How to Avoid a Climate Disaster: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need by Bill GatesMy rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
What I looked for in this book is new solutions, new ideas. Perhaps many of what Gates discusses is new to people, but I didn’t find anything too striking, nothing that got me very excited. In fact I was a bit worried when one of Gates solutions to clean energy is bringing back nuclear, although not exactly like we’ve done before. Less waste is good, but the lifespan and problem of very long-term storage is still a huge hurdle.
The book is organized into five areas that we need to solve. Gates provides the percentage that each are contributes to the greenhouse gasses that need to be reduced or eliminated, which are following:
- Making things (building, cement, etc.) – 41%
- Plugging in (energy) – 27%
- Getting around (all transportation & delivery) – 16%
- Growing things (food, animals) – 19%
- Temperature (heating & colling) – 7%
Gates mentions for his numbers, refining oil or making cars are counted in Making Things category, while the actual burning of gas is in Getting Around. Others may count those differently.
There are some solutions, some are policies, governmental agencies must do, such as supporting research to help businesses take those idea to implement. There are personal solutions as well but wasn’t the main focus of the book.
I listened to the audiobook narrated by Wil Wheaton, which I enjoyed. Bill Gates narrated his own introduction and if he did the entire book, I don’t think I would have made it through, Wheaton’s voice was more pleasing to my ears.
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