Jim Hollingsworth is a retired building contractor who has obviously devoted much time and energy to researching the issue of climate change. He does not dispute the fact that the earth is warming; as a matter of fact, it has been doing so since the last ice age about 10,000 years ago (p. 1). But he does dispute most other popular claims made by Al Gore and those in the green camp. Hollingsworth does not believe man is the main reason for this warming, nor are fossil fuels. And while carbon dioxide is often vilified as the cause for global warming, the author touts its benefits and rejects the negative effects on the world (see p. 24). Climate change is simply part of life on this planet, due to climate cycles, the sun and chance (p. 145). Our task should not be to attempt to change the world but to make the most of our present situation (p. 144).
Climate Change, in its 48 chapters and seven appendixes, addresses numerous topics from ice shelf melting and carbon dioxide, to capitalism and socialism, to dying coral reefs, to droughts and floods, to extreme weather, to forest fires, to fracking, to ocean warming, to polar bears and to alternate forms of energy. The author ultimately concludes:
“It is our contention that the present emphasis on man-caused (anthropogenic) global warming is a myth, in fact a carefully orchestrated hoax, not to further science, but to gain more control over the peoples of the world. It is incumbent on each of us to search out the truth in this matter and act accordingly (p. 161).”
Climate Change is a popular work, not a scholarly one. It lacks footnotes and documentation. While the author provides numerous internet links and an extensive suggested reading list, he offers relatively few direct quotes and interaction with the debate. He is presenting and supporting his view on climate change (see above), one this reviewer is largely sympathetic with, but it is doubtful this book will convince those in disagreement. For those on the same page as Hollingsworth, it will be an enjoyable read.
Climate Change, A Convenient Truth by Jim Hollingsworth (Murrells Inlet, NC: Covenant Books, 2019) 183 pp., paper $17.95
Review by Gary E. Gilley, Pastor/teacher Southern View Chapel.