In the opening of his book The Republican Brain, author Chris Mooney describes the tragic tale of the Marquis De Condorcet, a 16th century scholar and philosopher who played an instrumental role in the early stages of the foundation of the new Democratic government following the French Revolution. Condorcet was an eloquent, impassioned idealist of the Enlightenment, a man who fervently believed that the widespread dissemination of facts and reasoned arguments to the populace at large populace would stamp out the spread of politicized disinformation and divisive rhetoric that plagues the advancement of a free society. His vision was as naïve as it was noble, failing to account for the actual workings of the human mind and the ferocity with which the establishment resisted the spread of his idea, and his relentless pursuit of it, while incredibly heroic, ultimately led to exile, a life on the lam, and an untimely death at the hands of his inevitable captors. Great tragedy lies in Condorcet’s legacy, as legions of activists, scientists, and free thinkers have strived to advance this ultimately foolish ideal to the world. John J. Berger is the latest member of the climate science rank-and-file to tout Condorcet’s philosophy, and I’m sure he won’t be the last.

Climate Myths lays out in exquisite detail the history, methods, and guilty parties of the campaign against global climate change reform, indicting dozens of corporations, lobby groups, and think-tanks. This book is as insightful as it is exhausting; you wouldn’t believe the level of conspiracy in support of the fossil fuel industry, and the billions of dollars that have been spent keeping climate change reform off the table both here and abroad. After reading a seemingly endless string of facts and figures concerning the impending doom of the climate apocalypse and those responsible for it, a feeling of numb helplessness starts to creep in, coupled with an urgent desire to distract yourself with all due haste, in order to wipe the horrific images from your mind. The climate change debate has moved into an arena where rhetoric and ideology have all but supplanted reason and civil discourse, and while books like this are an invaluable asset to those who have already been swayed by the cause and are ready to fight, they offer little other than a bitter tale of woe to those on the sidelines who aren’t sure whom to believe, and are certainly not going to change the minds of any entrenched climate skeptics.

Those who believe climate change reform is worth fighting for need to learn from the failings of Condorcet’s legacy, and find new and innovative ways with which to bring the vital urgency of this issue to the widespread attention of our nation. More important than the facts themselves is the way in which they are presented, and climate change advocacy is in dire need of drastic rebranding if it is ever going to have any hope of being successful at anything other than preaching to the choir in the limited time table humanity has left.

Note: More information about Dr. Berger and his work can be found at his website, www.johnjberger.com.