantly and will continue to change regardless of our puny efforts. I’ve often seen it as a race–our technologies cannot stop or go backwards so we must rush forward while trying to avoid extinction. I don’t really believe that we can ever overcome the forces of nature or truly direct the path of an evolving planet. I also know that somewhere, someone is always going to be trying.

More reading (excerpts and limited annotations):

Crichton Fans Will Embrace ‘Fear’

By Carol Memmott, USA TODAY

Review at USA Today

“State of Fear is sure to rile liberals, conservatives, environmentalists, the media, academics, lawyers, politicians, celebrities and average citizens as Crichton challenges commonly held beliefs about global warming and the environment. Are the self-proclaimed guardians of the planet, he wonders, acting on data-backed principles or reacting to inaccurate information fed to the masses by irresponsible journalists, well-meaning but ignorant tree-huggers and self-serving celebrities, scientists and lawyers?”

“When Crichton allows Fear’s do-gooders to catch their breath, they learn “the truth” about scientific studies and how scientists and environmentalists with opposing agendas can interpret data to suit their needs.”

“What makes the book so compelling is Crichton’s concern that the environmental movement has gotten off track. He blames the “politico-legal-media complex” for turning us into misinformed scaredy-cats who live in “a state of fear” about many aspects of our lives, including the environment.”

“Exploiters of the environment” include environmental and government organizations and big business. He cites their “equally dismal track records,” adding, “Everyone has an agenda. Except me.”

Beware! Tree-Huggers Plot Evil to Save World

By Michiko Kakutani