There's a certain irony around reading a book like this shortly before I make a transatlantic flight. Yeah I'm vegetarian, I own an EV, and recycle etc. etc., but I also know that a single long haul trip can completely offset the carbon emissions I'd otherwise save, which doesn't even account for the inevitable flight back.

What I appreciate here is that this book doesn't browbeat you into being a Luddite through guilt tripping (though it does mention and discuss other individuals and organizations that try to). Instead, it does acknowledge the necessities and positives of air travel and how it's made the world more connected and accessible. But that doesn't mean it's not without cost.

So is anyone doing anything about it? Turns out, yes, but the technology isn't there yet, and barring some unforeseeable breakthrough, it might never get there on the scale needed. There's specific foci on SAF (sustainable air fuel), biofuels, hydrogen gas, and electric battery-powered aircraft, as well as which firms and individuals are putting the most work into realizing these alternatives, and their unique shortcomings. And it turns out there are a lot of shortcomings, and it doesn't seem like anything is going to change about it anytime soon.

Are we doomed? Probably, especially considering the post-COVID projections for "revenge travel" (this book came out in 2022, and it seems that has played out exactly as forecast), as well as a growing middle-class in China which is supercharging a domestic air industry to rival those in "mature" economies. But this book tries not to make it seem like a downer and highlights that some people are trying to do something about it.