How to Avoid a Climate Disaster: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need
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- Create Date：2021-04-17 10:31:28
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Bill Gates
- ISBN：B082QYFLDR
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Summary
Bill Gates， founder of Microsoft， shares what he has learnt in over a decade of studying climate change and investing in innovations to address climate problems。 He explains how the world can work to build the tools it needs to get to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions - investing in research， inventing new technologies and deploying them quickly at a large scale。 Gates is optimistic that the world can prevent the worst impacts of the climate crisis。 This is a visionary and inspiring book by one of the world's most celebrated public figures。
Reviews
Yash Patel
，
[4/16 Update] I'm sure Bill Gates has read and thought in tremendously more detail about this topic than he has relayed the information in this book。 This sometimes comes at the expense as reading something that almost sounds like an adult explaining something to a child -- not really in a condescending light but more as a clearly oversimplified presentation of the topic。With that main con out of the way， I think the second half of the book is actually worthwhile。 Tackling this issue will largel [4/16 Update] I'm sure Bill Gates has read and thought in tremendously more detail about this topic than he has relayed the information in this book。 This sometimes comes at the expense as reading something that almost sounds like an adult explaining something to a child -- not really in a condescending light but more as a clearly oversimplified presentation of the topic。With that main con out of the way， I think the second half of the book is actually worthwhile。 Tackling this issue will largely be a combination of pushes in public policy and advances in certain technologies。 The book is premised on largely relegating the former issue and mostly focusing on what technologies that actually need advancing。 If nothing else， this book serves as a fairly nice list of potential technologies to read into further for someone who wants to make an impact from that side of things vs。 on the public policy side。 As with any survey discussion （and maybe even more so than most）， this book *really* does not go into much depth at all for any particular part， but this likely would have made the book overwhelming。 His discussions of concrete/cement and parts of agriculture （specifically on fertilizers） were new to me。 Probably a recommend to anyone interested in looking at places to possibly have impact on the "bottom-up" side of the equation， especially since the book is pretty short。 。。。more
Brady
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Love the way this is written。 He's a great teacher。 Love the way this is written。 He's a great teacher。 。。。more
Daniel Aguilar
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El cambio climático es un tema que la mayoría de las personas no entendemos muy bien （aunque creamos que sí lo hacemos）。 Siempre que se habla sobre el tema salen a flote temas básicos como reciclar， usar la bicicleta， usar menos luz o agua y， en algunos casos， comer menos carne。 Este libro es la puerta de entrada perfecta， una guía para principiantes para hacernos entender que es un problema que tiene soluciones y aristas mucho más complejas de lo que podemos llegar a imaginar las personas del c El cambio climático es un tema que la mayoría de las personas no entendemos muy bien （aunque creamos que sí lo hacemos）。 Siempre que se habla sobre el tema salen a flote temas básicos como reciclar， usar la bicicleta， usar menos luz o agua y， en algunos casos， comer menos carne。 Este libro es la puerta de entrada perfecta， una guía para principiantes para hacernos entender que es un problema que tiene soluciones y aristas mucho más complejas de lo que podemos llegar a imaginar las personas del común。 Un libro indispensable que retrata no solamente problemas que， al menos para mí， eran completamente desconocidos， sino que traza una hoja de ruta clara， directa， con datos y soluciones precisas （pero no mágicas） y que finalmente deja al lector con la clara convicción que llegar a la meta de 0 emisiones debería ser de las principales prioridades para cualquier ser humano hoy en día。Nota: Mi único problema con el libro es el cierto grado de auto propaganda realizada por su autor a lo largo del mismo。 。。。more
Monica
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Learned a lot。
Erica Clou
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It was a good try at educating the public not just about the problem of climate change but also about the potential solutions and partial solutions。 But 1） I found it so painfully boring I can't imagine any of my friends completing it （I finish a lot of books I shouldn't out of sheer stubbornness） and 2） I didn't feel like there was anything I could actionably do as a non-billionaire and non-politician。 Well， there was one thing， I could eat less meat。 The problem is that I've already tried givi It was a good try at educating the public not just about the problem of climate change but also about the potential solutions and partial solutions。 But 1） I found it so painfully boring I can't imagine any of my friends completing it （I finish a lot of books I shouldn't out of sheer stubbornness） and 2） I didn't feel like there was anything I could actionably do as a non-billionaire and non-politician。 Well， there was one thing， I could eat less meat。 The problem is that I've already tried giving up meat on 3 different occasions and I struggle to balance my diet appropriately and usually gain weight as a vegetarian。 I realize this is not at all normal， but here I am anyway。 。。。more
Mel
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Everybody needs basic information on climate change。 It is past time for science deniers。 So I was interested to get some basic information from this book。 It helps。 There is a bit more about connections to his health initiatives that one might like but on balance this gives facts in readable form。 It also proposes solutions that can be the beginning in discussion。 You should make time to become informed and this is a book to start you education。
Nikita Bhatnagar
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So finished How to Avoid a Climate Disaster by Bill Gates。 Many of you maybe aware of the increased sensitivity around Green House Gas emissions and the climate threat due to 2 degree temperature increase。 This book， extremely methodically ， covers each and every point and multiple dimensions。 It starts with why is it a threat， what it means in terms of potential impact on the planet and it's inhabitants。 Moving on to how at a high level we have to solve to solve for reducing the 51 billion tonn So finished How to Avoid a Climate Disaster by Bill Gates。 Many of you maybe aware of the increased sensitivity around Green House Gas emissions and the climate threat due to 2 degree temperature increase。 This book， extremely methodically ， covers each and every point and multiple dimensions。 It starts with why is it a threat， what it means in terms of potential impact on the planet and it's inhabitants。 Moving on to how at a high level we have to solve to solve for reducing the 51 billion tonnes of GHG emissions to 0。 Further categorising the various sources of GHG into how we generate electricity， how we make and grow things， how we move around and how to stay warm and cool。 He goes into details of each area and potential solutions and challenges。 The last few chapters are dedicated to how govt， companies and citizens can participate in solving it。 With the contents covered， my take on it is that it's a fantastic must read type of book for anyone who goes to live beyond 2050！ We will have a massive role to play and witness sea change in how the world operates。 It's easy to read and understand。 It makes it clear that the roadmap has to be with net 0 in perspective。 Makes me wonder， if we should worry about piped gas now or switch to electric burners， powered by solar energy！ Food for thought 😊 。。。more
Jonathan Wittig
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Strongly recommend to anyone interested in understanding the issues and practical solutions to climate change。 He uses common language and even shows a nice sense of humor。
Ayb3m Martinez
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Me abrió los ojos en muchos aspectos y escalas de dónde estan los mayores contribuidores de gases de efecto invernadero。Sintetiza y sistematiza información sumamente relavnte para dar una idea muy general， cubrir un tema tan complejo como el cambio climático en un libro de menos de 300paginas es una tarea titánica。Un libro para recomendar a gente con un conocimiento inicial del impacto climático que se generan en todos los niveles， datos duros de referencia que sirven para visualizar el arduo ca Me abrió los ojos en muchos aspectos y escalas de dónde estan los mayores contribuidores de gases de efecto invernadero。Sintetiza y sistematiza información sumamente relavnte para dar una idea muy general， cubrir un tema tan complejo como el cambio climático en un libro de menos de 300paginas es una tarea titánica。Un libro para recomendar a gente con un conocimiento inicial del impacto climático que se generan en todos los niveles， datos duros de referencia que sirven para visualizar el arduo camino que está enfrente， posibles alternativas y propuestas de como aportar en los diferentes niveles。 。。。more
Jacob
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Great book。 Provided me a new perspective of climate change and what it will take to reach zero emissions。 The book sets forth complex concepts of climate change simply and in a meaningful way， as well as emphasizes the negative repercussions of continuing on our current track。 I'm looking forward to reading more on the topic Great book。 Provided me a new perspective of climate change and what it will take to reach zero emissions。 The book sets forth complex concepts of climate change simply and in a meaningful way， as well as emphasizes the negative repercussions of continuing on our current track。 I'm looking forward to reading more on the topic 。。。more
Llion Parry
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Good high level summary of the state of play and where we need to get to， but sadly lacking in concrete solutions to the issues we’ve been poring over for years。 I guess there are no simple answers so it’s a bit much to expect this book to deliver them， but then the title would suggest otherwise， wouldn’t it？！
François Hurtaud
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A compelling overview of where we’re at and where we should be by 2050。 The structure and pace of the book made me feel like Bill personally emailed me bullet points for our next sprint and I liked that！ Facts and targets。 Now let’s get to work。
Mary
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The main takeaway: We are going to continue to want & need abundant， affordable electricity。 Gates has tremendous faith in technology to provide the answers we need。 I think he fails to give adequate consideration to the vitality of the underlying biosphere， though。 For example， if we need more food （and we will）， he suggests we'll just bioengineer new varieties。 I was particularly struck by his embrace of industrial farming practices。 Need more food？ Just get a new variety。 And ign The main takeaway: We are going to continue to want & need abundant， affordable electricity。 Gates has tremendous faith in technology to provide the answers we need。 I think he fails to give adequate consideration to the vitality of the underlying biosphere， though。 For example， if we need more food （and we will）， he suggests we'll just bioengineer new varieties。 I was particularly struck by his embrace of industrial farming practices。 Need more food？ Just get a new variety。 And ignore the practices that created the Dead Zone in the Gulf of Mexico or Lake Erie。 Which in turn reduces food available to harvest （fish）。 There may be strategy to this， in not taking on every issue at once。 We've seen the backlash to his modest proposal that everyone eat just a little less meat。 But I think he's like a brilliant artist painting over old works on old canvas。 Once the canvas loses its integrity， who cares how lovely the painting was， because it will be in tatters。 I think he needs to add 2 things to his thinking: 1） commitment to a circular economy， which plans for the end uses of products and by-products。 We must start demanding life cycle planning for the things we make and use， including knowing what we will do with them when we are done。I especially think he needs to embrace this model as he invests in nuclear power。 Best case in point is the giant science experiment Japan is about to launch， dumping the Fukushima water into the Pacific。 （That's not a disposal method。 The radioactivity isn't gone， it's just shared。）2） I think he needs to acknowledge somewhere that we do in fact have a limited canvas to work on。 I know he wasn't setting out to solve all the world's problems in one book。 But "climate disaster" is a fairly all-encompassing problem。 So I think giving a little nod to preventing the disintegration of natural systems merits at least a brief discussion。 From a very anthropocentric view， we haven't even begun to understand the interplay of species in sustaining the world we need to support human life。 Every time we tinker with another bit of it， we are setting in play unknown and unintended consequences in the integrity of that system。 We run the risk of eventually pulling on the last string that holds it all together。 We don't know where the critical point may be， but our in our ignorance we may be playing Russian roulette。 All this is a very long way of saying， we can't solve our current problems using the same mindset that got us into this pickle in the first place。 You can't put new wine in old wine skins （thanks， Julius）。 Somewhere in our fascination with our ability to create modern marvels， we have acknowledge the foundation that allows us to tinker in the first place。 Gates doesn’t give this one paragraph of consideration。 He's still working inside the box of humanity's ingenuity。 It's ironic to try to solve an ecosystem scale problem without holding the solutions to an ecoscale standard。 。。。more
Doyeon Ahn
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Introduction;It's good to know that Bill Gates himself is aware of some criticism people have on him。 He seems to be addressing some of these moral criticism， such as large personal carbon footprint and investing in （or not divesting from） fossil-fuel companies， by taking various actions！ Introduction;It's good to know that Bill Gates himself is aware of some criticism people have on him。 He seems to be addressing some of these moral criticism， such as large personal carbon footprint and investing in （or not divesting from） fossil-fuel companies， by taking various actions！ 。。。more
Dianelw
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Bill Gates is a smart guy and he lays out the broad strokes of climate change and potential solutions and mitigation very well。 It's written for non-scientists and lay readers and he offers a unique perspective as key influencer in global health， a techno-whiz， and a billionaire investor。 He tries hard to make large numbers seem easy， but that's also where the book bogged down for me。 That said， I learned some things and he has a last chapter on what individuals can do to help。 However， I think Bill Gates is a smart guy and he lays out the broad strokes of climate change and potential solutions and mitigation very well。 It's written for non-scientists and lay readers and he offers a unique perspective as key influencer in global health， a techno-whiz， and a billionaire investor。 He tries hard to make large numbers seem easy， but that's also where the book bogged down for me。 That said， I learned some things and he has a last chapter on what individuals can do to help。 However， I think Jane Fonda's book was more motivating while largely advocating for individuals to take similar steps， chiefly getting involved in local politics and beyond。 。。。more
Rob Sedgwick
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Everyone knows who Bill Gates is。 So in this book he rather unusually has to portray himself as someone who is an outsider to the subject。 It's written "man to man" in the style of someone explaining what he has discovered about an area outside of his expertise。 He's got involved largely because he's got a lot of cash to spare and he's interested and concerned。He explains the problems in fairly simple terms and constantly relates everything to its effect on the bottom line of co2 emissions and a Everyone knows who Bill Gates is。 So in this book he rather unusually has to portray himself as someone who is an outsider to the subject。 It's written "man to man" in the style of someone explaining what he has discovered about an area outside of his expertise。 He's got involved largely because he's got a lot of cash to spare and he's interested and concerned。He explains the problems in fairly simple terms and constantly relates everything to its effect on the bottom line of co2 emissions and also what extra it would cost （the green premium）。 There's a more lot he could have said， it's a relatively short book for the amount of material covered， but at least the fact it could be written quite quickly means it's still more or less up to date （Joe Biden is president-elect at the time of writing）。 。。。more
H
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A lot more interesting and practical then I expected。
Micael Carvalho
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In this book we can find a brief and general description of the problem our world has in this hands， what is being done and what can we do to reach the ideal 0 carbon by 2050。 A must read！
Sharad Kandoi
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It helps me read a book by an author like Bill Gates because I can almost read the book in his voice （having heard him speak at various forums）。 That only helps because of the topic of this book and the credibility of Mr。 Gates himself。 It did not feel like a book to me but more of a guide to world leaders and consumers on what is happening and how we can at least try to do something about it。 It is such an exciting and complex topic， but Mr。 Gates has made it very digestible for ignorant reader It helps me read a book by an author like Bill Gates because I can almost read the book in his voice （having heard him speak at various forums）。 That only helps because of the topic of this book and the credibility of Mr。 Gates himself。 It did not feel like a book to me but more of a guide to world leaders and consumers on what is happening and how we can at least try to do something about it。 It is such an exciting and complex topic， but Mr。 Gates has made it very digestible for ignorant readers like myself。 I would highly recommend this book。 。。。more
Baqar Rizvi
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Easily the best explanation of this subject I've ever read。 Easily the best explanation of this subject I've ever read。 。。。more
Alf-Jørgen Dovland
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Extremely relevant book for today！Bill Gates makes the climate problem more quantifiable and tangible to understand。 An optimistic view on how to solve climate problems through technology innovation。 It got me inspired to look further into the innovations mentioned， and made me optimistic about solving future problems！
Katie
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I found this book to be an even-handed explainer on what it will take to head off climate disaster and get to zero emissions， framed in such a way as to be especially accessible for laypeople。 I appreciated that he approached the problem multidimensionally， with interventions falling mainly into technology， policies and markets。 I also agreed with his long-term perspective - the point being that we need to target reducing emissions by 2050， so the countries doing the best won't necessarily be th I found this book to be an even-handed explainer on what it will take to head off climate disaster and get to zero emissions， framed in such a way as to be especially accessible for laypeople。 I appreciated that he approached the problem multidimensionally， with interventions falling mainly into technology， policies and markets。 I also agreed with his long-term perspective - the point being that we need to target reducing emissions by 2050， so the countries doing the best won't necessarily be the ones that reduce the most by 2030， but the ones that are doing the things needed to make it to zero by 2050。 But even as someone whose work includes climate change， I found a lot of eye-popping data and statistics， including:-One study estimated that by 2080， lower crop yields due to climate change will cause between 2 and 20 percent of adults in Mexico to try to cross the border into the USA-In 2018， worldwide government subsidies for the consumption of fossil fuels amounted to USD 400 billion （roughly equivalent to Israel's GDP， so， more than the GDP of most countries）-Changing America's entire electricity system to zero-carbon sources would raise average retail rates by between 1。3 and 1。7 cents per kilowatt-hour， roughly 15 percent more than what most people pay now-Ag research is vital （not news to me！）。。。。for example， every dollar invested in CGIAR's research generates about $6 in benefits - what a rate of return！ 。。。more
David Mathews
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Efficiently lays out all the issues and potential solutions regarding climate change in one place。 He thoroughly examines the solutions we need to pursue， current roadblocks to those solutions， as well as how we can get through those roadblocks， in a way that is specific and effective。 Information about climate change， regarding both the problems and the solutions， can feel so scattered and disjointed online and in the news， so having all the facts laid out here alongside a solid plan gave me cl Efficiently lays out all the issues and potential solutions regarding climate change in one place。 He thoroughly examines the solutions we need to pursue， current roadblocks to those solutions， as well as how we can get through those roadblocks， in a way that is specific and effective。 Information about climate change， regarding both the problems and the solutions， can feel so scattered and disjointed online and in the news， so having all the facts laid out here alongside a solid plan gave me clarity and hope。 。。。more
Sarah Gallego
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Me gustó mucho este libro。 Explica claramente los problemas que ocasiona el calentamiento global y las alternativas que como sociedad tenemos para mitigar el problema antes de que sea demasiado tarde。
Maureen Pena
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“I hope you’ll spend more time and energy supporting whatever you’re in favor of than opposing whatever you’re against。” Bill GatesOverwhelming， for sure。 Climate change is a huge problem to solve。 My heart aches when I think of the world I am leaving to my children and future grandchildren if we can’t get to zero carbon admission by 2050。 However， the book has lots of ATTAINABLE ideas that all levels-federal， state， and the individual can and should start to do to reach that goal。 I’m committed “I hope you’ll spend more time and energy supporting whatever you’re in favor of than opposing whatever you’re against。” Bill GatesOverwhelming， for sure。 Climate change is a huge problem to solve。 My heart aches when I think of the world I am leaving to my children and future grandchildren if we can’t get to zero carbon admission by 2050。 However， the book has lots of ATTAINABLE ideas that all levels-federal， state， and the individual can and should start to do to reach that goal。 I’m committed to making a change in my carbon footprint and this book had a lot to do with it。 。。。more
Afnan Alam
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Bill Gates new book （after a gap of 22 years） is devoted to reconciling the legitimate aspirations of billions of people for economic advancement with the environmental harm that results。 If humanity is to win the great race between development and degradation， he writes， green innovation must accelerate。 He wants governments to increase funding for climate research fivefold in a decade; disclosing his own investments， he urges them to bet on such promising but risky fields as advanced nuclear p Bill Gates new book （after a gap of 22 years） is devoted to reconciling the legitimate aspirations of billions of people for economic advancement with the environmental harm that results。 If humanity is to win the great race between development and degradation， he writes， green innovation must accelerate。 He wants governments to increase funding for climate research fivefold in a decade; disclosing his own investments， he urges them to bet on such promising but risky fields as advanced nuclear power。 There should be more green procurement （a path China has followed with solar panels and electric cars） and greener regulation。 But the linchpin of his argument is the introduction of a meaningful carbon price， to account for the externalities involved in using dirty energy。Gates is hardly the first to advance these proposals。 Besides his status as one of the world’s richest people and most generous philanthropists， two things make his endorsement of them compelling。 First， he is not a reflexive environmentalist。 His long-standing commitment to public health and the alleviation of poverty led him to oppose flaky green causes like Europe’s unscientific bans on genetically modified organisms。 In a moving chapter， he notes that Africa’s poor have yet to enjoy the benefits of the first “green revolution” in agricultural science， which from the 1960s boosted farming yields and saved a billion people in Asia from starvation; they desperately need more such innovations in crop science and fertilisers。 He awakened to the climate crisis as it became clear that the world’s indigent， who have contributed least to the problem， are likely to suffer most from famines， droughts， rising seas and other effects of global warming。Much of his book is devoted to a delightfully wonkish assessment of contenders in the race to solve the climate problem。 In Bill Gates’s view， decarbonising electricity is the “single most important thing we must do to avoid a climate disaster”。 This is not only because electricity accounts for over a quarter of the direct greenhouse gas （ghg） emissions caused by human activity today， but because clean power can enable a shift to zero-carbon transport （think electric cars）。 Greening industry is harder， he acknowledges， but he points to advances even in such unsexy areas as low-carbon cement and steel。The most refreshing aspect of this book is its bracing mix of cold-eyed realism and number-crunched optimism。 Bill Gates reveals that when he attended the UN landmark Paris summit on climate change in 2015， he had serious doubts about mankind’s willingness to take on this Herculean task: “Can we really do this？” Even now， after making the case for why the world must do so， and urgently， he wonders if the climate challenge will be harder than putting “a computer on every desk and in every home”。Through his book，Gates wants the same combination to take on climate change。 He acknowledges the power of the state and a need for intergovernmental co-operation， something not often heard from techno-libertarians; but he also calls for more green ambition and risk-taking by short-termist investors and company bosses。 Ultimately his book is a primer on how to reorganise the global economy so that innovation focuses on the world’s gravest problems。 It is a powerful reminder that if mankind is to get serious about tackling them， it must do more to harness the one natural resource available in infinite quantity—human ingenuity！ 。。。more
Aloibaf
，
I can recommend it if you want to know how to fight climate change on a global scale。 Bill focuses on technological innovations， but he also makes clear that we need political innovations like policies to finally reach net zero emissions by 2050。 Policies have been proven to work efficiently in the past and they combine the power of state legislation， research and business。 As we cannot deny living in a capitalist society， we need to give businesses both， rules and incentives for sustainable dev I can recommend it if you want to know how to fight climate change on a global scale。 Bill focuses on technological innovations， but he also makes clear that we need political innovations like policies to finally reach net zero emissions by 2050。 Policies have been proven to work efficiently in the past and they combine the power of state legislation， research and business。 As we cannot deny living in a capitalist society， we need to give businesses both， rules and incentives for sustainable development。He also underlines that renewable energies alone （solar， wind， water） are unlikely to make us succeed and that revolutions in battery storage will be limited by the laws of physics。 Therefore we need to rethink our perspective on CO2 neutral technologies such as nuclear power。 I discovered that there are indeed good environmental arguments for this technology that I myself considered a dead end。 I found his views refreshing and I enjoyed the way he presented data and scientific facts in a easily digestible manner。 。。。more
André Santos
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Bill Gates believes we have to arrive at 0 carbon emissions by 2050 to avoid a climate disaster。 He also believes that new technologies are the biggest part of the solution （he might be a bit biased）， ans talks about the roles of investors， companies， governments and consumers。On the downside I think he could've talked about more non-techological solutions， like protecting marine life （given that the ocean is a huge carbon sink）。 But all in all i think the book is a mandatory read for everyone i Bill Gates believes we have to arrive at 0 carbon emissions by 2050 to avoid a climate disaster。 He also believes that new technologies are the biggest part of the solution （he might be a bit biased）， ans talks about the roles of investors， companies， governments and consumers。On the downside I think he could've talked about more non-techological solutions， like protecting marine life （given that the ocean is a huge carbon sink）。 But all in all i think the book is a mandatory read for everyone interested in having a livable planet in the future。 。。。more
Oliver
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A Ok book for beginners on climate changes。 Climate change is an issue that really needs large scale intervention。 Raising an awareness of citizens is not enough to avoid the climate disaster。。。
Tammie
，