How to Avoid a Climate Disaster: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need
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- Author：Bill Gates
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Summary
Bill Gates shares what he's learned in more than a decade of studying climate change and investing in innovations to address the problems， and sets out a vision for how the world can build the tools it needs to get to zero greenhouse gas emissions。
Bill Gates explains why he cares so deeply about climate change and what makes him optimistic that the world can prevent the worst impacts of the climate crisis。 Gates says， "we can work on a local， national， and global level to build the technologies， businesses， and industries to avoid the worst impacts of climate change。" His interest in climate change is a natural outgrowth of the efforts by his foundation to reduce poverty and disease。 Climate change， according to Gates， will have the biggest impact on the people who have done the least to cause it。 As a technologist， he has seen first-hand how innovation can change the world。 By investing in research， inventing new technologies， and by deploying them quickly at large scale， Gates believes climate change can be addressed in meaningful ways。 According to Gates， "to prevent the worst effects of climate change， we have to get to net-zero emissions of greenhouse gases。 This problem is urgent， and the debate is complex， but I believe we can come together to invent new carbon-zero technologies， deploy the ones we have， and ultimately avoid a climate catastrophe。"
Bill Gates explains why he cares so deeply about climate change and what makes him optimistic that the world can prevent the worst impacts of the climate crisis。 Gates says， "we can work on a local， national， and global level to build the technologies， businesses， and industries to avoid the worst impacts of climate change。" His interest in climate change is a natural outgrowth of the efforts by his foundation to reduce poverty and disease。 Climate change， according to Gates， will have the biggest impact on the people who have done the least to cause it。 As a technologist， he has seen first-hand how innovation can change the world。 By investing in research， inventing new technologies， and by deploying them quickly at large scale， Gates believes climate change can be addressed in meaningful ways。 According to Gates， "to prevent the worst effects of climate change， we have to get to net-zero emissions of greenhouse gases。 This problem is urgent， and the debate is complex， but I believe we can come together to invent new carbon-zero technologies， deploy the ones we have， and ultimately avoid a climate catastrophe。"
Reviews
John
，
A thoughtful and comprehensive look at what we; individuals， countries， and the planet need to do to reduce emissions that threaten Global societies。Bill Gates is using his voice and money to raise and emphasize the importance of eliminating， net zero， emissions。 In a straightforward manner listing how each sector contributes to the problem along with the major steps in R & D by public and private markets that need to be taken。
Eddie Lee
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Very helpful book for novices like myself to become familiar with the topic of climate change and various industries that impact it。
Patrick Mihalaras
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Everyone should read。 4。5
Lady Brainsample
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4。5 stars rounded upI appreciate Bill Gates' perspective。 He takes a realistic and optimistic view of how to deal with climate change。 Realistic， in that his solutions don't involve everyone going back to the stone age; optimistic in his faith in technological solutions that will help。 I will be thinking about this one a long time， and the Kindle highlight function was worn out on this book。 4。5 stars rounded upI appreciate Bill Gates' perspective。 He takes a realistic and optimistic view of how to deal with climate change。 Realistic， in that his solutions don't involve everyone going back to the stone age; optimistic in his faith in technological solutions that will help。 I will be thinking about this one a long time， and the Kindle highlight function was worn out on this book。 。。。more
Xavier Vivenes
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Interesting at the beginning。 Repetitive at the end
Brück Jeremy
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The kind of science-based book on climate change the world needs！
Susie
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A simple and clear explanation about what is needed to stop the climate disaster。 There are practical steps we can all take as week as an extensive summary of where various technological solutions are。 A positive message overall。
Glen
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I applaud Gates for committing so much of his own time and money towards helping solve this challenge。 His book does a good job categorizing the major green house gas contributors and goes into detail on each （why they are problems now and how these problems are going to get worse if no action is taken）。 He also provides well thought out， suggested solutions to each moving forward。 The writing is dry at times but it is definitely worth the read as there is alot of great， useful and interesting i I applaud Gates for committing so much of his own time and money towards helping solve this challenge。 His book does a good job categorizing the major green house gas contributors and goes into detail on each （why they are problems now and how these problems are going to get worse if no action is taken）。 He also provides well thought out， suggested solutions to each moving forward。 The writing is dry at times but it is definitely worth the read as there is alot of great， useful and interesting information to be found within this book。 。。。more
Charlotte Jones
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I find it interesting that other readers seem to have a problem with Bill Gates even writing a book on the climate， or they are annoyed that there aren’t more pieces of advice for individuals。 However， the subtitle says that this is about the solutions we have and breakthroughs we need; that’s exactly what this book is， a discussion of the what technologies are currently available， what needs to be developed and the government policy shifts that need to happen。I found this book to be a mixed bag I find it interesting that other readers seem to have a problem with Bill Gates even writing a book on the climate， or they are annoyed that there aren’t more pieces of advice for individuals。 However， the subtitle says that this is about the solutions we have and breakthroughs we need; that’s exactly what this book is， a discussion of the what technologies are currently available， what needs to be developed and the government policy shifts that need to happen。I found this book to be a mixed bag。 The information was heavily technology based which was a new approach to this topic for me。 I actually really enjoyed the policy proposals that Gates made throughout and I think it laid out what is needed from the governments we vote for。Unfortunately， overall， I don’t think that this was as approachable as it should have been as it is so US-centric。 I understand that Gates is American and there is a lot of data available on the American impact on the climate but as someone from the UK it sometimes felt a little removed from me。 I know that all of these facts and remedies are transferrable to other countries around the world but I felt that there could have been more global scope。 On the whole I would recommend this book， particularly to US readers。3 out of 5 stars！ 。。。more
Vojtech
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I thought this was a very interesting and engaging read about the challenges awaiting mankind on the way to get to zero carbon and stopping the climate change。 Unfortunately， seeing how our governments are currently tackling a much more immediate and less serious crisis of the Covid pandemic， I can't share Bill's general optimism that we are up to this challenge。 There is a huge amount of inventions that need to happen and policies that need to be put in place before we can even hope for success I thought this was a very interesting and engaging read about the challenges awaiting mankind on the way to get to zero carbon and stopping the climate change。 Unfortunately， seeing how our governments are currently tackling a much more immediate and less serious crisis of the Covid pandemic， I can't share Bill's general optimism that we are up to this challenge。 There is a huge amount of inventions that need to happen and policies that need to be put in place before we can even hope for success。 A lot of consensus will need to be built at a time when precisely that seems to be more difficult than ever - and it needs to happen on a global scale。 On the individual level there aren't ultimately that many things with actual impact that one can do。 With the exception perhaps of our buying decisions and pushing elected representatives to take action。 I am hoping the coming decades will prove my skepticism wrong。 。。。more
Heather
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Relevant and readable overview of climate issues that is equally alarming and hopeful。 Gates arms the reader with the language to explore a politically charged debate。 He inspires a sense of urgency to take immediate personal and cultural action as global stewards of our resources。
Abbas Moosajee
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This book will not discuss introduce a new scientific technique or outline a guaranteed plan to succeed in the battle against climate change。 Gates instead discusses what our biggest contributors to greenhouse emissions and then talk about the alternatives and changed needed to reach zero。 While I wish he went into more detail with the science（it read at a high school level）， this book instead does something very important。 It creates a comprehensive review of the political， economical and globa This book will not discuss introduce a new scientific technique or outline a guaranteed plan to succeed in the battle against climate change。 Gates instead discusses what our biggest contributors to greenhouse emissions and then talk about the alternatives and changed needed to reach zero。 While I wish he went into more detail with the science（it read at a high school level）， this book instead does something very important。 It creates a comprehensive review of the political， economical and global challenges facing the implementation of these innovations。 And by using past examples of how humanity has succeeded， Gates provides hope that a climate disaster can be avoided which seems to be missing from a lot of works on climate change。 。。。more
Greg Rushing
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Good overview and presents a lot of topics for further exploration
Brayden
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I mean， honestly， is a good review of this book going to convince anyone to read it？ It's a realistic yet optimistic analysis of the innovations and problems involving preventing further damage to the global climate。 I liked it a lot and is a good place to start for people who want to become well-informed on the issue。 I mean， honestly， is a good review of this book going to convince anyone to read it？ It's a realistic yet optimistic analysis of the innovations and problems involving preventing further damage to the global climate。 I liked it a lot and is a good place to start for people who want to become well-informed on the issue。 。。。more
Will Y
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4。0/5。0A nice very big-picture summary of climate change and what we should do about it。 Not too much particularly new if one has been paying much attention to climate change， but the book pulls everything together in a concise and compact form。 Gates is an optimist who believes technology and economics constitute the main solution to climate change， rather than a reduction in consumption。 I find myself agreeing with much of what he says in this book。
Abhinav Yadav
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Rating criteria1。 5 Star - I read it， enjoyed it thoroughly and learned exciting things， and would recommend others to read it2。 4 Star - I read it， enjoyed it thoroughly and learned exciting things without recommending it to others3。 3 Star - I read it but could not enjoy itMy kindle notes==========1。 Bill and Melinda Gates foundation’s motto—“Everyone deserves the chance to live a healthy and productive life”2。 It’s hard to be productive if you don’t have lights to read by。 And it’s impossible Rating criteria1。 5 Star - I read it， enjoyed it thoroughly and learned exciting things， and would recommend others to read it2。 4 Star - I read it， enjoyed it thoroughly and learned exciting things without recommending it to others3。 3 Star - I read it but could not enjoy itMy kindle notes==========1。 Bill and Melinda Gates foundation’s motto—“Everyone deserves the chance to live a healthy and productive life”2。 It’s hard to be productive if you don’t have lights to read by。 And it’s impossible to build an economy where everyone has job opportunities if you don’t have massive amounts of reliable， affordable electricity for offices， factories， and call centers。 Melinda and I often meet children like nine-year-old Ovulube Chinachi， who lives in Lagos， Nigeria， and does his homework by candlelight。 3。 The rich countries that are responsible for most emissions were starting to pay attention to climate change， and I thought that would be enough。4。 The world needs to provide more energy so the poorest can thrive， but we need to provide that energy without releasing any more greenhouse gases。5。 energy—wind and solar， mostly—could make a big dent in the problem， but we weren’t doing enough to deploy them。*2 It also became clear why， on their own， they aren’t enough to get us all the way to zero。 The wind doesn’t always blow and the sun doesn’t always shine， and we don’t have affordable batteries that can store city-sized amounts of energy for long enough。6。 Unless we stop adding greenhouse gases to the atmosphere， the temperature will keep going up。7。 Setting a goal to only reduce our emissions—but not eliminate them—won’t do it。8。 I invested in some clean energy companies， and I put several hundred million dollars into starting a company to design a next-generation nuclear plant that would generate clean electricity and very little nuclear waste。9。 So in 2019， I divested all my direct holdings in oil and gas companies， as did the trust that manages the Gates Foundation’s endowment。 （I hadn’t had money in coal companies in several years。）10。 In 2015， I had given a TED talk and several interviews in which I made the case that we needed to create a system for detecting and responding to big disease outbreaks。11。 As I mentioned earlier， the reduction will probably be around 5 percent。 In real terms， that means we will release the equivalent of 48 or 49 billion12。 As I mentioned earlier， the reduction will probably be around 5 percent。 In real terms， that means we will release the equivalent of 48 or 49 billion tons of carbon， instead of 51 billion。 That’s a meaningful reduction， and we would be in great shape if we could continue that rate of decrease every year。13。 This small decline in emissions is proof that we cannot get to zero emissions simply—or even mostly—by flying and driving less。14。 And we need new seeds and other innovations to help the world’s poorest people—many of whom are smallholder farmers—adapt to a warmer climate。15。 Greenhouse gases trap heat， causing the average surface temperature of the earth to go up。 The more gases there are， the more the temperature rises。 And once greenhouse gases are in the atmosphere， they stay there for a very long time; something like one-fifth of the carbon dioxide emitted today will still be there in 10，000 years。16。 times—before the mid-18th century or so—the earth’s carbon cycle was probably roughly in balance; that is， plants and other things absorbed about as much carbon dioxide as was emitted。17。 But then we started burning fossil fuels。 These fuels are made of carbon that’s stored underground， thanks to plants that died eons ago and got compressed over millions of years into oil， coal， or natural gas。 When we dig up those fuels and burn them， we emit extra carbon and add to the total amount in the atmosphere。 There are no realistic paths to zero that involve abandoning these fuels completely or stopping all the other activities that also produce greenhouse gases （like making cement， using fertilizer， or letting methane leak out of natural gas power plants）。 Instead， in all likelihood， in a zero-carbon future we will still be producing some emissions， but we’ll have ways to remove the carbon they emit。 In other words， “getting to zero” doesn’t actually mean “zero。” It means “near net zero。” It’s not a pass-fail exam where everything’s great if we get a 100 percent reduction and everything’s a disaster if we get only a 99 percent reduction。 But the bigger the reduction， the bigger the benefit。 A 50 percent drop in emissions wouldn’t stop the rise in temperature; it would only slow things down， somewhat postponing but not preventing a climate catastrophe。18。 But then we started burning fossil fuels。 These fuels are made of carbon that’s stored underground， thanks to plants that died eons ago and got compressed over millions of years into oil， coal， or natural gas。 When we dig up those fuels and burn them， we emit extra carbon and add to the total amount in the atmosphere。19。 in a zero-carbon future we will still be producing some emissions， but we’ll have ways to remove the carbon they emit。20。 In other words， “getting to zero” doesn’t actually mean “zero。” It means “near net zero。”21。 In fact， to avoid the worst climate scenarios， at some point we’ll not only need to stop adding more gases but actually need to start removing some of the gases we have already emitted。22。 It’s a never-ending conversation， because researchers’ understanding of the climate is always advancing as they incorporate new data and improve the computer models they use to forecast different scenarios。23。 Small increase in the global temperature—just 1 or 2 degrees Celsius， which is 1。8 to 3。6 degrees Fahrenheit—could actually cause a lot of trouble。24。 Why are some places heating up more than others？ In the interior of some continents， the soil is drier， which means the land can’t cool off as much as it did in the past。 Basically， continents aren’t sweating as much as they used to。25。 Carbon dioxide is the most common greenhouse gas， but there are a handful of others， such as nitrous oxide and methane。26。 methane， 120 times more warming the moment it reaches the atmosphere。 But methane doesn’t stay around as long as carbon dioxide。27。 To keep things simple， most people combine all the different greenhouse gases into a single measure known as “carbon dioxide equivalents。” （You might see the term abbreviated as CO2e。）28。 The 51 billion tons I keep mentioning is the world’s annual emissions in carbon dioxide equivalents。29。 You may see numbers like 37 billion elsewhere—that’s just carbon dioxide， without the other greenhouse gases—or 10 billion， which is just the carbon itself。30。 How do greenhouse gases cause warming？ The short answer: They absorb heat and trap it in the atmosphere。 They work the same way a greenhouse works—hence the name。31。 One problem is that computer models are far from perfect。 The climate is mind-blowingly complex， and there’s a lot we don’t understand about things like how clouds affect warming or the impact of all this extra heat on ecosystems。32。 The earth is warming， it’s warming because of human activity， and the impact is bad and will get much worse。 We have every reason to believe that at some point the impact will be catastrophic。33。 For hurricanes， it’s unclear whether warmer oceans are causing a rise in the number of storms， but there is growing evidence that climate change is making storms wetter and increasing the number of intense ones。34。 For one thing， there will be more really hot days。 I could give you statistics from cities throughout the United States， but I’ll pick Albuquerque， New Mexico， because I have a special connection with the place: It’s where Paul Allen and I founded Microsoft in 1975。35。 And some places might actually benefit from a warmer climate。 In cold regions， for example， fewer people will die of hypothermia and the flu， and they’ll spend less money to heat their homes and businesses。36。 We know that when the average temperature rises， more water evaporates from the earth’s surface into the air。 Water vapor is a greenhouse gas， but unlike carbon dioxide or methane， it doesn’t stay in the air for37。 We know that when the average temperature rises， more water evaporates from the earth’s surface into the air。 Water vapor is a greenhouse gas， but unlike carbon dioxide or methane， it doesn’t stay in the air for long—eventually，38。 We know that when the average temperature rises， more water evaporates from the earth’s surface into the air。 Water vapor is a greenhouse gas， but unlike carbon dioxide or methane， it doesn’t stay in the air for long—eventually， it falls back to the surface a 。。。more
Mark
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Bill Gates has incorporated 10 years’ worth of self-education into How to Avoid a Climate Disaster: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need， making it not only an authoritative message， but a compelling and critically important one。 His account of this ubiquitous issue is pared down to the absolute essentials: he describes what the current climate picture looks like; he then tackles the consequences of action or inaction in addressing the problem; and finally， he offers a plan for hi Bill Gates has incorporated 10 years’ worth of self-education into How to Avoid a Climate Disaster: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need， making it not only an authoritative message， but a compelling and critically important one。 His account of this ubiquitous issue is pared down to the absolute essentials: he describes what the current climate picture looks like; he then tackles the consequences of action or inaction in addressing the problem; and finally， he offers a plan for his proposed solution and a closing chapter on “What Each of us Can Do。”Gates’ iconic， nerd-specs and his charming， ever-present， boyish grin have transcended their association with the hugely successful Microsoft， and are increasingly more relevant and important to the undeniable issue of climate change。 He pours everything he has learned into a lucid articulation of the problem and， with equal clarity describes what we can do about it。 Gates’s disarmingly simple prose makes this a quick and easy read。 His opening premise is “51 billion to zero”—that is， we add 51 billion tons of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere today， and zero tons is what we need to aim for。He argues that any climate conversation can be distilled down to five considerations， namely: how we make things （cement， steel， plastic）; how we plug in （electricity）; how we grow things （plants， animals）; how we get around （planes， trucks， cargo ships）; and how we keep warm and cool （heating， cooling， refrigeration）。 Gates amplifies each of these considerations in succeeding chapters， discussing current and desired solutions with the zero target in mind。 Meanwhile， he says， it is also prudent for us to adapt to living in a warmer world。Gates also offers an easy， practical way to look at comparative costs between “dirty” carbon-emitting， fossil-fuel technologies and “clean” zero-carbon solutions。 The latter are more expensive in part， says Gates “because the prices of fossil fuels don’t reflect the environmental damage they inflict。” The cost difference is called the Green Premium， and the goal is to create ways to drive down the Green Premium through innovation， a word that Gates repeats extensively throughout the book。He cleverly （but quite logically） looks at challenges in a way that maximize improvement efforts。 For example， given that we are going to need more drinking water than we can supply， he suggests incentives to drive down water demand while simultaneously investing in efforts to drive up supply; or， while seeking to do good things， simultaneously creating benefits of bad things not happening。 Chapter 10 is almost a 101 intro class on Why Government Policies Matter—even though Gates is quick to point out the absolute necessity of markets， technology， and policy working together。Gates’s plan for getting to zero includes “expanding the supply of innovation” and “accelerating the demand for innovation，” and doing this with a whole-government approach that includes federal， state， and local entities。 Finally， he concludes with what individuals can do as citizens， consumers， employees， and employers。Never was there a more urgent need for this honest， thought-provoking， and practical book。 Gates only briefly acknowledges the polarizing nature of climate change， and laments the lack of “some magic invention that could steer the conversation in a more productive direction。” But he is an optimist and admits that one goal in writing this book is to spark more such productive conversations。 。。。more
Brian Schimmoller
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Ok， you can add good writer to the list of superlatives associated with Bill Gates。 Billionaire， entrepreneur， visionary， philanthropist， geek。。。and now author。 Not necessarily a great story-teller， but the simple way in which he talks about climate change - and the scale of effort required to avoid climate disaster - is particularly effective。 He even introduces a concept， the green premium， that could help in quantifying the technological advances needed to drive carbon emissions to zero。 Admi Ok， you can add good writer to the list of superlatives associated with Bill Gates。 Billionaire， entrepreneur， visionary， philanthropist， geek。。。and now author。 Not necessarily a great story-teller， but the simple way in which he talks about climate change - and the scale of effort required to avoid climate disaster - is particularly effective。 He even introduces a concept， the green premium， that could help in quantifying the technological advances needed to drive carbon emissions to zero。 Admittedly， the solutions Gates proposes are aspirational in nature， but for the lay reader， they effectively frame the level of commitment necessary。 。。。more
Jennifer
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If you have been living under a rock for the past several years （or exclusively watching Fox News， which is actually a very similar thing）， then this book might be an interesting read for you。 Even if that doesn't describe you， but you are interested in climate change， you can most likely learn something from this book。 Gates takes a fairly no-nonsense and data-driven approach to climate change， outlining how we got where we are today， and the steps we can take as a people to reduce the negative If you have been living under a rock for the past several years （or exclusively watching Fox News， which is actually a very similar thing）， then this book might be an interesting read for you。 Even if that doesn't describe you， but you are interested in climate change， you can most likely learn something from this book。 Gates takes a fairly no-nonsense and data-driven approach to climate change， outlining how we got where we are today， and the steps we can take as a people to reduce the negative impacts of global warming。 The bulk of this book focused on the road we've taken to get here， with the last few chapters switching to solutions to this crisis。In some ways， How to Avoid a Climate Disaster is a good summary of the various sectors of our global economy impact the climate， where we are currently emitting the most greenhouse gases， and the types of advancements in each field that have improved （or worsened） humans' impact on the environment。 I do give credit where it's due for this piece。But I did have issues with certain aspects of this book。 Namely， there is too much of Bill Gates in this book。 Many of the facts that he includes in the earlier chapters of the book include anecdotes about how he learned them or when he really started to understand that something was an issue。 Kind of a typical "white male" perspective - only realizing when something directly impacts you or people you come into contact with。 This is also the case with many of the solutions; it's as if he thinks that regular people have the same kind of resources and pull that he does。 He casually mentions investing heavily in a certain company， drops memories of "when he meets with politicians"。。。 Of course being involved in local government is an effective way for regular people to make an impact on their representatives， but it's a little bit different when it's me shooting off an email to my district's representative than when Bill Gates wants to set up a meeting with his。Props to him for getting out and actually doing something about this pressing issue， though。 Because the last thing we need in fighting this climate crisis is apathy。 。。。more
Sandy
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A good generalist snapshot of where we're at and where we need to be。 Palatable science for the layperson。 A good generalist snapshot of where we're at and where we need to be。 Palatable science for the layperson。 。。。more
Tim
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This book was an excellent introduction to the myriad issues and technologies involved in combatting global warming。 From a technology perspective I would have enjoyed a deeper dive。 I personally was not as interested in the policy issues， but they are just as critical to resolve。 For those who criticize Gates， please look at the work that the Gates foundation has done attempting to find solutions to world hunger， child morbidity， eradicating malaria and any number of other efforts。 Unlike many This book was an excellent introduction to the myriad issues and technologies involved in combatting global warming。 From a technology perspective I would have enjoyed a deeper dive。 I personally was not as interested in the policy issues， but they are just as critical to resolve。 For those who criticize Gates， please look at the work that the Gates foundation has done attempting to find solutions to world hunger， child morbidity， eradicating malaria and any number of other efforts。 Unlike many of us， he has also committed to reduce his own carbon footprint。 。。。more
Sebastian
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Genialna w swojej prostocie。 Po krótkiej lekturze każdy będzie w stanie wytłumaczyć jaka jest światowa produkcja CO2 i jak ją zredukować。 Obowiązkowa lektura dla wszystkich ziemian
L。A。 Heberlein
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This is a clear overview of what needs to be done to get the world carbon neutral。 As Gates （or the Gates team that assembled the book） puts it， to move us from the 51 billion tons of carbon we're pumping into the atmosphere each year， to 0。 It's very cleanly organized and written in a pleasant， easy-to-follow style。 You could give it to anyone， including a young person。 It's not polemical。 It strives hard to be balanced。 Gates takes pains to explain how miraculous a gallon of gasoline is: more This is a clear overview of what needs to be done to get the world carbon neutral。 As Gates （or the Gates team that assembled the book） puts it， to move us from the 51 billion tons of carbon we're pumping into the atmosphere each year， to 0。 It's very cleanly organized and written in a pleasant， easy-to-follow style。 You could give it to anyone， including a young person。 It's not polemical。 It strives hard to be balanced。 Gates takes pains to explain how miraculous a gallon of gasoline is: more energy than a stick of dynamite， cheaper than a gallon of milk。 （Or bottled water。 Or Two Buck Chuck。） That's why it's so hard to find a good replacement。 You may have read most of this material in greater depth elsewhere， but you'll still find this book clarifying: you can solve the whole transportation problem， but "what about cement？" We spend more energy making things than we do moving around。 And it's that direct simple way of breaking the subject down and explaining it --"making things，" "moving around" -- that I found helpful。 。。。more
E。C。 Frey
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Bill Gates comes to this issue with down-to-earth prose and common sense solutions。 As someone who grew up in the 1970’s when we first began REALLY talking about climate issues， his references to that time period should serve as a reminder that this is not something that has just started to be debated。 And full disclosure， I did not read this book without a bias。 My Dad was the Director of the Southwest for DOE for Nuclear and Alternative Energy Sources。 In the 1980’s， he served under President Bill Gates comes to this issue with down-to-earth prose and common sense solutions。 As someone who grew up in the 1970’s when we first began REALLY talking about climate issues， his references to that time period should serve as a reminder that this is not something that has just started to be debated。 And full disclosure， I did not read this book without a bias。 My Dad was the Director of the Southwest for DOE for Nuclear and Alternative Energy Sources。 In the 1980’s， he served under President Carter as special advisor on the issue and was tapped by President Reagan to serve as the Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy and Alternative Energy。 He declined the post because it was not “politically feasible to close out the nuclear cycle” which was to deal with the waste issue。 For many years we sidelined R&D into zero carbon technologies because fossil fuels were and are just too cheap to displace。 Things are changing but it is a very complex and highly charged issue。 Vaclav Smil， Professor Emeritus at the University of Manitoba， has written at length on the vital importance of energy in civilization。 I don’t believe we can just simply “stop using so much energy。” We need to find other non-carbon emitting forms。 For climate change deniers， it is difficult to understand how one can believe that we can emit into the atmosphere over 51 billion tons of carbon， methane， etc。 per year and NOT experience some negative consequences。 Or that we can continue to decimate both old and new growth forests to the tune of billions of trees and NOT have blowback。 The truth is the majority of the human species is hardwired to deal with problems in front of its nose。 This isn’t negative。 It was a part of the evolutionary press to survive。 But survival is easier now and we can begin to look at problems downstream。 Unfortunately， once this issue becomes a crisis， there will be little to do to mitigate it。 Fortunately， there are many working on the issues before they are a crisis。 How to Avoid a Climate Disaster covers many of the potential solutions。 Hopefully， How to Avoid a Climate Disaster will open up a national， if not international， discussion into a very complex problem without any easy answers or solutions。The only criticism I have of Bill Gates’ book is it is almost too optimistic。 I am a positive person， but I recognize that the extreme optimism that seems to prevail amongst technologists can be somewhat unrealistic。 You can always just throw a technology at a problem and then move on without looking back。For example， Bill Gates cites the population growth projections as something that technology can address。 With technology， we will be able to supply enough food， water， air， standard of living， etc。 to sustain doubling our population over the remainder of the century。 This doesn’t truly address sustainability or the true carrying capacity of the earth。 It doesn’t address biodiversity， habitat destruction， degraded soil， etc。 He also does not address one of the most alarming aspects of all technology–each new technology has the potential for benefit and destructiveness。 The upside and downside of everything。 At no point does he address the downside to any potential technology。 As someone who grew up with a nuclear engineer who was well versed in physics and knee-deep in public policy， I was fully aware at a young age that nuclear energy has a huge upside but also a huge downside。 In France where I lived for a little over a year， they receive 70% of their energy from nuclear power。 But it is impossible to ignore the lessons of Chernobyl or Fukushima。 I suspect there will be similar concerns over nuclear fusion which is something Gates did not address。Living in Texas Hill Country and surviving our now famous polar vortex plunge， the nation is fully aware of how Texas did or did not respond appropriately to the fierce freeze that left everyone struggling to survive。 Fifty-seven people did not。 Personally， we lost our power for 20 hours。 Our generator supplied some relief， but our heat pump was not hooked up to it。 It was cold。 It is easy to blame Texas， but it is just the last situation in the public conscience。 There are places in the world where power is intermittent if it exists at all。 I lived in Connecticut when the grid went down， the Halloween snow storm left us without power for 8 days， and Hurricane Sandy left us without power for 9 days。 We rely on our energy and our sources are vulnerable to climate change。 We can “play possum，” but it won’t change the facts。It was hard not to give How to Avoid a Climate Disaster 5 stars。 I just struggled with the over-optimism。 Overall though， it is a must-must-must-read。 。。。more
Ono Mergen
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 ⁹As an environmental scientist， I loved how Gates did his research， and learnt about Earth's systems in order to have a basic knowledge。 He is obviously a techno optimist， which he acknowledges， but he also sees that "miracle tech" like carbon capture and safer nyclear plants or hydrogen fusion won't be enough to avoid the collapse of the ecosystem。 I love that he emoahsises theburgency of lowering green premiums， and that he sees how much policies help。 However， there were some blindspots， but ⁹As an environmental scientist， I loved how Gates did his research， and learnt about Earth's systems in order to have a basic knowledge。 He is obviously a techno optimist， which he acknowledges， but he also sees that "miracle tech" like carbon capture and safer nyclear plants or hydrogen fusion won't be enough to avoid the collapse of the ecosystem。 I love that he emoahsises theburgency of lowering green premiums， and that he sees how much policies help。 However， there were some blindspots， but this is an extrenely complex issue。 For examole using basic food crops like corn in large quantites isn't such a great idea， as it's a staple that feeds a large percebtage of lower income countries。 When we use corn for biofuel and bioplastics， we take away from food production。 Also， having more monocultures is not a great idea anyway。 He talks about how it's ok for him to fly private bc he is offsetting his carbon footprint。 I bet it's true that he does offset it， bc he is doing a lot of great work and invests in green startups。 But that did sound slightly obnoxious， bc flying commercial in first class ain't that much of an inconvenince。 Just bc I put my PET bottles in a recycling bin， doesn't mean that I am ok with buying them。 Just bc I work in sustainablity， I am not entitled to driv SUVs in the city making the air wuality worse for everyone。。 offsetting is a great， but not polluting in the first place is way better。 It's almost like confessing after a "sin" to make it okay。 All in all， it was interesting to read from Gates， who has an access to the world's greatest scientists and minds amd who is a highly analytical and intelligent person。 I was pleasantly surprised by his multi-layered approach， as I expected something more one-dimensional。 He is down-to-earth， and willing to learn。 I am glad that he is trying to accelerate innovation towards better tech to help us fight for our host and home， our planet。 It"s a much more urgent work than flying to Mars and colonising the galaxy， which is a grandiose child's play and fantasy。 And I don't see Musk being under scrutiny， when all he does is lobby blocking other green tech which could be competitors to Tesla。 God， I can"t stand that idiot。I hope the message of lowering green premiums reaches decision makers and results in impactful and smart polociy changes。 It baffles me why it hadn't been on the top of the world's agenda， and the answer is probably ignorance。If everyone did their homework on climate change as Gates did， we would already live in a better world。 P。S。: the lessons he took on The Great Courses titled "Earth's Changung Climate" is one of the most comprehensive courses I have come accross outside of uni。 I highly recommend it to everyone。 。。。more
Stefan Mitev
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След като бях чипиран изпитах неистово желание да прочета новата книга на Бил Гейтс。 Очакванията ми бяха многократно надминати。"Как да предотвратим климатично бедствие" е фундаментален труд。 Задължително четиво за всеки， още сега， по време на пандемия。 Не се шегувам и не преувеличавам。 Много рядко срещам толкова ясно написана и информативна книга。 Няма сложни термини， няма статистически анализи， няма излишен пълнеж。 Фактите са изложени безпристрастно， предложени са и решения。Климатичните промени След като бях чипиран изпитах неистово желание да прочета новата книга на Бил Гейтс。 Очакванията ми бяха многократно надминати。"Как да предотвратим климатично бедствие" е фундаментален труд。 Задължително четиво за всеки， още сега， по време на пандемия。 Не се шегувам и не преувеличавам。 Много рядко срещам толкова ясно написана и информативна книга。 Няма сложни термини， няма статистически анализи， няма излишен пълнеж。 Фактите са изложени безпристрастно， предложени са и решения。Климатичните промени са факт。 Независимо от политическата ви ориентация и субективното мнение трябва да се съгласите с горното твърдение。 Отричането му ще доведе до катастрофа。 Светът става все по-топъл。 Това не означава， че няма да видим сняг， а че средните температури в глобален мащаб растат。 Промените са закономерни и не закъсняват - засушавания， унищожени реколти， разпространение на болести в нови географски области。Основно значение за климатичните промени има т。нар。 парников ефект， който е директно свързан с отделяните емисии от въглероден диоксид и други газове。 Проблемът е， че CO2 е почти навсякъде。 Отделя се при огромен брой производства и процеси。 Бил Гейтс ни представя основните причини в 5 големи категории:1） Производство на електроенергия2） Строителство - СО2 е страничен продукт при производство на цимент， бетон и стомана3） Земеделие - ще прочетете за ролята на торовете и кравите， отделящи метан4） Транспорт - мислили ли сте за електрически автомобил？5） Отопление и охлажданеПроблемните сектори са разгледани в дълбочина с удивителна яснота на изказа и идеите。 Краят на книгата предлага решения， които няма да са лесни， нито консенсусни。 Изискват кооперацията на огромен брой хора， правителства и организации。 Не всеки би се чувствал комфортно да плаща повече за зелена енергия。 Но дебат трябва за цената на мерките да има и трябва да започне още сега。Климатичните промени са най-големият проблем， с който човечеството се е сблъсквало。 Пиша го в условията на пандемия。 И е факт。 Прочетете книгата， независимо какво мислите за Бил Гейтс， независимо къде сте в политическия компас。 Аз научих нови неща， а смятах， че съм добре запознат с темата。 Ще научите и вие。 。。。more
Ivor
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An optimistic view that there is a lot we need to do to overcome climate change， but that it can be done。 I also appreciate Bill elaborating on green energy， and the limitations of solar and wind power。
Julia
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I listened to this book with my husband which meant we mostly listened to it over lunches and while cooking。 It’s the kind of book where you need to pay attention and rewind often to hear the important fact you just missed。 So don’t listen to it while driving or you’ll miss things。 This is a great introduction to carbon emissions and global warming。 After finishing the book I have a much better sense of what actually causes these emissions （hint: it’s not cars like I had thought， but actually ma I listened to this book with my husband which meant we mostly listened to it over lunches and while cooking。 It’s the kind of book where you need to pay attention and rewind often to hear the important fact you just missed。 So don’t listen to it while driving or you’ll miss things。 This is a great introduction to carbon emissions and global warming。 After finishing the book I have a much better sense of what actually causes these emissions （hint: it’s not cars like I had thought， but actually making things， making food， heating things， and then getting around）。 I also have a better sense of how people can go about getting to zero emissions。 The solutions need to be a combination of reducing emissions but also just burying carbon into the ground or capturing it in other ways。 I’m even making a small change in my life to help— we discovered that most of our electric comes from gas and goal， but there’s an option to pay a bit more to offset the emissions caused from our electricity and we are going to do that from now on。 Always great to read a book that gets me to make a positive change in the world :-） 。。。more
Avi
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Gates does a great job creating a simple framework of thinking about the problem and explaining it in a very approachable way。 I think it is a much read for anyone who cares about the future of the planet。
Gonçalo Pacheco
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