Al Gore's new work -- ``Our Choice: A Plan to Solve the Climate Crisis'' (Rodale Books, $26.99) -- is a culmination of 30 ``solution summits'' that Gore convened around the world. Gore won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007 for his environmental advocacy. Beth Reinhard, political writer at The Miami Herald, spoke to him recently about this book:

Q: Our Choice: A Plan to Solve the Climate Crisis is said to pick up where An Inconvenient Truth left off by offering concrete solutions. In the last chapter, you describe President Obama's election as a ``turning point'' and refer to climate change legislation and an international treaty in Copenhagen in 2009. Do you still see that happening with Congress bogged down in healthcare reform and Obama juggling two wars and the economy?

A: I think there's an excellent chance that it will happen, yes. The Senate bill proposed by John Kerry and Barbara Boxer is attracting some bi-partisan support . . . If President Obama is able to go to Copenhagen with good legislation having passed both chambers of the Congress, I think that will be more than sufficient for him to negotiate with a strong hand. He has summit meetings with the leaders of both China and India prior to Copenhagen, and some progess has been made just in the last two weeks on some elements of a treaty. It is not assured, but I do think there is an excellent chance that we will see legislation and a treaty.

Q: How do you stay true to the book's goal of giving solutions while appealing to a mass audience the way you did with An Inconvenient Truth? With chapters titled ``Soaking Up Geothermal Energy'' and ``Carbon Capture and Sequestration,'' is this more of a book for policy makers and scientists?

A: No, not at all. It's aimed squarely at a mass audience, and the illustrations and pictures makes these solutions very understandable to a lay audience; in fact, that's the only way I could write it.

Q: What role do you see the book playing in the ongoing political debate?

A: I hope that it will have an impact on the way people think of the urgency of solving the climate crisis and on how economically valuable is it for our country to implement these solutions. They will make our country stronger, increase energy security and fulfill our moral obligations to future generations.

Q: Talk about the traveling you did for the book. What were your most rewarding and painful discoveries?

A: This book is a recapitulation of hundreds of `Aha!' moments that I had both in visiting places where there are solutions that are being developed and also in the more than 30 solution summits that I have held over last three and half years with leading scientists, engineers and policy makers.

Q: The photography in your book is stunning. Some photos convey both the vastness of the climate crisis, while other illustrate the small steps people are taking to make a difference. What kind of photographs were you looking for and how did you decide which ones to include? Did your wife, Tipper Gore, take any of the photos?

A: The only picture she took is the one on back cover, but as an expert in photography, she was very helpful in giving her opinions on the ones that were most compelling . . . I had a large volume of photographs to choose from to make the points I wanted to make.

Q: I don't think you've ever spoken at the Miami Book Fair, though your wife was the closing speaker in 1996. Do you think your book will have particular resonance in a state like Florida with abundant sun, coastline and wetlands?

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