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
In this urgent， authoritative book， Bill Gates sets out a wide-ranging， practical - and accessible - plan for how the world can get to zero greenhouse gas emissions in time to avoid a climate catastrophe。
Bill Gates has spent a decade investigating the causes and effects of climate change。 With the help of experts in the fields of physics， chemistry， biology， engineering， political science， and finance， he has focused on what must be done in order to stop the planet's slide toward certain environmental disaster。 In this book， he not only explains why we need to work toward net-zero emissions of greenhouse gases， but also details what we need to do to achieve this profoundly important goal。
He gives us a clear-eyed description of the challenges we face。 Drawing on his understanding of innovation and what it takes to get new ideas into the market， he describes the areas in which technology is already helping to reduce emissions， where and how the current technology can be made to function more effectively， where breakthrough technologies are needed， and who is working on these essential innovations。 Finally， he lays out a concrete， practical plan for achieving the goal of zero emissions-suggesting not only policies that governments should adopt， but what we as individuals can do to keep our government， our employers， and ourselves accountable in this crucial enterprise。
As Bill Gates makes clear， achieving zero emissions will not be simple or easy to do， but if we follow the plan he sets out here， it is a goal firmly within our reach。
Bill Gates has spent a decade investigating the causes and effects of climate change。 With the help of experts in the fields of physics， chemistry， biology， engineering， political science， and finance， he has focused on what must be done in order to stop the planet's slide toward certain environmental disaster。 In this book， he not only explains why we need to work toward net-zero emissions of greenhouse gases， but also details what we need to do to achieve this profoundly important goal。
He gives us a clear-eyed description of the challenges we face。 Drawing on his understanding of innovation and what it takes to get new ideas into the market， he describes the areas in which technology is already helping to reduce emissions， where and how the current technology can be made to function more effectively， where breakthrough technologies are needed， and who is working on these essential innovations。 Finally， he lays out a concrete， practical plan for achieving the goal of zero emissions-suggesting not only policies that governments should adopt， but what we as individuals can do to keep our government， our employers， and ourselves accountable in this crucial enterprise。
As Bill Gates makes clear， achieving zero emissions will not be simple or easy to do， but if we follow the plan he sets out here， it is a goal firmly within our reach。
Reviews
Popup-ch
，
It's not （quite） too late to avoid a climate disaster - but to do so will require changing a lot of things and habits within the next couple of years。 The world will need to reduce CO₂-equivalent emissions from 51 billion tons to zero， within a couple of decades。It all hinges on finding suitable replacements， first of all for energy， but also for construction material and the like。 Most of these can already be solved， and the 'Green Premiums' for non-polluting alternatives are coming down。 Today It's not （quite） too late to avoid a climate disaster - but to do so will require changing a lot of things and habits within the next couple of years。 The world will need to reduce CO₂-equivalent emissions from 51 billion tons to zero， within a couple of decades。It all hinges on finding suitable replacements， first of all for energy， but also for construction material and the like。 Most of these can already be solved， and the 'Green Premiums' for non-polluting alternatives are coming down。 Today a modern heat pump can pay for itself in a couple of years， and electric cars are serious contenders to internal combustion vehicles。 The most urgent issue is to sort out electricity generation， distribution and storage。 A large part of the storage could be alleviated by improving distribution， and some of the storage need could be solved by simply using e。g。 hydro power more selectively， and/or converting to pumped storage。 Gates also proposes increased investment in nuclear fusion， and while he has done a lot more research than me on this subject， that's an outlier among energy experts。 New nuclear power stations have a tendency to be way over budget and behind schedule。 （c。f。 Hinkley Point C） Maybe novel designs， such as TerraPower， have an advantage over traditional designs， but that remains to be seen。 At the same time， solar photovoltaics have become drastically cheaper， and the trend looks set to continue。Gates also suggests that rich countries should phase out meat in favour of artificial alternatives。 Today fake meat， such as the Impossible Burger make a decent mincemeat alternative， and maybe one day soon we'll have a good steak！All in all， the text is on the fluffy side， this is no Vaclav Smil， and there are not as many hard numbers as in e。g。 David McKay's Sustainable Energy Without the Hot Air。 。。。more
Michael Connor
，
Very in depth， thoughtful， and well researched explanation of the problems related to climate change。 The solutions were similarly thought out but maybe slightly too optimistic about government and political opportunities for change in my opinion。 Overall， an extremely informative and interesting read。
Diego
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Honestly I don't know how to review such a good book。 Gates first explains the common jargon when talking about Climate Change， and how these affect the world by using simple analogies turned into principles。 This should be a recommended read for 2021。 Honestly I don't know how to review such a good book。 Gates first explains the common jargon when talking about Climate Change， and how these affect the world by using simple analogies turned into principles。 This should be a recommended read for 2021。 。。。more
Chris Reeves
，
This was a much easier read than I expected。 Bill gates has a great skill of breaking down large problems into understandable solutions。 Not simple solutions， as the problem is so big， but I feel he has looked at all the data and he talks about what and where we have to spend our money and collective energy to make the biggest impact to reverse the problem。
William L Karns
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Comprehensive Assessment of What We （humanity） Are FacingNo doom and gloom， just descriptive evaluation of what we’re facing， identifying the scalable solutions， and honoring each solution which takes even a chip out of the problem。
Stacy Lee
，
So we’re basically fcked
Sharly
，
Admito que tenía grandes reparos en este libro。 Pero me ha gustado y recomiendo su lectura。Es un libro muy didáctico que transmite información clara， sencilla y estructurada sobre el calentamiento global。 También explica en qué dirección están yendo los esfuerzos en desarrollar tecnologías para mitigar y reducir las emisiones de CO2。Bill Gates no es un experto en este tema， ni lo pretende， pero desde hace más de una década se ha asesorado muy bien y rodeado de gente experta。 El haber estado invo Admito que tenía grandes reparos en este libro。 Pero me ha gustado y recomiendo su lectura。Es un libro muy didáctico que transmite información clara， sencilla y estructurada sobre el calentamiento global。 También explica en qué dirección están yendo los esfuerzos en desarrollar tecnologías para mitigar y reducir las emisiones de CO2。Bill Gates no es un experto en este tema， ni lo pretende， pero desde hace más de una década se ha asesorado muy bien y rodeado de gente experta。 El haber estado involucrado en movimientos concienciación sobre el cambio climático e invirtiendo cientos de millones en tecnologías verdes le ha dado un conocimiento sólido sobre el calentamiento global。 。。。more
Abby Sagstetter
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Very much enjoyed this deeper look into the crisis of climate change。 I found the information to be presented in a way that wasn’t entirely overwhelming and largely motivating for creating change。
Rohini Swaminathan
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A crisis of this complexity and Gates had made a compelling argument in very simple terms on how humans can still tackle it。 I think every school kid in the world should read this book， at least once ！
Justin
，
In the past couple years I've really grown to value and appreciate Bill Gates' take on a number of things。 I think he's an exceptionally intelligent individual。 And by this I mostly mean he shares lots of the same opinions and outlooks as the ones I already had before I heard his take on things。 This is， I think， a pretty standard and also uncomfortable-to-face yardstick most of us use to determine someone's intelligence。 The stupid people are always the ones that disagree with us， right？And tha In the past couple years I've really grown to value and appreciate Bill Gates' take on a number of things。 I think he's an exceptionally intelligent individual。 And by this I mostly mean he shares lots of the same opinions and outlooks as the ones I already had before I heard his take on things。 This is， I think， a pretty standard and also uncomfortable-to-face yardstick most of us use to determine someone's intelligence。 The stupid people are always the ones that disagree with us， right？And that's partly why I wanted to specifically reads Gates' take on climate change。 Because on this topic I find it very hard to find people that haven't already drawn some pretty stark lines between "smart" people and "stupid" people and I always seem to end up in the "stupid" camp when reading their takes regardless of their politics。I save a quote from the book on this actually:"Unfortunately， the conversation about climate change has become unnecessarily polarized， not to mention clouded by conflicting information and confusing stories。 We need to make the debate more thoughtful and constructive， and most of all we need to center it on the realistic， specific plans for getting to zero。"That quote is a great summation of what motivated me to want to read one of my very rare non-fiction books。 It's also a great example of what I like about Gates' communication style - you'll notice there aren't actually any bad guys or bad groups or anything else in what he said。And that sentiment continues throughout。 There are no demons in the book。 There is nobody to hate。 There is no terror。 Fundamentally this is a book defining problems and then throwing out some ideas to solving them。 And the vast majority of the book is of the defining the problem variety。 As someone who is a big fan of sharpening an axe for the first four hours before I take a swing at a tree this is my kind of approach。So I kinda loved it。 It didn't ignore complexities I feel generally get ignored。 And it didn't overstate dangers。 It also didn't undersell the dangers。 It took one of the most complex and confused and polarized things in the modern world and distilled it down to something I felt like I was able to digest。 And I didn't walk away angry or scared afterwards， only with an understanding that we have a problem to solve。Beyond that I'm not sure what else to say。 I learned a MASSIVE amount about too many topics to list。 I gained new perspectives。 I am more able to talk intelligently about climate change now。 I am more able to understand which solutions are worthy of focus。 I got exactly what I wanted out of the book。For not appealing to base human emotions， for teaching me things， and giving me the first singular thing about climate change I would feel confident recommending to my friends of any political persuasion…five full stars。 。。。more
Luiz Marques
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Pretty good， there are a lot of details about ways to diminish carbon emissions I didn't know。The green premiums concept is also a great idea。 Pretty good， there are a lot of details about ways to diminish carbon emissions I didn't know。The green premiums concept is also a great idea。 。。。more
Nick Zervoudis
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Will post a review this weekend probably
Dr。 Appu Sasidharan
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Summary （Regular Review） Do you think that climate change is a hoax created by billionaires to control developing countries？ How can a person with a high carbon footprint like Bill Gates， who took his own private jet ironically for the Paris summit， talk about climate change？ Bill Gates tries to answer many controversial questions like these and tries to give us solutions for avoiding a climate disaster through this book。 What I learned from this book 1） Nature’s defense against cli Summary （Regular Review） Do you think that climate change is a hoax created by billionaires to control developing countries？ How can a person with a high carbon footprint like Bill Gates， who took his own private jet ironically for the Paris summit， talk about climate change？ Bill Gates tries to answer many controversial questions like these and tries to give us solutions for avoiding a climate disaster through this book。 What I learned from this book 1） Nature’s defense against climate change Nature has its own defense mechanisms against climate change。 Human interference is altering this balance of the ecosystem and is causing devastating changes in our climate。 The author is giving a good example of mangroves forests。 He says that investing in expanding nature's defense mechanism like planting more mangroves is better than expensive， impractical methods， which are complicated to implement。 "Mangroves are short trees that grow on coastlines， having adapted to life in saltwater。 They reduce storm surges， prevent coastal flooding and protect fish habitats。 All told， mangroves help to reduce the world from 80 billion-dollar losses from floods， and they save billions more in other ways。 Planting mangroves is much cheaper than building breakwaters， and the trees also improve the water quality。 Very great investment。" 2） How quickly should we reach the zero-emissions？ The author tells us the importance of net-zero emissions and why we should try harder to attain zero emissions to protect our environment。 “How quickly do we need to get to zero？ Science tells us that in order to avoid a climate catastrophe， rich countries should reach net-zero emissions by 2050。 You've probably heard people say we can decarbonize deeply even sooner—by 2030。" 3） Climate change and pandemic When Coronavirus struck us as a massive pandemic， and when the world came to a standstill， there was a 5% reduction in carbon emission。 But this is only a temporary reduction in emission。 The author tells us that if we keep ignoring the warning signs of climate change， we all will land up in a more terrible situation than any pandemic。 "We are at the same point today with climate change as we were several years ago with pandemics。 Health experts were telling us that a massive outbreak was virtually inevitable。 Despite their warnings， the world didn't do enough to prepare and suddenly had to scramble to make up the lost time。 We should not make the same mistake with climate change。 In other words， by mid-century， climate change could be just as deadly as COVID-19， and by 2100 it could be five times as deadly。" My favourite three lines from this book “There are two numbers you need to know about climate change。 The first is 51 billion。 The other is zero。 Fifty-one billion is how many tons of greenhouse gases the world typically adds to the atmosphere every year。” "Remember that we need to find solutions for all five activities that emissions come from: making things， plugging in， growing things， getting around， and keeping cool and warm。" “The countries that build great zero-carbon companies and industries will be the ones that lead the global economy in the coming decades。” What I didn’t like in this book Bill Gates clearly enlists measures that everyone should do to prevent climate change。 The problem with his writing here is that he emphasizes the actions that government can implement instead of individuals。 He tells us the importance of global cooperation like the Paris summit。 His nature is to take the big picture first and then to try hard to solve it。 “I try to get the big picture first because that gives me the context to understand the new information。 I am also more likely to remember it。 ” I think that there is nothing wrong with Gates's approach of considering the big picture first。 In fact， it is one of the best ways to tackle the problem。 The problem arises when he gives significantly less importance to the smaller issues， which are also crucial as they have the propensity to become a bigger problem if we ignore them。 I expected some special announcements or plans the author himself will implement to prevent climate change in this book。 But sadly， I didn't see any such thing。 But let's hope that he believes more in action than words and will talk about it after successfully implementing it。 Rating 3/5 This book indeed gave me some new information about climate change but not to the level I expected。 I saw many extremely negative reviews about this book， especially as the author garnered a lot of negative attention after the multiple conspiracy theories involving him。 I don't think it is a terrible book like most of them are pointing out。 I can't call it an excellent book either。 It will be a good read if you haven't read any book about climate change。 。。。more
Hugo Brisson
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My first foray into climate change and this book had the perfect mix of science and ease of access for an introduction to the subject。Love the based-on-facts approach to describe climate change， the impacts it has on our civilization and the incredibly difficult challenges that we need to solve to make a dent in the situation。
Sean Barrs
，
Bill Gates has great motives here and a high degree of personal integrity and honesty， I'll give him that。 He wrote this book because he felt that it needed to be written and that it could do some good in the world。 Though in reality， this is not a book for you or for me。 It is not a book about how we can tackle climate change。 It is a book about how Gates thinks governments should act to tackle it and how rich people should tackle it。 Our actions are not important enough。 And， naturally， I take Bill Gates has great motives here and a high degree of personal integrity and honesty， I'll give him that。 He wrote this book because he felt that it needed to be written and that it could do some good in the world。 Though in reality， this is not a book for you or for me。 It is not a book about how we can tackle climate change。 It is a book about how Gates thinks governments should act to tackle it and how rich people should tackle it。 Our actions are not important enough。 And， naturally， I take a few issues with his viewpoint， a viewpoint that perceives the world from a rich man’s perspective and ignores the significance of the everyday person。 Gates does not believe in half measures。 He believes the only way to deal with the issue is to reach Carbon Zero across all nations。 As such， he does not advocate for methods to reduce energy consumption （and thus less carbon） but instead proposes that the world （namely the superpowers） should invest in clean energy， technology and plant-based agriculture as alternatives for what we already use。 He does not propose a change in human behaviour， greed or the distribution of resources， but instead insists that we can continue as we are but in a cleaner more efficient way。In this， there is an almost complete disregard for individual agency。 We cannot rely on governments to do everything。 He believes the only way you and I can affect change is to lobby the powers that be。 We must annoy and harass our governments and representatives to act。 Changing our own lives and attempting to better our behaviour and emissions is the last， and least effective， resort。 Our individual actions are not important enough by this logic to make any significant difference in the world。 We must trust in the government and attempt to direct them onto a more environmentally friendly path。 Every large-scale movement in history has occurred because of the power of individual activists who inspired their followers， whether directly or indirectly， to change themselves and attempt to reform others and the world。 This is how true change occurs。 Mahatma Ghandi， Malcolm X， Martin Luther King Jr， Greta Thunberg are examples of people who worked towards their respective causes without the support of higher powers。 Yes， they lobbied governments， but they understood that everyone must change too。 We cannot simply rely on the government to put the best interests of the people and the environment above their own self-interest （and wealth。）Gates attempts to present a case that environmentally friendly investments are money lucrative; he is actively trying to persuade people that this is the future。 And he may be right， but it is not enough。 I appreciate the fact， and his recognition， that he is not perfect。 Gates knows that he has a massive carbon footprint。 He is aware that he， in the past， had invested in fossil fuels。 But he wants to learn and grow and become a better person in order to help the world。 He is not claiming to be an environmental saint， just a man who has used his wealth to try to understand （and perhaps even） tackle climate change。 But I feel that Bill Gates misses a crucial point entirely in this regard。 We are all in this mess together。 We all need to act on an individual basis to change it。 And this is something Gates does not give nearly enough weight。 ___________________________________You can connect with me on social media via My Linktree。__________________________________ 。。。more
James Read
，
Mixed feelings。 And left with a confusion over how I feel about the book。I enjoyed seeing the subject from an engineer and technologist viewpoint， and he brings clarity to where we are， frames key data well， what needs changing， and I think he makes it clear that it's going to be very hard， while balancing it with optimism。I think it is the pure technologist viewpoint that leaves me somewhat cold。 I missed more on how nature， biodiversity， and economic system change， and other aspects， are requi Mixed feelings。 And left with a confusion over how I feel about the book。I enjoyed seeing the subject from an engineer and technologist viewpoint， and he brings clarity to where we are， frames key data well， what needs changing， and I think he makes it clear that it's going to be very hard， while balancing it with optimism。I think it is the pure technologist viewpoint that leaves me somewhat cold。 I missed more on how nature， biodiversity， and economic system change， and other aspects， are required。I'm am happy I read it and I got a better understanding of what he thinks the technology developments should be， so I'd still suggest it to read， but I won't be cheerfully recommending as I have with other recent reads。 。。。more
Lisa Rost
，
I expected this book to explain me in rational， optimistic ways what we can do to get to zero。 And I expected it to be smart。 Bill Gates can speak to some of the smartest people on the planet and he won't be completely wrong in a book。 I got all of that — including helpful concepts （"green premiums"， "how much of the 51 billion are we talking about"） to think about which stuff to work on first/next — but not in the depth I wished for。 The chapters on what solutions we need to find and everything I expected this book to explain me in rational， optimistic ways what we can do to get to zero。 And I expected it to be smart。 Bill Gates can speak to some of the smartest people on the planet and he won't be completely wrong in a book。 I got all of that — including helpful concepts （"green premiums"， "how much of the 51 billion are we talking about"） to think about which stuff to work on first/next — but not in the depth I wished for。 The chapters on what solutions we need to find and everything that came after it were too short and high-level。 He didn't mention any names （from researchers， activists， companies）， which made the book feel weirdly detached from reality。 I very much enjoyed the few anecdotes and wished for more。 I still recommend it to people who want a short overview of what are the challenges when getting to zero; especially the first few chapters （they get five stars from me）。 I have a better understanding of that than I had before。 。。。more
Danielle
，
Personable stories， and actionable steps to take to combat climate change。 Enjoyable listen！
David Gardiner
，
Difficult one to review/ rate。。。I found it to be exactly what I expected it to be。An intelligent analysis / action plan to tackle the most important challenge in the world。It can help educate people and improve the conversation around climate change。 And hopefully spur the world into action before it's too late。I hope enough people read it！I'm not sure why Gates' didn't release it for free？ As he doesn't need the money， but does want as many people as possible to read this。 Maybe it'll reach mor Difficult one to review/ rate。。。I found it to be exactly what I expected it to be。An intelligent analysis / action plan to tackle the most important challenge in the world。It can help educate people and improve the conversation around climate change。 And hopefully spur the world into action before it's too late。I hope enough people read it！I'm not sure why Gates' didn't release it for free？ As he doesn't need the money， but does want as many people as possible to read this。 Maybe it'll reach more people as a paid-for book？ 。。。more
Joshua Gray
，
Bill Gates has written a really succinct， accessible and authoritative book on the causes and practical solutions to climate change。 It's perfect for someone who knows very little about the subject， and also a great summary of where we are at in terms of progress and innovation for those who regularly keep up with climate news。 Bill Gates has written a really succinct， accessible and authoritative book on the causes and practical solutions to climate change。 It's perfect for someone who knows very little about the subject， and also a great summary of where we are at in terms of progress and innovation for those who regularly keep up with climate news。 。。。more
Alice
，
I know it's still early in the year， but I'm sure this will be my most important read of 2021。 This book is well-researched， thorough， informative。 It informs and challenges our ideas and knowledge about climate change in big ways and Gates makes a clear and convincing demonstration as to why we need to get to zero emission in the next thirty years。I greatly appreciated his vulgarisation and explanations of sometimes complex concepts， which made the book easy to follow and understand。 I know it's still early in the year， but I'm sure this will be my most important read of 2021。 This book is well-researched， thorough， informative。 It informs and challenges our ideas and knowledge about climate change in big ways and Gates makes a clear and convincing demonstration as to why we need to get to zero emission in the next thirty years。I greatly appreciated his vulgarisation and explanations of sometimes complex concepts， which made the book easy to follow and understand。 。。。more
Claudia
，
"This is urgent work。 We are at the same point today with climate change as we were several years ago with pandemics。 Health experts were telling us that a massive outbreak was virtually inevitable。 Despite their warnings， the world didn't do enough to prepare - and then suddenly had to scramble to make up for lost time。 We should not make the same mistake with climate change。"As much as I dislike Windows， I've always admired Bill Gates for what he managed to create， and most of all， for his phi "This is urgent work。 We are at the same point today with climate change as we were several years ago with pandemics。 Health experts were telling us that a massive outbreak was virtually inevitable。 Despite their warnings， the world didn't do enough to prepare - and then suddenly had to scramble to make up for lost time。 We should not make the same mistake with climate change。"As much as I dislike Windows， I've always admired Bill Gates for what he managed to create， and most of all， for his philanthropy。 And because of that， I was curious to see his point of view regarding climate change。 And he did his job right。 There are a lot of info on all the factors that affects climate and leads to carbon （and not only） acumullation。All data are structured in separate chapters， and everything is explained on everyone's understanding。 It's not exactly a science book， more likely its purpose is to raise awareness about this Damocles' sword which is about to fall on our heads。I think it's a great introduction into what climate change means， factors involved and possible solutions。 Most data are focused on the US， but there are some from around the world as well。For those who are more than familiar with the subject will not be a ground-breaking reading， but it gathers numbers and statistics which are usually found from a lot of different sources， and here you have them all together。All in all， it was an interesting read。 His vision is aimed on new technologies to help with this planetary problem， but I have found him a bit （too） optimistic， in regard to governments and their response to various solutions。 In any case， we could all benefit from visionary and dedicated people like him， whose investments and involvement are a great asset for all of us。 I wish there were more like him in these times。>>> ARC received thanks to Penguin Press UK – Allen Lane， Particular， Pelican， Penguin Classics via NetGalley <<< 。。。more
Razvan Constantin
，
This book is not perfect。 But I consider it to be a book to be read by anyone out there， regardless of their knowledge of the subject and to realize what needs to happen next。For those that have already read several books on the subject， like myself， it might be a bit incomplete or short but for the global public I think this is THE book to read。
Cameron
，
So much of the rhetoric on climate change has become more ideological and partisan than practical。 Gates's treatment of the subject， on the other hand， is refreshingly grounded in reality and pragmatism。 It simultaneously has the sort of understated language that is the partner of nuanced， informed opinions， along with the impact that lets him say things like "climate disaster" without being hyperbolic。 He lays out a careful case that people of varying incoming knowledge bases would have a hard So much of the rhetoric on climate change has become more ideological and partisan than practical。 Gates's treatment of the subject， on the other hand， is refreshingly grounded in reality and pragmatism。 It simultaneously has the sort of understated language that is the partner of nuanced， informed opinions， along with the impact that lets him say things like "climate disaster" without being hyperbolic。 He lays out a careful case that people of varying incoming knowledge bases would have a hard time disagreeing with。His structural way of looking at the problem by looking at the greenhouse gases produced by within five categories （Energy， Manufacturing， Transport， Heating， and Agriculture） is really good at cutting to the heart of the problem。 His hopeful， techno-optimist perspective is good， but it's also grounded and tempered by a clear vision of things as they are。My problems with the book are comparatively slight。 One example: He expresses the opinion that planes and container ships will likely never abandon hydrocarbon fuels， which could be true。 But he largely ignored hydrogen as a possible solution to both。 While it's certainly not a guaranteed solution， the lack of discussion at all made me think he was dismissive for unknown reasons or unaware， and I'm not sure which is worse。 It makes me wonder about what else was left out or glossed over。All said， the book is great for what it is: An excellent framework presented to the masses to help people better conceptualize the problem and paths to solving it。 Despite being very familiar with a lot of the subject matter， I still learned quite a bit， and more importantly， my perspective was shifted to a more hopeful and realistic place。 I highly recommend the book to all adults。 。。。more
Michal Sventek
，
I enjoyed this book a lot， especially because how important the topic it describes is， and how soberly it approaches it。In the introduction， he establishes the goal - 51 Billion。 That's tons of greenhouse gasses， per year， that we produce on our planet。 What are the greenhouse gasses？ Why， gasses in our atmosphere， which allow the sun's rays and heat to enter our atmosphere， but don't let as much of them out again。 Just like in a greenhouse， it gets warmer。 But why do they work like that？ You se I enjoyed this book a lot， especially because how important the topic it describes is， and how soberly it approaches it。In the introduction， he establishes the goal - 51 Billion。 That's tons of greenhouse gasses， per year， that we produce on our planet。 What are the greenhouse gasses？ Why， gasses in our atmosphere， which allow the sun's rays and heat to enter our atmosphere， but don't let as much of them out again。 Just like in a greenhouse， it gets warmer。 But why do they work like that？ You see， the molecules。。。Gates does a great job of explaining the science behind climate change， the numbers and units; the procedures how and when these are produced - even in places you'd never expect。 He gives guidance on learning more about it， what mistakes to avoid and how to put things into perspective。But he's a billionaire， right？ So what does he have to say？ Why should I listen？Because we want to save the planet？ Because he spends hundreds of millions of dollars on thousands of companies and investments， initiatives and agendas - all to help us get to zero？ If you think that all is doomed unless we turn everything off， ideally lose half of the population and live in huts - then Gates won't exactly satisfy you。 He won't lead the "revolution" with you， comrade。 And that's another strength of this book - no BS。 That， and the amount of insight this guy has。 He goes through all of the components of greenhouse emissions， all of the places they come from （concrete， hello？）， explains it all and then shows the initiatives and innovations in the works。Are we going to manage this and solve this crisis？ Likely， but only if we act。 And even then， it's not that simple。 It will require everyone to act。 The companies， the people， the governments - all of them。 Not just us in the West。 And we mustn't forget about the poor nations， either。 Their development must be priority - but ideally without creating more greenhouse gasses。 He talks about the need for good government policy - on each level - from multilateral fora， down to your local municipal council。 And in the end， even you and I。 Voting and pressuring our politicians to go forward with solutions which help us transition to zero - solutions that matter and make sense - that bring innovation and let it grow。 And voting goes beyond politics， too。 It also matters how you vote in the market - what you buy。 The more of us willing to pay a little extra shows the market where the demand lies - and the market delivers。 All of this and much more - a very good， sober and realistic， book。 5/5 。。。more
Ivars
，
Great read， ignore the Gates hatersLoved the book， clear and concise up to date work on climate change。 It's amazing how many Gates trolls there are in reviews， totally ignoring the actual content。 I do wonder， they must have bought the book at least， to post the review:） Great read， ignore the Gates hatersLoved the book， clear and concise up to date work on climate change。 It's amazing how many Gates trolls there are in reviews， totally ignoring the actual content。 I do wonder， they must have bought the book at least， to post the review:） 。。。more
Katie Smith
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Interesting and concise look on what innovations are needed to solve climate change。 But nothing too revolutionary or groundbreaking if you’ve read lots of this stuff。 Very accessible read though
Breno Ferreira
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Straightforward and to the point science of Climate Change and what causes it。 I was quite surprised that things like cement and steel were major contributors to global emissions。 You see so much conversation around switching to electric cars for example， when that's not even the real challenge （I mean， electric cars are almost guaranteed to become widely adopted in the next few years）。 The real challenge is:1。 Clean energy: Again， most people talk about renewable energy like solar and wind， but Straightforward and to the point science of Climate Change and what causes it。 I was quite surprised that things like cement and steel were major contributors to global emissions。 You see so much conversation around switching to electric cars for example， when that's not even the real challenge （I mean， electric cars are almost guaranteed to become widely adopted in the next few years）。 The real challenge is:1。 Clean energy: Again， most people talk about renewable energy like solar and wind， but that's probably not enough given its scalability problems （it's not always sunny and windy 24/7）。 We need safer and cheaper nuclear energy。2。 Once clean and cheap electricity is available， we need to tackle clean industry: steel and cement for construction， clean plastics and basically have clean materials for everything。 That will have a green premium。 The challenge is to get to a negative premium， so that the green cement or steel is cheaper than the traditional。3。 Food: lower meat and dairy consumption （getting to zero will probably be impossible， due to cultural influences）。4。 Carbon capture: Develop tools to capture carbon from the atmosphere and even capture it before it's blown out into the atmosphere， inside the material production facilities。5。 Global political cooperation: getting governments to invest in the science， research and development of ideas to tackle all the aforementioned challenges。 Then getting the private sector to capitalize on the successful ideas6。 Rich countries will probably have to offset emissions from poor countries。 As poor countries get richer， their energy consumption will go up and so will their emissions （at least in the short term while clean energy isn't cheaper）。 You can't expect poor nations to not pollute just to avoid climate change。 Energy consumption goes up as people get lifted out of poverty。The challenge is gigantic。 One thing that isn't mentioned in the book is the social challenge。 Given the widespread of false information on internet， how do you get people to agree on these things？ Years before the Covid19 pandemic there were already climate change deniers （Trump in 2016 for example）。 And， like Covid19， as the situation becomes more dramatic as time passes， will this get worse？ I don't know。 But if we want to get to zero emissions by 2050， fixing this social media and fake news problem is among the urgent things we need to do。 。。。more
Felix Cederfeldt
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I'll give this a 5-star rating because it's a REALLY important book that every individual， CEO， politician， and pretty much everyone else should read。 Say what you want about Gates （I like the guy but I have seen that not everyone does） his message is simple: We need to reduce all the emissions by 2050; and doing so will need government regulations and spending， as well new innovations and new ways to make and do things， like cement， steel， electricity and so on。Something I will note is that thi I'll give this a 5-star rating because it's a REALLY important book that every individual， CEO， politician， and pretty much everyone else should read。 Say what you want about Gates （I like the guy but I have seen that not everyone does） his message is simple: We need to reduce all the emissions by 2050; and doing so will need government regulations and spending， as well new innovations and new ways to make and do things， like cement， steel， electricity and so on。Something I will note is that this book got repetitive in the end but I have read that: "repetition is the mother of knowledge" 。 Please， even if you don't care to read this one， add it at least to your TBR so that you can read it later if Climate change is becoming important to you。 。。。more
Pete
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