Includes glossary.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction --
Pt. 1. Balance at risk.
Ch. 1. Ship in the desert.
Ch. 2. The shadow our future throws.
Ch. 3. Climate and civilization: a short history.
Ch. 4. Buddha’s breath.
Ch. 5. If the well goes dry.
Ch. 6. Skin deep.
Ch. 7. Seeds of privation.
Ch. 8. The wasteland --
Pt. 2. The search for balance.
Ch. 9. Self-stewardship.
Ch. 10. Eco-enomics: truth or consequences.
Ch. 11. We are what we use.
Ch. 12. Dysfunctional civilization.
Ch. 13. Environmentalism --
Pt. 3. Striking the balance.
Ch. 14. A new common purpose.
Ch. 15. A global Marshall plan.
Conclusion.

Apassionate defender of the environment for more than twenty years, Vice President Al Gore is now convinced that the engines of human civilization have brought us provocative book. Gore argues that only a radical rethinking of our relationship with nature can save the earth’s ecology for future generations. Earth in the balance is an urgent “call to action to save our seriously threatened climate, our water, our soil, our diversity of plan and animal life, indeed our entire living space. With intellectual brilliance, impeccable scholarship, and deep feeling, Gore emerges as the leading spokesperson for the most vital movement of our time.