The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need
288 pages
English language
Published Aug. 8, 2021 by Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.
This book offers a comprehensive look at the climate crisis, breaking down the challenges into understandable terms. Has lots of helpful insights that can be shared with others when discussing our path to remedying climate change.
It's a great thing that this book was written and it's heartening that it became a best seller. I'm thankful to the Vancouver Public Library for having it for free.
A dense and ambitious read for anyone who wants to have informed discussions on effective climate solutions. The book aims to provide a foundation of knowledge and facts to make those discussions productive, and I'd say it's pretty successful at that if the reader's attention survives the firehose of information.
The framing is the usual positivism about market forces being a potential force of good, as expected from a book written by a billionaire. But surprisingly and very thankfully, Bill Gates does pose that in the end it's just policy all the way down, because Chapter 11 states unambiguously that the plan is to get government leaders and policymakers to steer the market and Chapter 12 is about how individuals …
It's a great thing that this book was written and it's heartening that it became a best seller. I'm thankful to the Vancouver Public Library for having it for free.
A dense and ambitious read for anyone who wants to have informed discussions on effective climate solutions. The book aims to provide a foundation of knowledge and facts to make those discussions productive, and I'd say it's pretty successful at that if the reader's attention survives the firehose of information.
The framing is the usual positivism about market forces being a potential force of good, as expected from a book written by a billionaire. But surprisingly and very thankfully, Bill Gates does pose that in the end it's just policy all the way down, because Chapter 11 states unambiguously that the plan is to get government leaders and policymakers to steer the market and Chapter 12 is about how individuals can support that plan: activism.
Personally, after reading the book it's a bit frustrating that there isn't much I can do that I'm not already doing, so it was a long read with little payback. I'm already pressuring my representatives, voting with my wallet, reducing my emissions, and yet here we are. We can't even get protected bike lanes and more public transit without getting tangled in conservatives culture war and their love for SUVs.
Still, I'll take the win that at least pragmatically, this book can get more people informed and engaged.
I’d say it’s a good overview of all the different things causing emissions and thus contributing to the climate crisis. It does put things into perspective nicely and I learned a few new things.
The problem is that this book commits the unforgivable sin of not backing everything up properly. This topic is too important to make claims without giving sources. It just feeds the narrative of climate change deniers, something to be avoided I’d say.
Torn on this one
This is a book to keep and re-read in 10 years' time to check how far we got. I found it really well written as it's fluid yet full of information, which is factual and based on data. Gates lists potential solutions in a very pragmatic way, assessing pros and cons and the risks. The approach is that of a techie, devoid of politics, and all in all the vibe is optimistic. He has clearly done lots of research and he makes it available for everyone to learn about.
La tecnica narrativa forzatamente semplice dell'autore sembra sottendere il pensiero che i lettori siano dei minus habens e come tali debbano essere trattati. Vengono comunque descritte alcune soluzioni tecnologiche interessanti, spiegandone il funzionamento. Il libro è un manifesto tecno-sviluppista, che reclamizza la possibilità di superare i problemi energetici unicamente tramite soluzioni tecnologiche. Secondo Gates, insomma, non vale nemmeno la pena di chiedersi se abbiamo sbagliato qualcosa o no!
Pros : Learned more about climate change in a single book than I have in my entire life. Simultaneously less scared and more scared about the future.
Cons: the book is not particularly well written and Gates repeats himself multiple times. Feel like this was a long note on his phone in preparation for writing a speech for the climate summit.
Overall, written like a textbook, but changed my worldview by the end of it.
One would expect someone with giant investments in companies developing solutions to climate problems to be biased, and Gates does his best to own up to it. The writing is exceptionally clear and I learned some valuable things. Some topics may be oversimplified, and it especially seemed to me like more emphasis on long and short carbon cycles and non-climate pollutants is warranted.
I waffled between four and five stars, because this book is not as engagingly written as, say, something by Malcolm Gladwell. However, I think it achieves its aims admirably, without much fluff, and the world will be a better place if people read it and take it seriously.
The book had all the rigorous focus on data I'd expect from a nerd (I love nerds!) and the big-picture strategic focus that I'd expect from someone who's spent years dealing with overwhelming, systemic problems.
It also had a level of data-driven pragmatism and global perspective that's a refreshing shift from the usual virtue-signaling and egotism that tends to accompany discussions about "the environment."
Some reviewers seem annoyed that Gates doesn't have a long list of "personal application" suggestions; I'm grateful, because the truth is that the scale of the problem is not one that can be fixed by lifehacks, and I'd …
I waffled between four and five stars, because this book is not as engagingly written as, say, something by Malcolm Gladwell. However, I think it achieves its aims admirably, without much fluff, and the world will be a better place if people read it and take it seriously.
The book had all the rigorous focus on data I'd expect from a nerd (I love nerds!) and the big-picture strategic focus that I'd expect from someone who's spent years dealing with overwhelming, systemic problems.
It also had a level of data-driven pragmatism and global perspective that's a refreshing shift from the usual virtue-signaling and egotism that tends to accompany discussions about "the environment."
Some reviewers seem annoyed that Gates doesn't have a long list of "personal application" suggestions; I'm grateful, because the truth is that the scale of the problem is not one that can be fixed by lifehacks, and I'd rather be honest about that so we can put our oomph where it actually CAN make a difference.
Similarly, I appreciate the reminder that the ultimate goal is not deprivation but empowerment. We WANT the whole world to have access to the goodness that is a ready supply of convenient energy! The challenge is figuring out how to give everyone that opportunity while also doing it in a way that will serve our long-term interests (you know, health, safety, survival, those kind of things).
Another point on which I differ from some other reviewers is that I did not have an education that covered all of the science well. Some of this is age (I'm getting old, y'all), some of this was my particular school, and some of this was me (I didn't seek out science). I found the overview helpful. If you already understand the science well, you might prefer to skim the early chapters.
One bit that I think is underappreciated: his argument about why we need to focus on "zero by 2050" and be wary of "decreased by 2030." Intuitively, I wouldn't have spotted the danger, but most of the book is essentially laying the groundwork for this one crucial point.
Gates is generally very optimistic (within reason; I do remember him being one of the few people in the early days of COVID-19 who predicted 18+ months of dramatic changes when so many others were saying "two weeks"). I'm a little more cynical, but I find this book encouraging. There are reasonable paths forward. I hope many people will seriously engage with the ideas and help us get on the right track.
It is a useful read, if you are following events it is not very surprising. Audio book very well read by Wil Weaton.
This quote from the book says it best:
When we have a fact-based view of climate change, we can see that we have some of the things we need to avoid a climate disaster, but not all of them. We can see what stands in the way of deploying the solutions we have and developing the breakthroughs we need. And we can see all the work we must do to overcome these hurdles.
That's what the book is about. It is very good at that. Gates introduces the idea of "green premiums", the difference in price between the current way of doing a thing and the "clean" way of doing that thing. He uses that to quantify the gap from where we are to where we need to get, and to compare alternatives.
A large part of the book is exactly that: Comparing the status quo with a possible zero-carbon …
This quote from the book says it best:
When we have a fact-based view of climate change, we can see that we have some of the things we need to avoid a climate disaster, but not all of them. We can see what stands in the way of deploying the solutions we have and developing the breakthroughs we need. And we can see all the work we must do to overcome these hurdles.
This is a fantastic mapping and prioritization of climate emissions, and how mature technologies on each case to engineer out the "green premium" so we can "get to zero" (net emissions). It also makes connections to several fields. Worth noting that it leaves as secondary "nature based solutions", non-climate benefits or non-tech interventions. E.g. the value and benefits of ecological diversity by strengthening forests beyond their carbon stock potential, or policy-only interventions. If you want a complementary view, I recommend "the nature of nature" by Enric Sala.
